Introduction to

Geotechnical Engineering

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Some definitions
• Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil
engineering that deals with soil, rock, and
underground water, and their relation to the
design, construction, and operation of
engineering projects. (Coduto 1998)
• This discipline is also called soils engineering
or ground engineering
• Soil mechanics is a discipline that applies the
principles of engineering mechanics to soils to
predict the mechanical behavior of soil.
- a science that deals with the properties and
behavior of soil as related to engineering
problems.
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 Typical issues addressed by
geotechnical engineers
• Can the soils and rocks beneath a construction
site safely support the proposed project?

(from Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, 2000) (from La Torre di Pisa, 2001)

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Typical issues addressed by
geotechnical engineers

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 Typical issues addressed by
geotechnical engineers
• How will the groundwater conditions
impact the engineering project?
Taiwan building collapse, Mount Diwata landslide
due to typhoon (2009) Philippines, 2009

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 Geotechnical Engineering
Problems
• What will be the impact of excavations, grading,
or filling?
San Francisco: (from BECC Engineering 2001)

Here the sheet pile wall around a building

excavation is supported by pipe struts.
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 Geotechnical Engineering
Problems
• Are natural or proposed earth slope stable?
Hong Kong:

(from Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, 2001)

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Bank Requiring a Retention System

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 Typical issues addressed by
geotechnical engineers, contd.
• Has the ground been contaminated with
chemical or biological materials? If so, how do
we rectify the problem.

MSW Landfill
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 Typical issues addressed by
geotechnical engineers, contd.
• If a retaining wall is required, what kind would be
best and how should we design them?

Gabions Tie-backs
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• Geotechnical engineers often
work closely with geologist,
each making contributions
from his/her own expertise to
solve practical problems.

• Their combined
efforts is usually
referred as
Geotechnics

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Importance of Geologic Origin
• Anticipation of typical characteristic
• Allow for subsurface correlations between
borings that are consistent with geologic
formation
• Assess Potential Geohazards
Value of Geologic Inference
• Tends to be qualitative (but useful)
• Geology likely to provide material types and
general stress history
• Post-formation processes need to be addressed
• Simple models are available that build on many
of these issues.
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Rissa Slide, Norway

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Geotechnical engineers usually begin a job by
assessing the underground conditions and the
engineering properties of the various strata.
1. Site exploration and characterization.
a. Drilling to obtain samples
b. Field and laboratory tests
2. Engineering analyses.
a. Soil mechanics
b. Rock mechanics
3. Design phase. Results of analyses used to
develop geotechnical input for design
a. Engineering judgments.
b. Factors of Safety
c. Economics

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 Geotechnical engineers usually begin by
assessing the underground conditions and the
engineering properties of the various strata.
4. Construction phase.
a. Comparing the soil and rock conditions actually
encountered, with those anticipated in the design;
b. Installing special instruments to observe and compare
the actual performance with that anticipated in the
design;
c. Providing quality control testing, especially in compacted
fills and structural foundations.
5. Post-construction monitoring.
a. e.g., sites prone to long-term settlements may require
monitoring for months or years after construction;
b. Can include investigations of facilities that have not
performed satisfactorily, and development of remedial
measures.
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 Solution of soil engineering problems
Lambe & Whitman (1979)

;doing + evaluation
- Selection of
the best solution from
among other possible ones
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 Engineering Judgments
may be developed by having:
 A strong background in the basic theories of
mechanics;
 Studying previous case studies

 A good exposure in engineering geology; and

 Several years of experience in working on

geotechnical problems.

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 Natural soil deposit possess complicating
1. Soil does not characteristics
possess a linear or
unique stress-strain
relationship;
2. Soil behaviour
depends on
pressure, time, and
environment;
3. Soil is essentially
different at every
location;
4. In most cases the
mass of soil is
underground and
cannot be seen in its
entirety, but must be
evaluated on the
basis of few samples
obtained from
isolated locations;
5. Soils are sensitive to disturbance from sampling, so that the behaviour
during laboratory test may be unlike that of the in-situ soil.

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Natural soil deposit possess complicating
characteristics
1. Soil does not possess a
linear or unique stress-
strain relationship;
2. Soil behaviour depends
on pressure, time, and
environment;
3. Soil is essentially different
at every location;
4. In most cases the mass of
soil is underground and
cannot be seen in its
entirety, but must be
evaluated on the basis of
few samples obtained
from isolated locations;
5. Soils are sensitive to disturbance
from sampling, so that the behaviour
during laboratory test may be unlike
that of the in-situ soil.
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 Comparison of the properties of the materials
can be made on the s - e Diag.
• The steeper the
straight line portion of
the graph, the higher
the Modulus or
stiffness value.
• The higher the ultimate
strength value, the
stronger the material.
• The longer the plastic
range, the more ductile
the material.

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 Natural soil deposit possess
complicating characteristics
1. Soil does not possess a linear or unique stress-strain
relationship;
2. Soil behaviour depends on pressure, time, and
environment;
3. Soil is essentially different at every location;
4. In most cases the mass of soil is underground and
cannot be seen in its entirety, but must be evaluated
on the basis of few samples obtained from isolated
locations;
5. Soils are sensitive to disturbance from sampling, so
that the behaviour during laboratory test may be unlike
that of the in-situ soil.

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 Geotechnical Engineering
 Deals with :
soil & rock mechanics Geotechnical Engineering
Interaction between
the geological
environment and man- Soil and Foundation
made constructions,
Rock Engineering
viz. foundations and
earth structures Mechanics
 Early books emphasized
the importance of both
Theory Practice
theoretical and applied
aspects of soil mechanics

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Some Foundation Engineering Problems . . .
 Bearing Capacity – How much load a footing can carry
without the structure collapsing?
 Settlement – How much deformation is induced by footing
loads? Deformation may be caused by pumping-out of
groundwater, cyclic loading (traffic, waves)
 Slope stability - How steep can man-made slope be built?
 Excavation stability – How to excavate with minimal cost
and disturbance, and how to keep them stable
(reinforcement)
 Lateral earth pressure – How to design retaining walls
 Soil improvement – How to improve the strength, ”sealing”
capacity of soil by mechanical (compaction), chemical
(grouting), or by reinforcement (geotextile)

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Great Contributors to the
Developments in
Geotechnical Engineering

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 WJM Rankine A.Casagrande
Karl Terzaghi C.A.Coulomb
1820-1872 1902-1981
1883-1963 1736-1806

L. Bjerrum A.W.Skempton G.F.Sowers G.A. Leonards

1918-1973 1914- 1921-1996 1921-1997
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 The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions

Leaning Tower, Pisa, Italy

Failure of Transcosna grain elevator, 1914
Built 1173-1350

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The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions

Kissing Silos, Canada The Leaning Tower of Shanghai, 2003

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The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions

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The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions

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The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions
Building structures
falling down in
China, July 2009

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The results of Ignoring Geotechnical
Conditions
• The following slides show what may have
happened leading to the building collapse.

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The apartment building was constructed

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Then the plan called for an underground garage
to be dug-out, the excavated soil was piled-up
on the other side of the building.

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Heavy rain resulted in water seeping into
the ground

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The building began to shift and the concrete pilings
were snapped due to the uneven lateral pressures

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The building began to tilt

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And thus came the 8th wonder of the world

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 The End
References:
• Lambe & Whitman (1979). Soil Mechanics. John
Wiley & Sons, New York.
• Coduto, D. (1999). Geotechnical Engineering.
Principles and Practice. Prentice-Hall.
• La Torre di Pisa (2001). Official Web Site.
• Video of Rissa Slide, Norway. Norwegian
Geotechnical Institute

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