ECG426 – SOIL MECHANICS

WEEK 1 ~ CHAP. 1
Physical properties and classification of soils;
1A) Defination & Origin
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Week 1 : Coverage ~ Originof Soils,Definition,Formation and

Types

Learning outcomes:
At the end of this lecture/week the students would
be able to:

i. Describe the formation of soil and define

related terms
ii. Discuss the fundamental of Soil Mechanics in
relation to Geotechnical application.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION
OF SOILS

THE PRESENTATION FOR THIS

CHAPTER SHALL BE DIVIDED INTO
THREE PARTS, namely :-

1A) SOILS ~ definition & origin

1B) SOIL COMPOSITION
1C) SOIL CLASSIFICATION
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN

1A) SOILS ~ Its Definition & Origin

OUTLINE of PRESENTATION
1.0 Introduction & Definition
1.1 Application of Soil Mechanics
1.2 Origin of Soils
1.3 Soil Formation and Soil Profile
1.4 Main Soil Types
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Introduction and Definition

1.0 INTRODUCTION & DEFINITION

‘Soil is a natural body comprised of solids (minerals
and organic matter), liquid, and gases that occurs
on the land surface, occupies space, and is
characterized by one or both of the following:
horizons, or layers, that are distinguishable from the
initial material as a result of additions, losses,
transfers, and transformations of energy and matter
or the ability to support rooted plants in a natural
environment.’
Agriculturalists’point of view.
(USDA,
2004)
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Definition of Soils

Soil is considered as a naturally (mostly)

occurring particulate material of variable
composition having properties of
compressibility, permeability and strength.
Engineers’point of view (Whitlow, 2001)

Soil comprises of layers of loose

unconsolidated material extending from
the surface to solid rock, which have been
formed by weathering and disintegration
of the rocks.
Geologists’point of view (Whitlow, 2001)
Rock Cycle and Formation
Mount Everest Standing at 8, 850 m
ORIGIN OF SOILS
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Questions to Answer

Can you answer these questions ?

What is Soil?
What is Soil Mechanics?
What is Soil Engineering?
What is Geotechnical Engineering?
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Definition of Terms

Basic Definition
Soil – Uncemented aggregates of mineral
grains and decayed organic matter together
with the liquid and gas that occupy the
empty spaces in between.
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.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Definition of Terms

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.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Application of Soil Mechanics
Geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil
engineering and is closely related to engineering
geology which is a branch of geology. The discipline
that relates geotechnical engineering principles with
engineering geology principles is geotechniques.
Some of the applications of geotechniques include:
 Shallow foundation of structures such as bridges,
buildings, highways and road embankments.
 Deep foundations of structures such as piled high
rise buildings, structures on difficult ground
conditions, tunnelling and excavation.
 Ground improvement of difficult soil conditions such
as geotextiles, stabilisation using chemicals,
dewatering, vibrocompaction etc.
 Retaining structures and slopes such as reinforced
earth wall, retaining walls, cofferdams etc.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Relationships of the Discipline

Geotechniques is a Discipline Water Resource

Engineering
Related to Geotechnical
Engineering and Engineering Environmental Construction
Engineering Engineering
Geology
CIVIL
ENGINEERING
Geomorphology
Surveying and
Mapping
Geotechnical
Engineering
Paleontology Transportation
Engineering Engineering
Geology
GEOLOGY Structural
Engineering
Petrology

Geophysics and
Seismology
Economic
Geology
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Application of Soil Mechanics
Bridge Foundation

Excavation

Dynamic Compaction

Grout Curtain

Shallow Foundation
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Application of Soil Mechanics
Road
Embankment

Cofferdam
Geotextiles

Tunnelling

Embankment Dam

Reinforced Earth Wall

SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Origin & Composition of Soil

1.2 ORIGIN OF SOIL

• Soils are formed by the disintegration (technically known
as weathering) of rocks.
• The disintegrated or weathered materials are either
found deposited at its original location or transported by
weathering agents such as water, wind, ice, etc. before
deposition.
• In the first case, the resultant soil is known as residual soil
whereas the second case is known as transported soil.
• Three stages involved in the formation of transported
soil are described as:
i) weathering
ii) transportation
iii) deposition of weathered materials
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Weathering Process

Weathering
 Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks by
mechanical and chemical processes into small pieces.
Weathering is divided into two distinct processes:

i) Mechanical Weathering

Mechanical weathering may be caused by the expansion

and contraction of rocks from continuous gain and loss of
heat, which results in ultimate disintegration. Frequently,
water seeps through the pores and existing cracks in
rocks and as the temperature drops, the water freezes
and expands causing the expansion of volume strong
enough to break down larger rocks.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Weathering Process

ii) Chemical Weathering

The original rock minerals being transformed into

new minerals by chemical reaction is known as
chemical weathering. Water and carbon dioxides
from the atmosphere form carbonic acid, which
reacts with the existing rock minerals to form new
minerals and soluble salt. Soluble salts present in
groundwater and organic acids formed from
decayed organic matter also cause chemical
weathering.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Weathering Process
 The product of soils formed from the weathering process at
its origin is known to be residual soil.
 On the contrary, the transported soil can be classified
into several groups, depending on the mode of
transportation and deposition:
i) Glacial soils - formed by transportation
and deposition of glaciers.
ii) Alluvial soils - transported by running water and
deposited along streams.
iii) Lacustrine soils - formed by deposition in quiet lakes.
iv) Marine soils - formed by deposition in the seas.
v) Aeolian soils - transported and deposited by wind.
vi) Colluvial soils - formed by movement of soil from its
original place by gravity such as
during landslides.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Soil Formation
1.3 SOILFORMATION AND SOILPROFILE
• Soil consists of:
i. minerals and weathered rock fragments
ii. organic matter
iii.gases
iv.Water

