Soil Mechanics-I

by
Dr. Sarah Tahsin Noor
Tasks of Geotechnical Engineer-1
Relative Density of Coarse-grained Soil
 Sand
 Investigate the sub-surface condition
 Very loose
 In-situ Tests
 Loose
 Sample Collection  Medium Dense
 Laboratory Tests on Disturbed/Undisturbed Samples  Dense
 Very Dense
Soil Consistency of Fine-grained soil
 Clay
 Very Soft
 Soft
 Medium Stiff
 Stiff
 Very Stiff
 Hard
Tasks of Geotechnical Engineer-
Engineer-2
• Choose the type of foundation
• Shallow Foundation
• Pile Foundation
• Mat or Raft Foundation
• Piled-Raft Foundation

• Estimate bearing capacity of foundation

• Calculate foundation settlement

Tasks of Geotechnical Engineer-
Engineer-3
• Quality Control
• Pile Integrity Test
• Cross-Hole Ultrasonic Test

• Foundation Load- Soil Settlement

• Pile Load Tests (Static/Dynamic)

• Monitoring
• Slope Stability
• Excavation Monitoring

• Ground Improvement Techniques

• Sand Compaction Pile
• PVD
• Dynamic Compaction
• Stone Columns
Soil properties

• Unit Weight • Optimum moisture Content

• Cohesion
• Maximum Dry Unit Weight
• Angle of Internal Friction
• Undrained Shear Strength
• Void Ratio
• Compression Index
• Coefficient of Consolidation
• Coefficient of Permeability
• Relative Density
• Specific Gravity
Soil parameter vs Soil property
Soil Parameter Soil Properties

• In mathematics/physics, • Something is Owned.

parameter is a variable kept
constant during an experiment,
calculation or similar.
• A parameter, generally, is any
characteristic that can help in
defining or classifying a
particular system (meaning an
event, project, object, situation,
etc.).
• A set of facts which describes
and puts limits on how
something should happen or be
done.
Variables vs Parameters
Variables Parameters
• A variable represents a • A parameter is commonly
model state, and may used to describe objects
change during simulation. statically.
• A parameter is normally a
constant in a single
simulation, and is changed
only when you need to
adjust your model
behavior.
Soil Parameters in Numerical Modelling
 Most common input soil parameters for numerical modeling in soil are:

 Unit weight (γ)

 Young’s modulus (E)
 Poisson’s ratio ()
 Seismic velocity
 Cohesion(c)
 Angle of friction (φ)
Soil Profile
In--Situ Test
In
• Standard penetration Test
• SPT N value is an index for strength characterization quickly
• Cone Penetration Test
• Field Vane Shear Test
• Electrical Resistivity
• Downhole Test : PS-Wave Logging
• Pressuremeter Test
Laboratory Investigation
• Particle Size Distribution (Sieve Analysis & Hydrometer Analysis)
• Specific Gravity, Unit Weight, Water Content
• Atterberg’s Limits (LL & PL)
• Optimum Moisture Content & Maximum Dry Density
• Unconfined Compressive Strength Test
• Triaxial Test: Cohesion & Angle of Internal friction
• Direct Shear Test
• One-Dimensional Consolidation Test