Basic Soil Mechanics

• Describe the classification tests, determine key parameters and use the criteria needed to distinguish between gravel, sand, silt and clay
• Calculate vertical and horizontal stresses in soil (total, effective and pore pressures)
• Obtain a basic understanding of soil behaviour through means of laboratory experiments
• Describe and interpret laboratory and field tests to obtain the effective (drained) strength parameters and undrained strength parameters
• Calculate bearing capacity for shallow and deep footings
• Calculate one-dimensional settlements
• Calculate consolidation time and sketch the development of stresses and deformations as function of time for a 1D consolidation problem
• Describe and interpret consolidation tests to obtain deformation parameters
• Combine strength and deformation properties determined from tests into a simple constitutive model for soil

Soil classification and description. The principle of effective stress, capillarity. Groundwater, permeability and one-dimensional water flow. Strength of soil: triaxial, shear box and cone penetration test, short and long term strength of soil. Field measurements. One-dimensional consolidation and compression, oedometer test. Settlements and bearing capacity of shallow footings.

Basic material properties: Particle Size Distribution, Unit weight, Strength and Stiffness.

Problem based learning, lectures (flipped classroom), tutorials, laboratory exercises, group work.

This course is a prerequisite for course 12412: basic geotechnical engineering.