Introduction To Geotechnical Engineering - Soil Mechanics

INTRODUCTION TO
GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING –SOIL
MECHANICS
Geotechnical Enginering
Also known as geotechnics, is the branch of civil engineering
concerned with the engineering behaviour of earth materials. It use
the principles and methods of soil mechanics and rock mechanics
for the solution of engineering problems and the design of
engineering works.
Includes:
 Investigating existing subsurface conditions
 Determining soil properties
 Assessing risks posed by site conditions
 Designing earthworks and structure foundation
 Monitoring site conditions, earthwork and foundation
construction
Soil Mechanics
A discipline of engineering science which deals with the properties
and behavior of soil as a structural material.
All structures have to be built on soils. Our main objective in the study
of soil mechanics is to lay down certain principles, theories and
procedures for the design of a safe and sound structure.
The foundation engineer must have the ability to interpret the
principles of soil mechanics to suit the field conditions.
History of Soil Mechanics

1930:” Soil Mechanics” was established as a branch of civil
engineering.
Karl Von Terzaghi’s contribution in the field of Soil Mechanics

have ben immense and he is fittingly called the “Father of Soil
Mechanics”. The term Soil Mechanics was coined by him.
Pre-classical Period of Soil Mechanics

Classical Soil Mechanics (Phase I and II)
Pre-classical Period of Soil Mechanics (1700-1776)

This period concentrated on studies relating to natural slope
and unit weights of various types of soils, as well as the semi-empirical
earth pressure theories.
1717: Henri Gautier (1660-1737) studied the natural slopes of soils

1729: Bernard Forest de Belidor (1671-1761) published a
textbook proposing a theory for lateral earth pressure on
retaining walls.
1746: Francois Gadroy(1705-1759) reported the first laboratory

model test results on a 76-mm-high retaining wall built with sand
backfill.
Classical Soil Mechanics
During this period, most of the developments in the area

of geotechnical engineering came from engineers and
scientists in France.
1776: French scientist Charles Augustin Coulomb (1736-1806)
used the principles of calculus for maxima and minima in his
study in retaining walls.
1790: Gaspard Clair Marie Riche de Prony (1755-1839) included

Coulomb’s theory in his leading textbook, Nouvelle
Architecture Hydraulique (Vol.1)
1820: Jacques Frederic Francais (1775-1833) and laude Louis

Marie Henri Navier (1785-1836) studied special cases related to
inclined backfills and backfills supporting surcharge
.
1840: Jean Victor Poncelet (1788-1867) extended Coulomb’s
theory by providing a graphical method for determining the
magnitude of lateral earth pressure.
Classical Soil Mechanics – Phase II (1856-1910)
Several experimental results from laboratory tests on sand

appeared in the literature in this phase.
1856: Henri Philibert GaspardDarcy (1803-1858) published a
study on the permeability of sand filters.
SIR George Howard Darwin (1845-1912) conducted laboratory
tests to determine the overturning moment on a hinged wall
retaining sand.
1885:Joseph Valentin Boussinesq (842-1929), was the

development of the theory of stress distribution
1887: Osborne Reynolds (1842-1912) demonstrated the
phenomenon of dilatancy in sand.
1898: Beresford’s 1898 study on uplift pressure on the Narora

Weir on the ganges River has been documented in technical
Paper No.97, Government of India, 1902.
Modern Soil Mechanics
In this period, results of research conducted on clays were

published in which the fundamental properties and parameters
of clay were established.
1911: Albert Mauritz Atterberg explained the consistency of

cohesive soils by defining liquid,
plastic, and shrinkage limits.
1918, 1926: Wolmar Fellenius (1876-1957) developed the stability

analysis of saturated clay.
1919-1924: Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963) of Austria developed the

theory of consolidation for clays as we know today.
Importance of SOIL MECHANICS
Foundations:
All the civil engineering structures, ultimately rest on the
soil. They transfer their whole load to the soil, so we have to
construct the foundations to retain these structures. In case of
the hard soil/having sufficient strength we can provide the
shallow foundations. If we know the strength of the soil then we
can decide which type of foundation is to be used. If the soil is
weak in strength then we have to provide the deep
foundations like pile foundation, well foundation, etc. It is
important to know the method to calculate the method to
know the strength of the soil.
Earthen Dams:
There are so many earthen dams constructed to retain
the water. The soil to be used for the construction of these
earthen dams must be suitable enough to use it in its
construction . Various properties of the soil, like its permeability,
strength, and density are checked on regular basis to know if
the soil compacted to required density or not. The earthen
dams are costly structure and also they have a high risk of
getting failed, so they must be constructed with great care, so
it is very important to study the properties of soil.
Embankments:
There are embankments constructed to raise the levels of
the highways on the plains because there are chances of the
floods etc, and also it is required to keep the foundation of the
pavement above the water table. The embankments are
generally constructed of the soil, which is tested for its various
properties. There is need to design a economical embankment
which is only possible by studying the various soil properties.
Canals or other retaining and under ground structures:
The canals also are formed by the soil which are to be
constructed to be impermeable and of enough strength. The
retaining structure like the retaining walls, are constructed to
retain the earth. The earth properties are important to know
about. The properties like earth pressure, shear strength etc
gives us the idea to design the retaining structure. The soil strata
is constantly investigated by geologist to give the idea of the
type of construction to be carried further in case of the
tunnelling.
Prepared by:
SirJM
2021-2022

Introduction To Geotechnical Engineering - Soil Mechanics

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INTRODUCTION TO

History of Soil Mechanics

Karl Von Terzaghi’s contribution in the field of Soil Mechanics

Pre-classical Period of Soil Mechanics

Pre-classical Period of Soil Mechanics (1700-1776)

1717: Henri Gautier (1660-1737) studied the natural slopes of soils

1746: Francois Gadroy(1705-1759) reported the first laboratory

Classical Soil Mechanics

During this period, most of the developments in the area

1790: Gaspard Clair Marie Riche de Prony (1755-1839) included

1820: Jacques Frederic Francais (1775-1833) and laude Louis

Classical Soil Mechanics – Phase II (1856-1910)

Several experimental results from laboratory tests on sand

1885:Joseph Valentin Boussinesq (842-1929), was the

1898: Beresford’s 1898 study on uplift pressure on the Narora

Modern Soil Mechanics

In this period, results of research conducted on clays were

1911: Albert Mauritz Atterberg explained the consistency of

1918, 1926: Wolmar Fellenius (1876-1957) developed the stability

1919-1924: Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963) of Austria developed the

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