1. The document introduces various topics in geotechnical engineering including typical geotechnical projects, shallow foundations, deep foundations, retaining walls, earthworks, soil testing, and safety factors.
2. Common geotechnical structures are discussed such as earth dams, concrete dams, reinforced earth walls, sheet piles, and cofferdams.
3. Important contributors to the field of geotechnical engineering are recognized including Karl Terzaghi, C.A. Coulomb, WJM Rankine, and A. Casagrande.
1. 1
Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering
SIVA
N. Sivakugan
ground
Duration: 11 min 56 s
2. Typical Geotechnical Project
Geo-Laboratory
~ for testing
construction site
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Design Office
~ for design & analysis
soil samples
soil properties
design details
4. Shallow Foundations
~ for transferring building loads to underlying ground
~ mostly for firm soils or light loads
firm
ground
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6. Deep Foundations
~ for transferring building loads to underlying ground
~ mostly for weak soils or heavy loads
bed rock
weak soil
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PILE
13. Earthworks
~ preparing the ground prior to construction
Roadwork, Pacific Highway
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14. Construction hazard
~ an unwelcome visitor at an earthwork site.
A dead Anaconda python (courtesy: J. Brunskill)
What does it have
to do with Geo?#!
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15. Geofabrics
~ used for reinforcement, separation, filtration and
drainage in roads, retaining walls, embankments
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Geofabrics used on Pacific Highway
16. Reinforced Earth Walls
~ using geofabrics to strengthen the soil
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17. Soil Nailing
~ steel rods placed into holes drilled into the walls
and grouted
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18. Sheet Piles
~ sheets of interlockingsteel or timber driven into
the ground, forming a continuous sheet
ship
warehouse
sheet pile
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19. Sheet Piles
~ resist lateral earth pressures
~ used in excavations, waterfront structures, ..
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20. Sheet Piles
~ used in temporary works
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32. Instrumentation
~ to monitor the performances of earth and
earth supported structures
~ to measure loads, pressures, deformations,
strains,
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41. Karl Terzaghi
1883-1963
C.A.Coulomb
1736-1806
WJM Rankine
1820-1872 A.Casagrande
1902-1981
L. Bjerrum
1918-1973
A.W.Skempton
1914-
Sivas teacher in USA
deserves gold frame
G.F.Sowers
1921-1996
G.A. Leonards
1921-1997
Sivas teacher in USA
deserves gold frame
51. Quizzes
about 4-6, 50 minutes each
open book
How?
Why?
to reinforce main points
provides a wake up call
form of assessment
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52. Past CS2005 Grades
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
HD 5 1 1 3 3 0
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?
D 4 2 3 2 9 6
C 15 12 6 7 7 2
P 12 8 8 6 10 8
P- 6 0 2 4 1 5
N 12 10 12 14 9 13
X 0 0 3 3 3 1
Total 54 33 35 39 42 35
53. Some Suggestions
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 lot of sense.
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56. Exams
My mama always said, Exam is like a box
of chocolates; you never know what you
are gonna get
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Editor's Notes
#23: Cofferdams are often used in temporary works, to enclose the construction area within a continuous sheet pile wall around and protect it from water entering from outside.
#33: Finally, proof of the pudding is in the eating. Very often we monitor the performances of foundations, tie backs, embankments etc. for a long time after construction, to verify that it is performing to our expectations. Geotechnical engineering involves lots of uncertainty in the soil properties used in the designs and the theories. Instrumentation is a popular method to verify the theories, assumptions, construction methods etc.
#40: All structures need proper foundations. To design good foundations, it is essential to know the geotechnical characteristics of the underlying ground. The only way to know them is to test the soil.