For determining the ultimate bearing capacity of soil, the recommended size of a square bearing plate to be used in load plate test should be 30 to 75 cm square with a minimum thickness of

Soil mechanics is the theory of mechanical properties of soils. Foundation engineering - the theory of stability of foundations and construction methods used for their production. This also includes predicting the deformation of the substrate.

The objectives of soil mechanics are (1) to study the physical and mechanical properties of soil, (2) to apply this knowledge for the solution of practical engineering problems, and (3) to replace by scientific methods the empirical ones of design used in foundation and soil engineering in the past.