09/05/2019

Geotechnical Engineering 1 Definitions

 Soil – uncosolidated or uncemented aggregate of mineral
grains and decayed organic matter with liquid and gas in the
Chapter 1
empty spaces between the solid particles.
 Soil Mechanics- deals with the study of physical properties
Introduction to Geotechnical of soil and the behavior of soil masses subjected to various
Engineering types of forces.

 Geotechnical Engineering- subdiscipline of civil

References:
engineering that involves natural materials found close to
An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering by: Robert Holtz, William
D. Kovacs, and Thomas C. Sheanan the surface of the earth (soil and rock). It includes the
Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering by: Braja M. Das application of the principles of soil mechanics and rock
mechanics to the design of foundations, retaining structures,
Dr. Marcos and earth structures.
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Definitions Unique nature of soil materials

 Foundation Engineering – applies engineering geology,
soil mechanics, rock mechanics and structural engineering
to the design and construction of foundations for civil
engineering and other structures.
 Rock Engineering- analogous to foundation engineering
for soils, is concerned with rock as a foundation and --cohesionless-- Sand
Gravel
construction material.
 Geoenvironmental Engineering- interdiciplinary field that
is involved in the solution of environmental problems
involving soil and rock.

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Silt --cohesive-- Clay LOGO

Unique nature of soil materials Remember

 Soils are particles of rock- broken up pieces of rock.
 Soils are heterogeneous rather than homogeneous materials.
 Soils are nonlinear-their stress-strain curves are not straight
lines.
Let’s complicate things!!!
 Soils are non-conservative-they have fantastic memory-
they remember almost everything that ever happened to
them-this fact strongly affects their engineering behavior.
 Soils are anisotropic-their material or engineering
properties are not the same in all directions
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 A successful geotechnical engineer must develop a “feel”
for soil and rock behavior before a safe and economic
foundation or tunnel design can be made, an earth structure
can be safely built, or an environmentally sound waste
containment and disposal system or a site remediation plan
can be developed.
To summarize…..
 Soils and Rocks are indeed complex engineering and
construction materials.
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Historical Background Historical Background

 Built prior to 18th century in Italy
 Geotechnical engineering began in 18th century.
 Supported by a circular base of
20m
 Geotechnical engineering was based on past experiences  Tilted by more than 5m out of
without any real scientific character. plumb to south with the 54m
height
 Many structures were built-some of which have crumbled-  Weak clay layers exists at a depth
some are still standing of about 11 m below the ground
surface
 Stabilized by excavation-now
leans 5 degrees.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
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Historical Background Geotechnical Engineering after 1927

 Built 12th century in Italy
Father
 Garisenda tower tilted 4 degrees of modern
Soil Mechanics
 Asinelli tower tilted 1.3 degrees.
C.A.Coulomb WJM Rankine
1736-1806 1820-1872

Karl Terzaghi A.Casagrande A.W.Skempton R. Peck

Garisenda Tower (left) and Asinelli Tower (right)
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Geotechnical Engineering Landmarks Geotechnical Engineering Landmarks

Tallest (221 m) Tallest (829.8 m)

concrete dam
Man made structure

Hoover Dam (USA) Burj Khalifa (Dubai)

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Suggestions to the Study of Geotechnical

Geotechnical Engineering Landmarks
Engineering
Monuments
 Attend the lectures- it takes longer to understand from the
lecture notes
 Develop a good feel for the subject - it is practical,
interesting, and makes a lot of sense

Approach to the Study

 Knowledge of geology
and….  Knowledge of engineering mechanics, strength of materials
and fluid mechanics
 Performing laboratory tests and field tests
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Some suggestions: Some suggestions:

WORK HARD DO NOT WAIT FOR THE LAST MINUTE

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LET’S BEGIN------Think about:

Soil mechanics point of view
 How much soil will deform when it is loaded?
 When loads are applied, on what rate does soil deform?
 How much load can we apply to soil before it fails?
 How does soil fails?

Fluid mechanics issues

 How does water flow through soils? (How fast?)
 How can fluid flow through soil cause it to fail?

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