ENCE253

Soil Mechanics

Syllabus

Introduction (6 hours)
1. Historical development of soil mechanics
2. Scope and application of soil mechanics
3. Soil formation and soil types
4. Soil structures and clay minerals
Phase Relationship, Index Property and Soil Classification (12 hours)
1. Basic definitions
2. Phase relationships: Volume-volume, mass-volume, weight-volume and mass-mass relationships
3. Soil index properties: Index properties of coarse and fine grained soils
4. Soil classification systems (MIT, USCS, IS, BS)
5. Field identification of soil
Soil Water, Permeability and Seepage Analysis (8 hours)
1. Soil water and capillarity
2. Soil permeability (Darcy's law and its validity)
3. Factors affecting soil permeability
4. Permeability in stratified soil
5. Two dimensional flow (Laplace equation)
6. Flow net construction and applications
7. Seepage through earthen dams
8. Seepage through anisotropic soil
9. Piping failure and mitigation measures
Soil Stresses (8 hours)
1. Effective stress principle
2. Hydrostatic and one dimensional flow conditions
3. Quick sand conditions
4. Boussinesq's and Westergaard's solutions
5. Newmark's influence chart
6. Equivalent point load and stress distribution
Consolidation (8 hours)
1. Consolidation process (Spring analogy)
2. One-dimensional consolidation theory
3. Oedometer test analysis
4. Secondary consolidation
5. Normally and over consolidated clay
6. Settlement calculation
7. Accelerating consolidation methods
Shear Strength (12 hours)
1. Mohr circle and Mohr-Coulomb failure theory
2. Direct shear test, uniaxial compression, triaxial compression, vane shear test
3. Factors affecting shear strength
4. Cyclic shear strength and cyclic triaxial tests
5. Critical state framework
Soil Compaction (6 hours)
1. Importance of soil compaction
2. Compaction tests (Standard and modified Proctor)
3. Factors affecting compaction
4. Structure and behavior of compacted soils
5. Compaction specification and field control

Practicals

Moisture content determination
Field density
Sieve analysis
Atterberg limits
Permeability
Consolidation
Direct shear
Unconfined compression
Triaxial testing
Compaction

Syllabus

Introduction (6 hours)

Historical development of soil mechanics
Scope and application of soil mechanics
Soil formation and soil types
Soil structures and clay minerals

Phase Relationship, Index Property and Soil Classification (12 hours)

Basic definitions
Phase relationships: Volume-volume, mass-volume, weight-volume and mass-mass relationships
Soil index properties: Index properties of coarse and fine grained soils
Soil classification systems (MIT, USCS, IS, BS)
Field identification of soil

Soil Water, Permeability and Seepage Analysis (8 hours)

Soil water and capillarity
Soil permeability (Darcy's law and its validity)
Factors affecting soil permeability
Permeability in stratified soil
Two dimensional flow (Laplace equation)
Flow net construction and applications
Seepage through earthen dams
Seepage through anisotropic soil
Piping failure and mitigation measures

Soil Stresses (8 hours)

Effective stress principle
Hydrostatic and one dimensional flow conditions
Quick sand conditions
Boussinesq's and Westergaard's solutions
Newmark's influence chart
Equivalent point load and stress distribution

Consolidation (8 hours)

Consolidation process (Spring analogy)
One-dimensional consolidation theory
Oedometer test analysis
Secondary consolidation
Normally and over consolidated clay
Settlement calculation
Accelerating consolidation methods

Shear Strength (12 hours)

Mohr circle and Mohr-Coulomb failure theory
Direct shear test, uniaxial compression, triaxial compression, vane shear test
Factors affecting shear strength
Cyclic shear strength and cyclic triaxial tests
Critical state framework

Soil Compaction (6 hours)

Importance of soil compaction
Compaction tests (Standard and modified Proctor)
Factors affecting compaction
Structure and behavior of compacted soils
Compaction specification and field control