CEC503: Geotechnical Engineering I

Module 1: Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Basic

Definitions & Relationships

Lectures 1-3: Module 1

Dr. Sushovan Dutta

(Email Id: sus.dmcecivil@gmail.com, Mobile: 8657425431)
Department of Civil Engineering

Datta Meghe College of Engineering

 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Technologies with Geomaterial Civil Engineering

Soil
- Geotechnical Engineering
Rock
- Geological Engineering
Ground water
(In Geosphere)

Biosphere Pressure, Temperature, Humidity,

Rainfall, Snow, Severity of
environment

Made of Geomaterial
Geosphere (Soil/Rock and ground water)

Semi Infinite
 Air

Soil Solids Ground Surface

Dry soil
2-phase Soil Vadose
Zone Partially Saturated Soil by Capillary Water
In Rainy season, (3-phase Soil)
Saturated Soil by Capillary water
Water Table
Air
Completely Saturated Soil
Water
Water 2-phase Soil

Soil Solids Soil Solids

Bed Rock
2-phase Soil 3-phase Soil
 Ground Surface

Voids/ pore space

Soil solids

Water Table

Inorganic
Organic
solids
solids
 Water Air 3 – phase Soil system
Voids/ pore space

Soil solids Va Gas (Air) Ma = 0

Vv

Vw Liquid (Water) M w = ρwVw

Idealization to
phase/block diagram
Vs Solids M s = ρsVs

Inorganic Partially Saturated Soil

Organic
solids
solids
Total volume of Soil mass (V) = Volume of soil solids (V s) + Volume of voids (Vv)
= Vs + Vw + Va [Vs is always constant, Vv changes ]

By any means, change in volume (ΔV) = Change in volume of voids (ΔVv)

Total Mass of Soil (M) = Mass of soil solids (M s) + Mass of water in voids (M w)
[Ms is always constant, Mw changes ]
 Rocks
(Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic)

Weathering (Physical/ Chemical) Residual Soils

(Gravity, air, water, glacier, or man,

Transported either singularly or in combination)
Gravel: 80 mm - 4.75 mm
Sand: 4.75 mm – 0.075 mm Transported Soils
Silt: 0.075 mm – 0.002 mm (Boulders, Gravel, Sand, Silt and Clay)
Clay: < 0.002 mm

- Rocks, whose chief mineral is quartz minerals with high silica content,
decomposes to predominantly sandy or gravelly soil with little clay.
- Basic rocks decompose to the fine-textured silt and clay soils.

- Clay is formed due to chemical decomposition.

- Rest of the soil types are formed due to physical weathering.

 Temperature changes
Physical Disintegration
Wedging action of Ice

Spreading of roots of plants

Abrasion

Hydration
Chemical Decomposition
Carbonation

Oxidation
Solution

Hydrolysis
Alluvial Deposits
Transported Soils are classified according to the transporting agency
and method of deposition:

➢ Alluvial: transported in running water (rivers)

➢ Lacustrine: deposited in quite lakes

➢ Marine: deposited in sea water

➢ Aeolian: transported by wind

➢ Glacial: transported by ice (Glaciation- massive moving sheets of

ice)

➢ Colluvial: deposited through action of landslide and slope wash

Some Major Soil Deposits in India:

Alluvial Deposits (A large part of North India is covered with Alluvial

deposits.

Black cotton soil (A large part of central India and a portion of south
India is covered with black cotton soils.)

Lateritic soils (This type of soil exists in the central, southern and
eastern India.)

Dessert soils (A large part of Rajasthan and adjoining states is

covered with sand dunes.)

Marine deposits (In the south-west coast of India, Marine deposits

are mainly confined along a narrow belt near the coast.)
 Rock
Earth’s Crust
Soil

- Rock can be defined as a natural aggregate of minerals that are connected by

strong bonding or permanent attractive forces.

- In general sense of engineering, soil is defined as the un-cemented

aggregate (may have attractive forces, not permanent as that of rock) of
mineral grains, derived from physical and chemical weathering of rocks, and
decayed organic matter along with the liquid and gas that occupy the empty
spaces between the solid particles.

- Soil is a particulate material that consists of accumulation of individual

particles bonded together by mechanical or attractive means, though not
strongly as for rock.

- Spaces in between solid particles are termed as Voids or pore space filled
up with liquid, usually water and/or gas, usually air.
Solid phase consists of:

➢ Primary rock forming minerals (Size > 2 μm, Poor reactivity,

prone to disintegration)

➢ Clay minerals (Basic materials that form the soil mass, Size
< 2 μm, High Reactivity)

➢ Cementing material (Carbonates)

➢ Organic matter (High water absorption, Compressible,

unstable)
 Liquid phase

Water Dissolved Salts

Pure Polluted Water Water

Water Water soluble insoluble

❖ Water soluble: Chlorides, Sulphates, Bicarbonates

(not capable of binding solid grains) - More corrosive and Acidic

❖Water insoluble: Carbonates (Capable of binding solid grains)

Gaseous phase

Air Gases
Why is it important as Civil Engineers to study Soil Mechanics?

- All man-made structures, except those which fly or float, are supported by natural
soil or rock deposits.

