Introduction

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Some definitions
• Soil mechanics
- is a discipline that applies the principles of
engineering mechanics to soils to predict the
mechanical behavior of soil.
- a science that deals with the properties and
behavior of soil as related to engineering
problems.
• Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil
engineering that deals with soil, rock, and
underground water, and their relation to the
design, construction, and operation of
engineering projects. (Coduto, 1998)
This discipline is also called soils engineering
or ground engineering
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Rock
- is a natural aggregate of minerals that are connected
by strong bonding or attractive forces.
- is a consolidated material.

Soil
- unconsolidated sediments and deposits of solid
particles that have resulted from the disintegration of
rock
- it includes residue of vegetables and animal life like
buried trash, garbage and industrial waste
- it is a particulate material, meaning that a soil mass
consists of an accumulation of individual particles that
are bonded together by mechanical or attractive means
though not as strongly with rock
- a three-phase material or system (solids plus liquid
plus gas/air) DOST Balik Scientist Program 3
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 Fundamental Role of Soil
Earth is a dynamic planet

Changes may be slow or subtle, rapid or instantaneous

• rapid changes - natural phenomena or human
activities like;
 mass movements during earthquakes
 effects of war
 large construction projects
• subtle changes - natural occurrences like subsidence
Subsidence - sinking of land caused by collapse of
underground mines or depletion of groundwater.
for living, protection and comfort

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Soil influences survival

• as a foundation material - soil supports

structures and the paths of transportation

• as construction material - we build with soil

• as agricultural land to provide products used

for living, protection and comfort

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Five complicating characteristics of natural soil deposits
a. Soil does not posses a linear or
unique stress-strain relationship.
b. Soil behavior depends on
pressure, time and environment.
c. The soil at essentially every
location is different.
d. In nearly all cases the mass of
soil involved is underground and
cannot be seen in its entirety but
must be evaluated on the basis of
small samples obtained from
isolated locations.
e. Most soils are very sensitive to
disturbance from sampling, and
thus the behavior measured by a
laboratory test may be unlike that
of the in situ soil.

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 Comparison of the properties of the materials
can be made on the s - e Diag.
• The steeper the
straight line portion of
the graph, the higher
the Modulus or
stiffness value.
• The higher the ultimate
strength value, the
stronger the material.
• The longer the plastic
range, the more ductile
the material.

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