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The document provides an overview of soil mechanics, highlighting its significance as an engineering material and its historical proponents, including Vitruvius and Karl Terzaghi. It discusses the application of soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering, detailing various soil types and the processes of soil formation through physical and chemical weathering. The lecture emphasizes the importance of understanding soil properties and behavior for construction and foundation design.

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7 views12 pages

Lec 1

The document provides an overview of soil mechanics, highlighting its significance as an engineering material and its historical proponents, including Vitruvius and Karl Terzaghi. It discusses the application of soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering, detailing various soil types and the processes of soil formation through physical and chemical weathering. The lecture emphasizes the importance of understanding soil properties and behavior for construction and foundation design.

Uploaded by

I am Groot
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Soil Mechanics

Lecture 1
Engr. Leah H. Untalan-Gonzales
Soil
• the oldest and most complex engineering material; our
ancestors used soils as burial sites, flood protection and
shelters;

• an uncemented aggregate of mineral grains and decayed


organic matter (solid particles) with liquid and gas in the
empty spaces between the solid particles;

• also used as construction materials in various CE projects


and it supports structural foundation.
Proponents of Soil Mechanics
• Vitruvius - paid great attention to soil types and design
and construction of solid foundations.

• Coulomb - credited as the first person to use mechanics


to solve soil problems; a member of the French Royal
Engineers.

• Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963) - undisputed Father of Soil


Mechanics; his book "ERDBAUMECHANIK" (1925) laid
the foundation for soil mechanics and brought
recognition to the importance of soils in eng'g activities.
Soil Mechanics
• Geotechnique/Geotechnics/Geomechanics;

• the application of eng'g mechanics to the solution of problems


dealing with tools as a foundation and a construction material;

• a subset of geotechnical eng'g, which involves the application of


soil mechanics, geology and hydraulics to the analysis and design
of geotechnical systems such as dams, embankments, tunnels,
canals and waterways, foundations for bridges, roads, buildings
and solid waste disposal systems;

• a branch of science that deals with the study of physical


properties of the soil and the behavior of soil masses subjected
to various types of forces.
Engineering Mechanics

• used to understand and interpret the


properties, behavior and performance of
soils.
Soil Engineering

• the application of the principles of soil


mechanics to practical problems.
Geotechnical Engineering
• defined as the subdiscipline of civil eng'g that
involves natural materials found close to the
surface of the earth;

• includes the application of the principles of soil


mechanics and rock mechanics to the design of
foundations, retaining structures and earth
structures.
Soil Types
1. Coarse-grained soil
a) Gravel
b) Sand

2. Fine-grained soil
a) Silts
b) Clay
Soil Types
3. Other soil types
a) Calcareous soil - contains calcium carbonate
b) Caliche - consists of gravel, sand, clay cemented together by
calcium carbonate
c) Expansive soils - clays that undergo large volume changes
from cycles of wetting and drying
d) Glacial soils - mixed soils consisting of rock debris, sand, silt,
clays and boulders
e) Glacial till - a soil that consists mainly of coarse particles
f) Glacial clays - soils that were deposited in ancient lakes and
subsequently frozen
g) Gypsum - calcium sulphate found under heat and pressure
from sediments in ocean brine
Soil Types
h) Lateritic soils - residual soils that are cemented with iron
oxides and are found in tropical regions
i) Loam - mixture of sand, silt and clay that may contain
organic material
j) Loess - a wind-blown, uniform fine-grained soil
k) Mud - clay and silt mixed with water into a viscous fluid
Soil Formation
1. Physical Weathering – reduction of size without
any change in the original composition of the
parent rock.
a) Agents responsible for this:
• Exfoliation
• Unloading
• Erosion
• Thawing
Soil Formation
2. Chemical Weathering – causes both reduction
in size and chemical alteration of the original
parent rock.
a) Agents responsible for this:
• Hydration
• Carbonation
• Oxidation

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