A minimum seating pressure of 70 g/cm2 (0.7 t/m2), shall be applied and removed before starting the load test.

The recommendation of American code are based upon that if the maximum total settlement is kept within a reasonable limit, the differential settlement will only be a fraction depending upon the type of structure and pattern of loading.

According to Polishin and Tokar (1957), brick masonry will crack due to differential settlement when the unit elongation amount to 0.005.

For clayey and silty soils and for loose medium dense sandy soils with N < 15, a 450 mm square plate or concrete block shall be used.

According to National Building Code of India (SP: 7-1970) the differential settlement shall be kept within limits to which the super-structure can accommodate itself without the distortion, by suitably designing the foundation.

The plate load test essentially consists in loading a rigid plate at the foundation level, and determining the corresponding to each load increment.

Indian standards (IS: 1888: 1982) recommend that the loading of the plate should invariably be borne either by gravity loading platform or by the reaction truss.

The bearing plate is either circular or square, made of mild steel of not less than 25 mm in thickness.

The effect of settlement upon the structure depends on its magnitude, the length of the time over which it takes place, its magnitude and the nature of the structure itself.

For simple spread footing on clayey soils, the allowable pressure should be such that the differential settlement does not exceed 1/300.