Geotechnical engineering
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Geotechnical engineering is concerned with the engineering properties of earth materials. Geotechnical engineers investigate the soil and bedrock below a site to confirm their engineering properties as they will relate to the proposed costruction. The geotechnical engineer determines and designs the type of foundations and pavements required for the intended man-made structures to be built. This includes such structures as high-rise buildings, bridges, highways, and tunnels but also include smaller structures such as a single family home built on a steep hillside. They also design structures built in or of soil or rock. The foundations built for above-ground structures include shallow foundations (footings), deep foundations (driven piles and drilled piers), and retaining walls. Dams and embankments are structures built of soil or rock; tunnels are structures built through soil or rock. Geotechnical engineers also assess the risk to humans, property and the environment from natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, debris flows, and rock falls (all involving natural materials). Geotechnical Engineering is also applicable to coastal and ocean engineering applications, such as construction of wharves, marinas, jetties, as well as foundation/anchor systems for offshore structures such as oil platforms.
Karl Terzaghi is widely considered the father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering.
Contents |
Soil investigations
In Situ Methods
- SPT - Standard Penetration Test
- CPT - Cone Penetration Test
- CPTu - Piezocone Penetrometer
- SCPTu - Seismic Piezocone Penetrometer
- CPM - Cone Pressuremeter Test
- DMT - Flat Plate Dilatometer Test
- PMT - Pre-bored Pressuremeter Test
- VST - Vane Shear Test
- T-bar Penetrometer
- Ball Penetrometer
Geophysical Methods
- Mechanical waves (pressure, shear, and Rayleigh waves)
- Crosshole method
- Downhole method (Seismic CPT)
- Surface wave methods (e.g., SASW and MASW)
- Seismic reflection
- Seismic refraction
- Electromagnetic (radar, resistivity)
- Optical/Acoustic Televiewer Survey
Lab tests
- Atterberg Limits (ASTM D 4318)
- Grain Size Analysis and Hydrometer Tests
- Compaction Tests - including Standard Proctor (ASTM D 698), Modified Proctor (ASTM D 1557), and California Bearing Ratio (ASTM D 1883) Tests
- Direct Shear Test
- Direct Simple Shear
- Unconfined Compression (UC) (ASTM D2166)
- Triaxial Tests
- CD - Consolidated drained
- CU - Consolidated undrained (ASTM D 4647)
- UU - Unconsolidated undrained (ASTM D 2850)
- Oedometer Test - including consolidation (ASTM D 2435) and swell tests (ASTM D 4546)
- Soil Suction Tests (ASTM D 5298)
Recommended Reading
- Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-484394-0
- Bowles, J. (1988), Foundation Analysis and Design, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. ISBN 0-07-006776-7
- Ruwan Rajapakse, "Pile Design and Construction Guide", 2002.
- www.Geotechweb.com
See also
- Civil engineering
- Soil mechanics
- Critical State Soil Mechanics
- Effective stress
- Engineering geology
- Important publications in geotechnical engineering
- Rock mass classifications
- Earthworks
- Laboratory Information Management Systems
- Soil physics
