ABNT NBR 6122 - Foundation Design and Execution

Antonio Neves
Written by
Antonio Neves
Published on
9/3/2024
Updated on
4/6/2024
ABNT NBR 6122 - Foundation Design and Execution

Do you know NBR 6122? Find out everything about her!

Today, we are going to talk about a very important NBR, which deals with the process of executing foundations, a fundamental stage to guarantee the support and quality of the work, NBR 6122. Because of its importance for civil construction, we decided to explain what are the main topics covered by this standard, since a problem in the execution of the foundation may compromise the entire construction, or at the very least, cause serious maintenance problems.

If you keep in mind the recommendations established by the NBR, you will certainly know how to create the foundation of your building with more ownership, ensuring safety and avoiding problems for every project. Then, read on to learn more about NBR 6122, because here you will find the information you need to direct the process of executing the foundation of your construction. Let's go!

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What is the importance of NBR 6122?

The title of NBR 6122 consists of “Foundation Design and Execution” and its purpose is to direct the procedures from the design to the execution of foundations. You should know that foundations are responsible for distributing the weight (load) of the construction to the ground safely so that landslides do not occur, problems such as Trincas, cracks in the construction and so many other damages that can be caused by errors in the foundation.

Since it is a very big responsibility to choose the type of foundation and how its execution will be carried out, the ideal is for this to be done by an engineer or a team qualified to carry out such a task.

Thus, a technical analysis can be carried out, considering the characteristics of the soil, the weight of the building, the materials and equipment needed to prepare the structural project.

Although you have a team to help you design and execute the foundation of a building, you need to have a sense of the subject. And we made this article for that: to learn about the design and execution of foundations, because, if carried out correctly, they enable quality work and prevent future damage.

Therefore, do a good read so that you understand once and for all what are the recommendations of NBR 6122 to carry out the design and execution of the foundations correctly!

What is the scope of NBR 6122?

According to the NBR itself, the standard specifies the requirements to be observed in the design and execution of foundations for all civil construction structures. However, there are some exceptions.

This standard does not cover those types of foundations that have restricted application (staked shoes, staked radiers, compaction piles, soil improvement, among others) and those that are in disrepair (pneumatic caissons, for example).

Such foundations can be used with the necessary adaptations based on the types presented by the standard.

Regulatory References:

NBR 6122 is part of the set of regulatory standards of the ABNT (Brazilian Technical Standards Association) and has the same objective as all other standards: to standardize an aspect of civil construction, with recommendations and steps that must be followed to the letter.

The rules are there to be followed, as a small deviation from the instructions can have a huge negative impact on the entire construction. Therefore, it is important to always consult them before performing any procedure.

Like any technical standard, NBR 6122 contains a topic that lists the other standards related to the topic and that must be studied in order to have a comprehensive view of the subject. Therefore, for the application of NBR 6122, knowledge of the following standards is essential:

  • ABNT NBR 5738, Concreto — Procedure for molding and curing specimens
  • ABNT NBR 5739, Concreto — Compression test of cylindrical specimens
  • ABNT NBR 6118, Design of concrete structures — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 6457, Soil Samples — Preparation for compaction tests and characterization tests
  • ABNT NBR 6458, Boulder grains retained in the 4.8 mm opening sieve — Determination of the specific mass, of the specific mass seeming And from water absorption
  • ABNT NBR 6459, Soil — Determination of the liquidity limit
  • ABNT NBR 6484, Solo — Simple recognition probes with SPT — Test method
  • ABNT NBR 6489, Direct load test on foundation ground — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 6502, Rocks and Soils — Terminology
  • ABNT NBR 7180, Soil — Determination of the limit of plasticity
  • ABNT NBR 7181, Soil — Particle size analysis
  • ABNT NBR 7190, Design of wooden structures
  • ABNT NBR 7212, Execution of dosed concrete in a plant — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 8036, Programming of simple soil recognition surveys for building foundations — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 8681, Actions and safety in structures - Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 8800, Design of steel structures and mixed steel and concrete building structures
  • ABNT NBR 9062, Design and execution of concrete structures precast — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 9603, Tract sounding — Procedure
  • ABNT NBR 9604, Well opening and inspection trench in soil, with the removal of deformed and undeformed samples
  • ABNT NBR 9820, Collection of undeformed soil samples of low consistency in boreholes
  • ABNT NBR 10905, Soil — In situ vane testing — Test method
  • ABNT NBR 10908, Additives for mortar and concrete — Characterization tests
  • ABNT NBR 1768, Additives chemicals for concrete of Portland cement — Specification
  • ABNT NBR 12131, Piles — Static load test — Test method
  • ABNT NBR 13208, Piles — Dynamic load tests
  • ABNT NBR 16258, Precast concrete piles — Requirements
  • ABNT NBR NM 67, Concrete — Determination of consistency by abatement of the cone trunk

Therefore, before starting the execution of a foundation, it is important to know not only NBR 6122, but also all the others listed here.

Bonus: 2019 NBR Update:

NBR 6122, because it addresses a very technical and very important issue for civil construction, is very extensive and detailed. Today, it is not up to us to analyze all the topics of the standard, but consult it in full to know all the specificities of the information that are extremely relevant to carrying out the project and execution of the foundation.

NBR 6122 underwent an update in 2019 and you need to pay attention to this, because you may run the risk of consulting an outdated document, compromising the steps that must be followed to carry out the design and execution of the foundation. Therefore, the ideal is to consult the updated NBR itself or look for a reliable reference, okay?

The updates were necessary because of the emergence of new technologies in civil construction, such as self-condensing concrete for continuous propeller foundations. In addition, the standard was amended in the sense that it began to consider the type of foundation and the environmental aggressiveness class as influencing factors for the minimum expected strength of concrete.

Finally, some points have been modified, as there is always a need to update according to the transformations and demands that arise. Therefore, you also need to be aware when consulting the standard and looking for the updated version.

What is the best waterproofing agent for the foundation?

Did you know that the foundation is one of the areas of construction that should be a priority when it comes to waterproofing? This is because if it is not done or if it is performed improperly, several problems will undoubtedly appear that will compromise everything from the aesthetics of the work to the structure as a whole.

In addition to generating financial expenses, emotional exhaustion is enormous, not to mention the possibility of the emergence of very serious and even irreversible problems.

If there is a lack or failure of waterproofing, a situation known as” may occurrising humidity”, which consists of infiltrations caused by the capillarity effect of the water present in the soil rising against the force of gravity in the coating.

Thus, we can understand the fact as a waterlogging that occurs from the bottom up, since the soil moisture is absorbed by the wall. This type of seepage can cause various damages to the construction. For this reason, the importance of not letting go through a beat foundation waterproofing.

Are you still wondering what the best waterproofing agent for foundation? So let's introduce you to the best of them, the Blok EP 2, a resin waterproofing, developed by Blok, for polymer mortar suitable for baldrames, plastering and foundations.

This product, by forming a protective layer, prevents water from penetrating, through capillarity, and damaging the entire structure. If you don't know it yet, talk to our team to ensure long life for your buildings! You will be surprised!

Conclusion:

Every civil engineering project requires a foundation design and execution and that's why NBR 6122 is so important. Following all the steps and recommendations described by the standard to the letter results in a successful work. Therefore, it is essential that you not only know the entire standard, but also apply your guidelines. And, don't forget to waterproof the foundation so you don't have to deal with the disastrous consequences that rising humidity can cause, okay?

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