Purpose of the 'floating' slab

[flatbread]

If a person opted to not build a pole barn,

Could they pour a footing/stemwall perimeter without the floating slab (gravel instead)?

Or is the floating slab meant to keep the foundation from tilting to the inside and outside(resist lateral earth pressure)?

By the way, the site is expansive clay 1500 psf, but the frost depth is only ~ 6'', was pondering about a small one car garage

 

[kbs2244]

Your perimeter foundation wall would be back filled with dirt against it both outside and inside.
So it would not tilt.

The slab “floating” inside it is just there for a nice floor.
It is not structural.

 

[Delta74]

Why do you have two posts in the same place? only 7 minutes apart?

 

[flatbread]

I apologize. Sorry.
I clicked edit, and after editing, clickednew reply. Two posts appeared, was not intentional

Thank you KBs244 I have trouble comprehending sometimes, I had thought maybe it was possible the floating slab was not structural , but had second thoughts because it also provides lateral support and keeps the perimeter rigid.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[flatbread]

Why do I have the feeling someone was being sarcastic?
Since I am asking about a continuous perimeter footing being the only support for the garage.


Would the "confining pressure created by the fill in psi" be = to the concrete psi

 

[timewarp]

Many buildings are built with a perimeter footing and no slab, the footing just needs to go below frost level. You do fill the inside of the footing back up so the pressure on the inside and outside of the footing are close to the same, I didn't see anyone being sarcastic.

 

[OccupantRJ]

There is a floating slab, then there is a monolithic floating slab. The monolithic includes the footer and slab into one unified pour, and the purpose is to allow the entire building to "float" around in sandy soils, as a unit.

 

[Steevo]

The perimeter foundation is usually poured in two steps, a footer, and then the wall itself.

Once poured and backfilled/compacted, you could build your walls on it and keep it as a dirt/gravel floor for as long as you needed to. Many people do so while they save up for the slab at a later date.

 

[flatbread]

Possible sticky?

my location is in a blue

http://geology.com/articles/soil/