Soil Mechanics Introduction

1/19/2022
SOIL MECHANICS: INTRO,

& SOIL FORMATION &
CHARACTERISATION
Delivered by: Prodeo Yao Agbotui

Accra Technical University, DoCE.
19th January 2022.
Soil Mechanics Introduction
What is soil mechanics??

Soil Mechanics is the application of the laws of mechanics and
hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediments and
other unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles produced by
the mechanical and chemical disintegration of rocks regardless of
whether or not they contain an admixture of organic constituents.
(Karl Von Terzaghi, 1883 - 1963)
The objective in the study of soil mechanics is to lay down the

principles and theories for analyzing the deformations of and flow
of fluids within natural and man-made structures that are supported
on or made of soil, or structures that are buried in soils.
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Pioneers of soil mechanics

• Coulomb (1776) Classical earth pressure theory
• Poncelet (1840) extension of Coulomb theory
• Culmann (1875) geometr. formulatn of coulomb-poncelet theory
• Rankine (1857) classical earth pressure theory
• Darcy (1856) permeability through porous media
• Stokes (1856) terminal velocity of falling soil part. in water
• Mohr (1900) stress circles
• Boussinesq (1885) distribution of stresses under foundations
• Atterberg (1911) consistency limits of cohesive soils
• Karl Von Terzaghi (FATHER OF SOIL MECHANICS)
determined properties and the strength characteristics of soils
• Fellenius (1927) determined the causes of failure of many railway
and canal embankments. Soil Mechanics Introduction
Applications of soil mechanics

Applications are:
• building and bridge foundations

• retaining walls
• dams
• buried pipeline systems
• Principles of soil mechanics are also used in related
disciplines such as geophysical engineering, coastal
engineering, agricultural engineering, hydrology and
soil physics.
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Soil formation and characterisation

What is soil??
• To an engineer, soil includes all earth materials, organic and

inorganic, occurring in the zone overlying the rock crust.
• There is a link between the structure that rests on soil and the
parent rock material.
• Knowledge of the parent rock is important for the study of soil

mechanics.
Rock classification
• Rock can be defined as a compact, semi-hard to hard mass of
natural material composed of one or more minerals.
• There are 3 rocks types according to their mode of formation:

IGNEOUS, SEDIMENTARY AND METARMORPHIC
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Igneous rocks
• Igneous rocks are considered to be the primary rocks formed
by the cooling of molten magmas, or by the recrystallization of
older rocks under heat and pressure great enough to render
them fluid.
The types are:

• Extrusive eg basalt
• Intrusive eg syenite
Sedimentary rocks
• Sedimentary rocks are formed from the products of the
disintegration and decomposition of any rock type that is
transported, redeposited, and partly or fully consolidated or
cemented into a new rock type.
• They are stratified and are classified on the basis of grain size,
texture and structure.
• Important engineering sedimentary rocks are sandstones,

limestones, and shales.
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Metamorphic rocks
• Metamorphic rocks are formed by the complete or incomplete
recrystallization of igneous or sedimentary rocks by high
temperatures, high pressures, and/or high shearing stresses
• They are usually foliated.
• Eg. gneiss, schist, slate and marble.
Rock Mineralogy
• A 'mineral' is a natural inorganic substance of a
definite structure and chemical composition.
• Important mineral properties are : crystal form,

colour, hardness, cleavage, luster, fracture, and
specific gravity.
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Soil formation
Soils are formed by the process of weathering of the parent
rock. The weathering of the rocks might be by :
• mechanical disintegration, and/or

• chemical decomposition.
• Mechanical weathering (forces of freezing water in fissures,

due to sudden changes of temperature or due to the abrasion of
rock by moving water or glacier.
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Soil formation
• Chemical weathering (decomposition) can transform hard rock
minerals into soft, easily erodable matter.
• The principal types of decomposition are hydration, oxidation,

carbonation, desilication and leaching.
• Oxygen and carbon dioxide which are always present in the air
readily combine with the elements of rock in the presence of
water to break it down.
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Soil types
According to grain size, soil particles are classified as:
• 4.75 to 76.2 mm – gravel

• < 4.75 mm – sand
• 0.075 to 0.002 mm – silt
• < 0.002 mm - clay
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Soil types
According to the basis of their constituents, soil particles are
classified as:
• Residual soils, and

• Transported soils.
Residual soils are those that remain at the place of their formation
as a result of the weathering of parent rocks.
• Transported soils are soils that are found at locations far

removed from their place of formation. (alluvial, lacustrine,
aeolian, colluvial, glacial)
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Soil types
Soils can also be classified as:
• organic ( peat, bog) or

• Inorganic .
Some soils used in engineering practice are bentonite, loess,

valved clay, kaolin/china clay, boulder clay, calcareous soil,
marl, hardpan, caliche, peat, loam, shale.
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Thank you for your attention
Questions & comments?
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References
1. Oxford Dictionary of Earth Sciences
2. Geology and mineralogy on www.about.com
3. Murthy, V.N.S. Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and
Practices of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
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1/19/2022