SOIL MECHANICS

Lecture 1

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.

 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
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
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
 Physical Weathering – reduction of size without any change in the original composition of the parent
rock.
Agents responsible for this:
 Exfoliation
 Unloading
 Erosion
 Thawing

 Chemical Weathering – causes both reduction in size and chemical alteration of the original parent
rock.
Agents responsible for this:
 Hydration
 Carbonation
 Oxidation

Prepared by:

Engr. Leah H. Untalan-Gonzales, MSCE

Instructor II