Assessment of the Variability of Bearing Capacity of Soils in Selected Districts of Southern Malawi for Shallow Foundations

This study was done to assess the soil bearing capacities of
various districts of the southern region of Malawi. The objective
was to provide a basic guide for the construction industry and
shallow foundation design experts on the ultimate bearing
capacity values for the various areas in some districts of the
southern region of Malawi for decision making. The methodology
applied in this study used the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP)
test to determine the bearing capacity of the various sites. Data
for the study was collected from six selected districts in the
southern region which were sampled based on the geological
regions with regards to southern region of Malawi. The DCP tests
were conducted at randomly selected designated secondary
schools of these districts. Interpretation of the DCP results was
done using conversion equation from DCP values to California
Bearing Ratio (CBR) values then to the equivalent bearing
capacities. Results have shown that the most probable ultimate
bearing capacity amongst the six districts is 115kN/m2
. Although
there is variation in the overall results obtained, some similarities
were observed in the districts of Blantyre and Mangochi which
recorded very hard strata. Further similarities were also observed
in the districts of Mulanje, Nsanje and Chiradzulu with results
ranging from loose to firm ultimate bearing capacities.