COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • To enhance the skills related to bearing capacity and settlement evaluation of soils.
  • To apply principles of soil mechanics to engineering problems pertaining to retaining structures, foundations and embankments.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLO)

CLO: 1. to implement and demonstrate knowledge of Geotech in finding soil parameters and improvement of weak strata.
CLO: 2. to demonstrate and prepare simple task related to geotechnical engineering (i.e. bearing capacity, settlement and slop stability analysis) using modern tool/ software (Slide 6.0, settle 3D, PLAXIS 2D/3D etc.)
CLO: 3. to analyze soil parameters through obtained experimental or software data.
CLO: 4. to justify and defend recommended soil parameters and soil investigation techniques.

COURSE CONTENTS

  1. Shear Strength of Soil
    • Concept of Shear Strength
    • Normal & Shear Stresses along a plane
    • Analysis of stresses using Mohr’s Circle
    • Total stresses and pore pressure,
    • Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria,
    • Shear strength of cohesive and non-cohesive soils
    • Laboratory and field tests for determination of shear strength
    • Drained and undrained analysis
  2. Bearing Capacity of Soils
    • Principal modes of failure
    • Definition of: gross, net, effective, and ultimate allowable bearing capacity
    • Bearing capacity theories
    • Bearing Capacity of eccentrically loaded foundations
      • Effective area method
      • Reduction factor method
    • Selection of bearing capacity type against particular loading
    • Practical problems and solutions
    • Presumptive values from codes, from plate load test
    • Bearing capacity from SPT and CPT data
  3. Consolidation Settlement
    • Primary and secondary consolidation settlements.
    • Normally and pre-consolidated soils.
    • Mechanics of consolidation, theory of one dimensional consolidation, assumptions and validity
    • Determination of compression index and coefficient of consolidation, magnitude and Time Rate of consolidation settlement.
    • Causes of settlement and methods of controlling settlement.
    • Allowable total and differential settlement.
  4. Slope Stability and methods of analysis
    • Types of slopes
    • Factors affecting stability and remedies
    • Types of failure
    • Ordinary methods of slices
    • Swedish circle method
    • Introduction to software (RocScience)
  5. Earth and Rock Fill Dams
    • Definition of an earth dam, types of earth and rock fill dams
    • General design considerations and typical cross-sections
    • Components of an earth dam and their functions
  6. Pile Foundations
    • Types of Piles and Their Structural Characteristics
    • Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) Piles
    • Estimating Pile Length
    • Installation of Piles
    • Load Transfer Mechanism
    • Equations for Estimating Pile Capacity
    • Meyerhof’s Method for Estimating Qp
    • Vesic’s Method for Estimating Qp
    • Coyle and Castello’s Method for Estimating Qp in Sand
    • Correlations for Calculating Qp with SPT and CPT Results in Granular Soil
    • Frictional (Skin) Resistance (Qs) in Sand
    • Frictional (Skin) Resistance (Qs) in Clay
    • Pile Load Tests
    • Elastic Settlement of Piles
    • Group Efficiency
    • Ultimate Capacity of Group Piles in Saturated Clay
    • Elastic Settlement of Group Piles
    • Beams on elastic foundations
  7. Introduction to Advanced geotechnical engineering techniques
    • Soil Improvement Basic principles, Objectives and methods
    • Soil Dynamics (Liquefaction assessment)