• Regolith
is the layer of unconsolidated rock and mineral
fragments and soil that covers most of the land
surface.
• Humus
is decayed organic matter.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Soil Formation

• Five factors that influence soil

formation are:
i) Climate
ii) Parent rock
iii) Organisms
iv) Relief (slope, topography)
v) Time
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Soil Profile

• A soil profile consists of several

soil horizons and they are
numbered roughly alphabetically,
beginning at the ground surface,
going downwards:

i) O Horizon
 This is the layer of humus on the
ground surface.

ii) A Horizon
 Top soil.
 Rich in organic matter and
typically dark in color.
 Also called zone of leaching.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Soil Profile

iii) B Horizon
 Subsoil.
 Also called zone of
accumulation.
 May contain soluble minerals
such as calcite in arid climates
(caliche).

iv) C Horizon
 Weathered bedrock or saprolite
(rotten rock).
 Bedrock lies below the soil
profile.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Main Soil Types
1.4 THREE (3) MAIN TYPES OF SOIL ARE :-
i) Laterite
 These soils have been depleted of nearly all elements
except iron and aluminum oxides.
 Laterites are derived from the weathering of basalt
(mafic parent rock).
 Theyform in tropical climates with very high rainfall.
 The high rainfall has caused leaching of most of the
elements and nutrients from the soil.
 This is the soil typical of a tropical rainforest. When
used for agriculture, the small amount of nutrients is
quickly depleted, and the soil dries to become as hard
as a brick.
SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Main Soil Types

ii) Pedocal

These soils are rich in Ca.

They form in arid climates, such as the southwestern
U.S.
These soils commonly contain caliche (or hardpan), a
calcium carbonate deposit which accumulates in the
soil.

iii) Pedalfer

These soils are rich in Al and Fe.

They form in humid climates, such as the southeastern
U.S.
 SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Main Soil Types

Soil Soil formed in

A red soil, rich
characteristic humid regions
in iron or
of arid and with an
aluminium or
semiarid organics-rich A
both, resulting
regions with a Horizon and
from intense
thin A Horizon aluminium-
chemical
and a calcium rich clays and
weathering in
carbonate-rich iron oxides in
the tropics.
B Horizon. Horizon B.

Arid Semi-Arid World Map

SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Mineral Composition
Mineral Composition
• The mineral portion of soil is divided into
three particle-size classes: sand, silt, and
clay.
• As a summary, soil can be classified into
two major groups given as:
i) Coarse Soils
Coarse soils are classified as having
particle sizes > 0.06 mm such as SANDS
and GRAVELS. The grains will either be
rounded or angular and usually consist of
fragments of rock or jasper with iron
oxide, calcite and mica present. The
relatively equidimensional shape is a
function of the crystalline structure of the
minerals including the degree of rounding
depends upon the amount of wear that
have taken place.
 SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Mineral Composition
ii) Fine Soils
Fine soils are finer than 0.06 mm and typically
flaky in shape such as SILTS and CLAYS. Very
fine oxides, sulphides and sometimes organic
matter may be present. The most important
engineering context of fine soils is the
flakiness of the clay minerals which give rise
to very large surface areas.
• Organic matter originates from plant or animal
remains and the end product, known as humus
which is a complex mixture of organic compound.
• Organic matter has undesirable properties which
are highly compressible and absorb large amount
of water that will change in load or moisture
content producing considerable changes in
volume.
• Featured in topsoil occurring in the upper layer of
usually not more than 0.5 m thickness.
• Peat are predominantly fibrous organic material.
 SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Soil Composition

•While a nearly infinite

variety of substances may
be found in soils, they are Gas Air, water vapour
categorised into four basic
Water, dissolved
components: minerals & Liquid salt
weathered rock fragment,
organic matter, gases and
Rock fragments,
water (and also living Solid Mineral grains,
organisms). Organic matter
•However in soil mechanics
it is expedient to consider a
soil as three phase model
composed of solid, liquid Three-Phase Diagram
and gas.
 SOILS : DEFINITION & ORIGIN
Three Phase Diagram

• Solid – Mineral grains, rock fragments, and organic

matters.
• Water is a fundamental part of natural soil and in fact has
a great effect on engineering properties such as
compressibility, seepage and permeability. Water has no
shear strength but relatively incompressible, hence it
transmits direct pressure therefore drainage conditions
in a soil mass are of great significance when considering
shear strength.
• Air is compressible and water vapour can freeze. Soil may
be considered to be perfectly dry or fully saturated or in
the condition somewhere between these two extremes
(partly saturated). In dry soil, water vapour is present
while in a fully saturated soil, 2% of air voids may be
present.