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Soil Mechanics
Difference Between Earth and Land??
Soil Rock
What is Soil ?
Combination of:

• mineral material

• organic matter

• pore space ( Air and Water)

Why is Soil Important?

• Agriculture

• Engineering

• Home for flora and fauna

• Life Support
The uses of Soil ?

The soil can have different

uses, depending upon the field
in which it is considered.
 Soil and Its Uses

Soil is the most versatile material

Uses in Civil Engineering
Soil in Civil Engineering
To a Civil Engineer, soil is a material that can be:
• built on: foundations of buildings, bridges etc
• built in: tunnels, basements, culverts
• built with: embankments, roads, dams
• supported: retaining walls
Built on: Foundations
Built in: Tunnels, Basements, Culverts
Built with: Embankment, Roads, Dams

Tarbela Dam is one of the

Largest Earth Fill Dams in
World
Supported: Retaining walls
Soil Mechanics
Definition: Soil Mechanics is study of soil, its behaviour and
application as an engineering material.

It is the application of laws of mechanics and hydraulics to

engineering problems dealing with sediments and other
unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles.
Karl Terzaghi (1948)
Soil Mechanics
Engineers are concerned with the mechanical properties
of soil.
✓ Strength
✓ Compressibility
✓ Permeability

These properties depend primarily on the nature of the

soil grains, the applied stress, the water content and unit
weight.
Field of Geotechnical Engineering
The field of geotechnical engineering deals with the design of
structures made up of or supported on soil and rock.
✓ Soil Mechanics
✓ Rock Mechanics
✓ Ground Improvement Techniques
✓ Foundation Engineering
✓Geo-Environmental Engineering
✓ Geological Engineering
✓ Underground Excavations (Tunnelling)
Importance of Geotechnical Engineering
Everything you see around you is either is
composed of or supported by Soil or Rock, and we
Geotechnical Engineers are responsible for that.
Foundations of Buildings
Underground Infrastructure
Resisting Earthquakes
Mitigating Landslides
Deep Foundations
Supporting Road Network
Flood Control
Ground Improvement
Dams and Embankments
Landfills
Deep Excavation
Some Geotechnical Failures/ Disasters
Upon successful completion of this course,
you should be able to:

1. Identify and classify soils with reference to their characteristics

2. Describe the behaviour and effect of water in soils
3. Examine modes of stresses in Soil
4. Understand the basic principles of flow through soil including permeability and
seepage in soils.
5. Understand basic consolidation theory and compute the amount of settlement
and the time required, under given loads.
6. Undertake a variety of laboratory tests on soils
7. Calculate soil properties from test results
Tentative Course Modules
✓ Introduction to the Subject
✓ Formation of Soil
✓ Phase Relations of Soil
✓ Index Properties of Soil
✓ Classification of Soil
✓ Stresses in the Ground
✓ Permeability of Soils
✓ Seepage in Soils
✓ Soil Consolidation
Recommended Books
1. Soil Mechanics and Foundations by Muni Budhu

2. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering by S. K. Garg

3. Soil Mechanics and Foundations by B. C. Punmia

4. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering by Braja M. Das

The End