LECTURE MATERIALS

LESSON 1. INTRODUCTION. PURPOSE OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING.

Definitions. Site exploration and characterization: buildings, underground works, tunnels, retaining walls, slope stability. Historical failures.

LESSON 2. BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS AND ROCKS.

Components of soils. Mass and volume relationships. Basic properties and other specific characteristics. Rock mass: definitions. Physical properties of intact rocks: unit weight, porosity, durability and permeability. International standards.

LESSON 3. SOIL AND ROCK CLASSIFICATION.

Soil particles: sizes and shapes. Particle size distribution analysis. Properties of clays. Atterberg limits. Plasticity chart. Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). Rock and rock mass classifications: weathering grade, RQD, RMR. International standards.

LESSON 4. STRESSES.

Geostatic stresses. Effective stresses. Mohr's circles. Stress distribution due to applied surface loads. Flow of water in soil: permeability. Stress distribution between the phases of a soil.

LESSON 5. SETTLEMENT ANALYSIS.

Definitions. Allowable settlements. Immediate settlement. Consolidation settlement. International standards.

LESSON 6. SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS.

Definitions. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. Direct shear test. Triaxial compression tests. Unconfined compression test. Values of shear strength parameters. International standards.

LESSON 7. BEARING CAPACITY.

Definitions. Calculations. International standards.

LESSON 8. MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF ROCK MASSES.

Definitions. Mechanical properties of the intact rock: laboratory and in situ tests. Failure criteria for intact rocks: Mohr-Coulomb, Hoek & Brown. Discontinuities. Failure criteria for rock masses. Deformability. Bearing capacity. International standards.