This would be discussed in an introduction to soil mechanics and foundation design (Braja Das's textbooks used to be the standard reference in the US when I was a student 15+ years ago) but I'm afraid they're too dry for anyone outside the profession. I'm not aware of an author who can animate civ eng subjects for the adult with the talent of David Macaulay. But I can point you to a few "engineering gems" that might pique your interest if you like this sort of stuff: prestressed and post-tensioned concrete (the work of Freyssinet, see Billington's books), readings from John Ochsendorf's class on historic structures in https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/4-448-analysis-of-historic-struc..., bicycle wheel as prestressed structure (the same principle used in some tension-compression stadium roof structures): http://www-civ.eng.cam.ac.uk/cjb/papers/p20.pdf