Category: Geotechnical Engineering

Geosynthetics is the term used to describe a range of synthetic products used to aid in solving some geotechnical problems. The term is generally regarded to encompass four main products: geotextiles, geogrids, geomembranes and geocomposites. The synthetic nature of the products make them suitable for use in the ground where high levels of durability are…

Geophysical methods are used in geotechnical investigations to evaluate a site’s behaviour in a seismic event. By measuring a soil’s shear wave velocity, the dynamic response of that soil can be estimated. A number of methods are used to determine a site’s shear wave velocity: Methods of observing the soils below the surface, obtaining samples…

Geotechnical investigations are performed by geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists to obtain information on the physical properties of soil and rocks around a site to design earthworks and foundations for proposed structures and for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused by subsurface conditions. A geotechnical investigation will include surface exploration and subsurface exploration…

The following properties of soils are used by geotechnical engineers in the analysis of site conditions and design of earthworks, retaining structures and foundations. Unit Weight Total unit weight: Cumulative weight of the solid particles, water and air in the material per unit volume. Note that the air phase is often assumed to be weightless.…

Soil is usually composed of three phases: solid, liquid and gas. The mechanical properties of soils depend directly on the interactions of these phases with each other and with applied potentials (e.g., stress, hydraulic head, electrical potential and temperature difference). The solid phase of soils contains various amounts of crystalline clay and non-clay minerals, non-crystalline…

Soil mechanics is a discipline that applies the principles of engineering mechanics, e.g., kinematics, dynamics, fluid mechanics and mechanics of material, to predict the mechanical behaviour of soils. Together with rock mechanics, it is the basis for solving many engineering problems in civil engineering (geotechnical engineering), geophysical engineering and engineering geology. Some of the basic…

The civil engineer has many diverse important encounters with soil. Apart from the testing and classification of various types of soils in order to determine its physical properties, the knowledge of soil mechanics is particularly helpful in the following problems in civil engineering. Geotechnical engineers are typically graduates of a four-year civil engineering programme and…

Knowledge of the use of soil extends into prehistoric times, when man started constructing dwellings for living and roads for transportation. In the more primitive civilizations, soil was used by man as a construction material for foundations of structures and for the structures themselves. The knowledge of soils for the foundations, bunds and roads was…

Soil engineering, soil mechanics or geotechnical engineering is one of the youngest disciplines of civil engineering involving the study of soil, its behaviour and application as an engineering material. Geotechnical engineering is the application of laws of mechanics and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediments and other unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles produced by…