Behavior of the structures depends upon Properties of soils on which those rest

Properties of rock from which the soils are derived

- In brief, all branches of Civil Engineering require an

understanding of soils and how it behave.
Namely,
➢ Structural Engineering
➢ Transportation Engineering
➢ Environmental Engineering
➢ Water Resources & Hydraulic Engineering
Structural damages and alarming
situations

(After Wang et al. 2017)

Transportation Challenges
 Environmental Challenges

Liquid toxins released over soil Scattered chemical on soil surface

Mumbai (Mulund) Landfill Mumbai (Devanar) Landfill

Challenges to Hydraulic structures
Cohesive dam breaching by overtopping
 Dam failure by piping through dam body

Dam breaching by piping

 Geotechnical Engineering:
Study of
- Rock Mechanics,
Soil
- Soil Mechanics, and Mechanics
- Foundation Engineering
Study of Soil Characteristics

Solid Fluid
Mechanics Mechanics

Amount of deformation of soil under applied
load
Rate of deformation of soil
How much maximum load soil can support before
failure?
How does soil fail?/ failure pattern
How does water flow through soil?
How fast can water flow through soil?
Problems faced by the existing
structures/ soil structures due to flow of
water
According to Karl Terzaghi (1883 – 1963),
“Unfortunately, soils are made by nature and not by man, and
the products of nature are always complex…….As soon as
we pass from steel and concrete to earth, the omnipotence of
theory ceases to exist. Natural soil is never uniform. Its
properties change from point to point, while our knowledge of
its properties are limited to those few spots at which the
samples have been collected. In soil mechanics, the
accuracy of computed results never exceeds that of a crude
estimate, and the principal function of theory consists in
teaching us what and how to observe in the field.”
Particle size range for different soil solid types:

Boulders > 300 mm

Cobbles 300 mm – 80 mm
Coarse 80 mm – 20 mm
Gravel
Fine 20 mm – 4.75 mm
Coarse 4.75 mm – 2.00 mm

Sand Medium 2.00 mm – 0.425 mm

Fine 0.425 mm – 0.075 mm
Silt 0.075 mm – 0.002 mm
Clay < 0.002 mm
Basic Definitions and relationships: Commonly used in
Soil Mechanics

1. Volumetric ratios:
(i) Void ratio (e)

(ii) Porosity (n)

(iii) Degree of Saturation (Sr)

(iv) Air content (ac)

(v) Percentage air voids, or Air void ratio (na)

(i) Void ratio (e):
It is defined as the ratio of volume Va Gas (Air) Ma = 0
of voids to the volume of soil solid. Vv
Vv
e= It is expressed in decimal. Vw Liquid (Water) M w = ρwVw
Vs

Vs Solids M s = ρsVs
(ii) Porosity (n)
It is defined as the ratio of volume of
Partially Saturated Soil
voids to the total volume of soil mass.
Vv
n= It is expressed in percentage.
V
Vv
Vv Vv Vs e e n
n= = = = n= e=
V Vv + Vs 1 + Vv 1 + e 1+ e 1− n
Vs
 e = 0 → Absence of voids (solid material)
e > 1 → Vv > Vs in the soil mass
Soil Type Void ratio (e)
Uniform sand, loose 0.85
Mixed-grained sand, dense 0.43
Soft glacial clay 1.20
Soft highly organic clay 3.00
Soft Bentonite 5.20

➢ In nature, even though the individual void spaces are larger in coarse
grained soils, the void ratio of fine grained soils are generally higher
than those of coarse grained soil.
❑ Porosity (n) lies in the range of: 0 < n < 100%
➢ n = 25 – 50% (natural sands)
➢ n = 30 – 60% (soft natural clays)
(iii) Degree of Saturation (Sr)
Va Gas (Air) Ma = 0
It is defined as the ratio of volume of
Vv
water in voids to the volume of voids.
Vw Liquid (Water) M w = ρwVw
Vw
Sr = It is expressed in percentage.
Vv
Vs Solids M s = ρsVs
Mass of water in a partially saturated
soil, Mw = Vw ρw
Partially Saturated Soil
At fully saturated condition, Vw = Vv
Mass of water in the soil, when it will be fully saturated (Mw ) = Vv ρw
Degree of saturation at any condition (Sr)
= (Mass of present water in the soil)/ (Mass of water in the soil at
completely saturated condition)

Vw  w Vw
Hence, S r = =
Vv  w Vv
 Degree of Saturation of sand in various states:
Condition of Sand Sr (%)
Dry 0
Humid 1-25
Damp 26 - 50
Moist 51 - 75
Wet 76 - 99
Saturated 100

❖ Fine or silty sands are moist, wet or saturated.

❖ Clays are always completely or nearly saturated except in the layers

of soil subjected to seasonal variation of temperature and moisture.
(iv) Air content (ac) Va Gas (Air) Ma = 0
It is defined as the ratio of volume of air in Vv
voids to the volume of voids.
Va Vw Liquid (Water) M w = ρwVw
ac = It is expressed in percentage.
Vv
Vs Solids M s = ρsVs
Va Vv - Vw Vw
ac = = = 1− = 1 − Sr
Vv Vv Vv Partially Saturated Soil

ac = 0 for fully saturated soil; ac = 1 (for completely dry soil)

(v) Percentage air voids, or

Air void ratio (na) Va Va Vv
na = =  = na c
It is defined as the ratio of volume of air in V Vv V
voids to the total volume of soil mass.
Va na = n(1- Sr )
na = It is expressed in percentage.
V
❖ Water content (w): Va Gas (Air) Ma = 0
The water content is defined as the ratio Vv
of mass of water in voids to the mass of
soil solid. Vw Liquid (Water) M w = ρwVw

Mw
w= It is expressed in percentage. Solids
Ms Vs M s = ρsVs

Partially Saturated Soil

- 0 ≤ w, No upper limit.

- Natural moisture content of fine grained soil > coarse grained soil.
❖ Determination of Moisture Content in Lab by Oven Drying Method:
Observations:
1. Can No.
2. Weight of the empty container with lid (m 1), in gm
3. Weight of container with lid + moist soil (m 2), in gm
4. Weight of container with lid + dry soil (m 3), in gm (After oven drying for 24 hrs)
5. Water content (w), %
6. Average water content, % m 2 − m3
w (%) = 100
m 3 − m1