ENGR8931 Geotechnical Engineering GE

Geotechnical engineers study soil and bedrock characteristics of building sites prior to construction. Using specialised equipment to extract earth cores to determine soil strength, composition and moisture content, they then provide information to structural engineers and architects to guide the design of roads, building foundations, dams, and bridges. Topics include site investigation, design and construction aspect of shallow foundations, settlement in soils, piled foundations, earth pressure calculations and earth retaining structure, slope stability analysis, instrumentation, ground improvement techniques, geotechnical aspects of pavements, excavation methods and supporting systems, embankment dams, landfills, and tunneling.

This topic aims to give students an understanding of the concepts associated with geotechnical engineering.

1. Determine the strength parameters appropriate to a range of stability problems
2. Understand the difference between total and effective stress approaches
3. Evaluate strength parameters from laboratory data
4. Critically analyse foundation stability and slope stability problems
5. Use spreadsheets to perform parametric studies and produce design charts for simple geotechnical design problems
6. Communicate the results of experiments and analyses using methods appropriate for professional geotechnical engineers
7. Use computer programs to analyse typical geotechnical stability and settlement problems and report on them