Geotechnics 1
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| CIVE1001 | Civil Engineering | 1 | 10 | Spring UK |
- Code
- CIVE1001
- School
- Civil Engineering
- Level
- 1
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This course (module) provides an introduction to the basics of Geotechnics. It covers the following topics:
(1) Origin and types of soil
(2) Soil as a 3-phase material (phase relationships)
(3) Soil description and classification
(4) Stresses in soils (total stress, effective stress, Terzaghi's effective stress principle)
(5) Basic mechanics: Analysis of stresses in soil (Mohr circle of stress);
(6) Yield and failure criterion including Tresca and Coulomb
(7) Soil compaction
(8) Ground investigation
For students requiring reassessment, this will be limited to the components which have been failed and these will be in the same form as the original assessment.
Target Students
Qualifying Year BEng/MEng students in the Department of Civil Engineering.
Assessment
- 100% Exam 1 (2-hour): Written examination
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To introduce fundamental principles of geotechnics including soil phase relationships, effective stresses and strength criteria to students to enable them to apply these principles to relevant problems in civil engineering. Develop an appreciation of the role of local geology in civil engineering design.Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course (module), students will be able to:
1. understand ground investigation methods and how to describe & classify soils
2. solve soil phase relationships and determine basic physical properties of soils
4. compute total and effective stresses in soils
5. understand the concept of stress analysis and soil strength including the use of Mohr circles and different yield criteria
6. Appreciate the implications of local geology for Civil Engineering design.
This will contribute to the following programme learning outcomes (see Plan (Programme) Specifications for details):
- Knowledge and Understanding: M1
- Intellectual Skills: M3, M6
3. solve compaction related problems
Conveners
- Dr Charles Heron