Scribd
Upload
44 views

Soil Mechanics I: Instructor: Engr Shehryar Khan

This document provides an introduction to soil mechanics. It defines soil from the perspectives of different fields such as agriculture, geology, and engineering. To an engineer, soil is an unconsolidated material found near the earth's surface that structures can be built on or with. The behavior of soil as a foundation or construction material depends on factors like moisture, groundwater fluctuations, freezing and thawing, organic matter, and seismic activity. Soil forms through the weathering and breakdown of rocks by physical processes like temperature changes or chemical processes involving oxidation and hydration. Different soil types from gravel to clay result from the physical or chemical weathering of parent rocks.

Uploaded by

Abid Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
44 views

Soil Mechanics I: Instructor: Engr Shehryar Khan

This document provides an introduction to soil mechanics. It defines soil from the perspectives of different fields such as agriculture, geology, and engineering. To an engineer, soil is an unconsolidated material found near the earth's surface that structures can be built on or with. The behavior of soil as a foundation or construction material depends on factors like moisture, groundwater fluctuations, freezing and thawing, organic matter, and seismic activity. Soil forms through the weathering and breakdown of rocks by physical processes like temperature changes or chemical processes involving oxidation and hydration. Different soil types from gravel to clay result from the physical or chemical weathering of parent rocks.

Uploaded by

Abid Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

Soil Mechanics I

INTRODUCTION
Instructor: Engr Shehryar Khan
INTRODUCTION
The term “Soil” has various meanings
depending upon the general professional field in
which it is being considered.

To an agriculturist, soil is the substance


existing on the earth’s surface which grows
and develops plant life.

To the Geologist, Soil is the material in the


relatively thin surface zone within which roots
occur
Cont.…
To an engineer, Soil is an unconsolidated
agglomerate of minerals with or without
organic matter found at or near the surface of
earth by means of which and upon which
engineer build structures.

It includes the entire thickness of earth crust


which is accessible and feasible for practical
utilization as a foundation support or
construction material
Cont.…
 The behavior of soil as a foundation support or as a
construction material is greatly influenced by the
following:

1. Moisture content present in soil pores


2. The fluctuation of ground water table
3. Freezing and thawing phenomena
4. Presence of organic matter
5. History of formation of soil
6. Seismicity of area
Cont.…
Soil particles are bonded together by
mechanical or attractive forces
The binding power of soil is very low as
compared to the binding power of rocks
The type of soil may vary from clay to gravel
and even to cobble and boulders
The top soil, which usually extends to a depth
of two feet contains organic matter and is
generally considered as unsuitable for civil
engineering use
FORMATION OF SOIL

 Soil is generally formed by the disintegration or


decomposition of rocks (weathering of rocks) at or near
the earth surface through the action of many natural,
physical and chemical agents, which break them into
smaller and smaller particles.

 The weathering of rocks may be:


1. Physical/mechanical Weathering
2. Chemical weathering
PHYSICAL WEATHERING
It is the disintegration of rocks caused by
temperature changes, freezing and thawing,
swelling, erosion by flowing water, natural
disasters (Earthquake, land sliding etc.) and
activities of animals including men.
Soils formed by physical weathering retain the
minerals of the parent rocks
Coarse-grained soils (Gravels, sands and their
mixtures) are the products of physical
weathering
CHEMICAL WEATHERING
Weathering caused by the decomposition of
rock minerals by oxidation, hydration,
carbonation, desilication and leaching is known
as chemical weathering

Different types of clays and organic soils (peat,


muck, humus etc.) are the common soils formed
by the chemical weathering
Thank You

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy