Heave Problem in Spread Footing in Jordanian Expansive Soil

Spread footing foundation system is widely used here in Jordan. Cheap cost compare with other foundation type and accumulative practice makes them preferable in the construction industry. Overdesign of such footing and the lack of effective heave prediction lead to an unexpected outcome. Several residences building in Irbid province were suffered from severe crack. Subsequently, owners of these houses are enforced to leave their homes. In this paper a case study of a damaged one-storey reinforced concrete structure presented. The investigation shown that, the spread footings in the damaged part of the structure are over design, while the grade beam used to connect these footing is under design