WEEK 1

CHAPTER 1

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND

CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL

(WEEK 1 - 4)

DR. ROHAYA ALIAS

FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
 PROGRAM OUTCOMES

PO 1 : Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural

science, engineering fundamentals and an
engineering specialization to wide practical
procedures and practices.
PO 2 : Identify and analyse well-defined engineering
problems reaching substantiated conclusions
using codified methods of analysis specific to
their field of activity.
 COURSE OUTCOMES
CO 1 : Apply physical and engineering properties
knowledge to wide application of soil mechanic.
(C3)
CO2 : Evaluate soil behavior including flow of water
through soil, shear strength, compaction and
consolidation from the standpoint of effective
stress concept. (C6)

CO-PO MAPPING
▪ CO1-PO1
▪ CO2-PO2
 LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to

understand:

 The origin of soil, weathering of rocks and the formations

of residual and transported soils.
➢ What is Soil Mechanics?
➢ What is Soil Engineering?
➢ What is Geotechnical Engineering?
Soil mechanics
➢ Branch of science that deals with the study of the physical
properties of soil and the behaviour of soil masses subjected
to various types of forces.

Soil engineering
➢ Application of the principles of Soil Mechanics to practical
problems.

Geotechnical engineering
➢ The science and practice of the part of civil engineering that
involves natural materials found close to the surface of the
earth. Includes application of the fundamental principles of
Soil Mechanics and Rock Mechanics.
 Types of Geotechnical Structure

• The 4 basic types of geotechnical structure:

1) Foundations
❖ Transmit loads to the ground
❖ Basic criterion – settlement
should be relatively small
❖ Variables – load, the size of the
base and depth
2) Slope stability
❖ May be formed naturally by
erosion or built by
excavation or filling
❖ Basic variables – slope angle
and height
❖ Design requirement – slope
should not fail by sliding
3) Retaining wall
❖ Slopes that are too deep and
too steep to stand
unsupported con be
supported by retaining wall
❖ Basic variables – height of wall
and its depth of burial
together with the strength
and stiffness of the wall.
4) Earth fill dam
❖ In any structure where there
are different levels of water,
such as in a dam or around a
pumped well, the will be
seepage of water
❖ The seepage causes leakage
through a dam and governs the
yield of a well and it also
governs the variation of
pressure in the groundwater
 Introduction
Definition of Soils
➢ Soil is defined as the uncemented aggregate
of mineral grains and decayed organic
matters (the solid particles), along with the
water (liquid) and air (gas) that occupy the
empty spaces (voids) between the solid
particles.
air in
voids
water

Soil solids
 1.1 Soil Origin
 Soils occur very near the surface of the
earth and are essentially the products of the
action of the weather and the climate of
rock.
 Soil have been formed by weathering and
disintegration of the rocks.
 Soils originate from solid rocks such as
igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
 1.2 Weathering of Rocks
• Weathering is defined as the disintegration of
rock at or near the earth’s surface through
physical, chemical, and biological processes
induced or modified by wind, water, and climate.
• The process of weathering is a time taking
process.
• There are three types of weathering.
1) Physical weathering
2) Chemical weathering
3) Biological weathering
 Mechanical or Physical weathering
involves the breakdown of rocks and soils
through physical forces including running
water, wind, ocean waves, glacier ice,
frost and expansion and contraction by
the gain and loss of heat.
 Chemical weathering involves the
chemical decomposition of the original
rock. The original material may be
changed to something entirely different.
e.g. the chemical weathering of feldspar
can produce clay minerals.
 Biological weathering is the effect of
living things (plants, animals and
microbes). For example as the roots of a
tree extend into the ground they can
pries rocks apart.
Physical weathering
https://youtu.be/Swt4H174ItY

Chemical weathering
https://youtu.be/HaMJxlnGL5c

Biological weathering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVPhAHgfq_s
Factors Controlling the Process of Soil Formation

• Nature and composition of the parent rock.

• Climatic conditions (eg: temperature and
humidity)
• Topographic and general terrain conditions
(eg: exposure, density, type of vegetation)
• Length of time related to particular prevailing
conditions.
• Interference by other agencies (eg: earthquake).
• Mode and conditions of transport.
1.3 Formations of Residual & Transported Soil

Residual Soils
• The soil derived from the in situ weathering and decomposition of
rock or rock fragments which has not been transported from its
original location (the products of rock weathering are still present at
the place of origin).
• For example : Bentonite is a type of chemically weathered volcanic
ash that is present on the parent rock from which it is formed.

Transported soils
• The soil has been transported away from its place of origin by wind,
water or any other agency and has been redeposit elsewhere
• For example : Alluvial soils are eroded from hills by rivers and
deposited from suspension in running water in the plains below.
• Three stages involved in the formation of transported soil are
weathering, transportation, and deposition of weathered materials.
Transported soils may be classified into several groups
depending on their mode of transportation and deposition:

• Aeolian soils - transported and deposited by wind

• Marine soils - formed by deposition in the seas
• Glacial soils - formed by transportation and deposition of
glaciers
• Alluvial soils - transported by running water and deposited
along streams
• Lacustrine soils - form by deposition in quiet lakes
• Colluvial soils - formed by movement of soil form its
original place by gravity, such as during
landslides
Aeolian soils Marine soils
 Engineering Soil Terminology
Rock – Hard rigid deposit forming part of the earth’s crust
(eg: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rock).
Soil – any loose or diggable material that is worked in,
worked on and worked with.
Organic Soil – a mixture of mineral grains and organic material of
mainly vegetable origin in varying stages of
decomposition.
Peat – made up entirely of organic matter, very spongy, highly
compressible, and combustible.
Residual soil – the weathered remains of rocks that have undergone
no transportation. Normally sandy or gravelly with high
concentrations of oxides.
Alluvium - sands and gravels which have been deposited from
rivers or streams.
Cohesive soil - fine soil containing sufficient clay or silt particles
to impart significant plasticity and cohesion.
Cohesionless soil - coarse soils (sand and gravel) which do not exhibit
plasticity or cohesion.
Boulder clay - also called till. Soil of glacial origin consisting of a
very wide range of particle sizes from finely
ground rock flour to boulders.
Thank You