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Civil Engineering Department

Soil Mechanics
CE GEOTECH1

Introduction

Lecture 1

Prepared by: Engr. Bailey John E. Bandiola

• Introduction
• Soil Composition
• Soil Classification
• Physical Properties of Soil
• Atterberg Limit
• Permeability
• Seepage
• In Situ Stresses
• Stresses in a Soil Mass
• Shear Strength of Soil

Soil is relatively thin surface layer of the Earth’s

crust consisting of mineral and organic matter that is
affected by agents such as weather, wind, water, and
organisms.

In general, soils are formed by weathering of

rocks. The physical properties of a soil are dedicated
primarily by the minerals that constitute the soil particles
and hence the rock from which is derived.

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ROCK CYCLES

Soils The final products

due to weathering are
soils

(Das, 1998)

Soil Mechanics

SOIL AND SOIL

ENGINEERING

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Soil – uncemented aggregates of minerals

grains and decayed organics matter (solid
particles) with liquid and gas in the empty
spaces between the solid particles.

Soil Mechanics – branch of science that deals

with the study of the physical properties of soil
and the behavior of soil masses subjected to
various types of forces.

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Soil Mechanics – application of laws of mechanics

and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with
sediments and other unconsolidated accumulations of
solid particles produced by the mechanical and
chemical disintegration of rocks regardless of whether
or not they contain an admixture of organic constituent.

Soils Engineering – is the application of the

principles of soil mechanics to practical problems.

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Geotechnical Engineering – branch of Civil

Engineering that deals with the properties of soils
and rocks and their capability of supporting
structures placed on or under them.”

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Soil Mechanics
Soil mechanics deal with the determination and analysis of
forces that act on a soil mass. It is a relatively new engineering
discipline having been developed only in the 1940's. It seeks to
understand how a soil responds to being exposed to an
engineered works or to being used in the works as a construction
material.

'Geotechnical Engineering' is a new term used to describe soils

engineering within the realm and knowledge of geologic
processes. Geotechnical engineering is concerned mainly with
foundations and basic soil engineering properties pertaining to
slope stability, retaining walls, open pit mines, etc.

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Foundations of structures such as buildings, bridges, towers,

dams, oil tanks generally requires the knowledge of the behavoir and
stresses related deformability of the soil that will support the
foundation system and the geological conditions of the soil under
consideration. Structural designers must have a thorough knowledge
of the geology of the area where the structure must be constructed
especially the origin and the nature of the soil stratification and
groundwater conditions.
These are inherent physical characteristics in a soil that are
derived as a function of the genesis of the soil and that determine its
behavior under a stress, when it is used as a resource, or as a
foundation in an engineered works. A significant understanding of
the following fundamental soil properties are required by all
geotechnical engineers.

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Soils are divided into 2 groups based on the

ability of a soil mass to hold together by itself
(cohesive) and those having no ability, or
strength, to hold together by itself (cohesionless)
and an additional type which is the organic.

• Cohesionless soils

• Cohesive soils

• Organic soils

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1. Cohesive Soils: these soils generally contain a sufficient clay content to

effectively 'glue' the mass together. As such, they also have the ability to
be molded or shaped. This property of being molded is called 'plasticity'
and describes the ability of the soil to be rolled into thin rods 3.0 mm
diameter without breaking. These soils have internal strength, can be
compacted and compressed, and generally are suitable for foundation
materials under optimum moisture conditions. Most fine-grained soils
have some cohesion and are usually composed of significant amounts of
silt and/or clay.

2. Cohesionless Soils: these soils have no strength of or in their own. There is

usually a complete absence of clay or fine particles from which cohesion is
derived. Sand and gravel are good examples of cohesionless soils. However,
if sandy or gravely soils are geologically or structurally confined they can
exhibit strength properties but the strength is due to the confinement, not the
material itself.

3. Organic soil: they are typically spongy, crumbly and compressible. This
type of soil is undesirable for use in supporting structures.

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Soil Cohesion

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1. Gravel

2. Sand

3. Silt

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Clay

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