Is this good for educators?

Yes — this version of "Shallow Foundation Designer for a flagpole" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.

For Educators · Shallow Foundation Designer

Shallow Foundation Designer for a flagpole

Built for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs. Simulate a flagpole live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Soil Bearing

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Soil Bearing Capacity (Terzaghi)Live

foundation design

Allowable bearing pressure

400kPa

Allowable load ≈ 801 kN per metre of footing

Controls

Presets

Cohesion c (kPa)

Friction angle φ (°)

Unit weight γ (kN/m³)

Footing width B (m)

Embedment depth (m)

Factor of safety

Terzaghi's equation predicts the ultimate bearing capacity of a shallow footing as the sum of cohesion, surcharge, and self-weight terms, each with a bearing-capacity factor that grows sharply with the soil friction angle. Dividing by a factor of safety gives the allowable pressure. Educational tool, not a geotechnical design.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Nc30.1

Nq18.4

Nγ22.4

Ultimate qult1201 kPa

Governing equation

q_{u} = c N_{c} + γ D_{f} N_{q} + \frac{1}{2} γ B N_{γ} = 10 (30.1) + 27 (18.4) + \frac{1}{2} (18) (2) (22.4) = 1201 kPa

Reading this result: Mixed c-φ soil: all three terms contribute — deeper embedment and a wider footing both push the ultimate capacity higher.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

↓

Groundwater

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Groundwater Well DrawdownLive

Thiem steady-state cone of depression

Controls

Presets

Pumping rate Q (m³/day)

Transmissivity T (m²/day)

Radius of influence R (m)

Pumping a well lowers the water table into a cone of depression. Under the Thiem steady-state solution the drawdown is s(r) = Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): more pumping deepens the cone, higher transmissivity flattens it. Fundamental to well design, water supply, and contaminant capture.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Drawdown at well4.7 m

Drawdown at 50 m1.47 m

Radius of influence500 m

Governing equation

s (r) = \frac{Q}{2 π T} ln \frac{R}{r} = \frac{2000}{2 π \cdot 500} ln \frac{500}{r}

Reading this result: Drawdown is Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): here it is about 4.7 m at the well and falls off logarithmically, so most of the depression sits in the first tens of metres.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for educators?: Yes — this version of "Shallow Foundation Designer for a flagpole" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.