DE6201                             GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 2

Level 6                                             Credits 15                                            Version July 2010

LEARNING TIME

RECOMMENDED PRE-REQUISITE

DE5207 Geotechnical Engineering 1

RECOMMENDED CO-REQUISITE

Nil

AIM/PURPOSE

To develop further knowledge of the principles and practice of geotechnical engineering.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.            Examine the occurrence and flow of water through soils and discuss the impact soil water has in engineering practice.

2.            Determine and evaluate the shear strength parameters of soils.

3.            Determine the earth pressure on, and analyse the stability of, earth retaining structures.

4.            Analyse the stability of earth slopes.

5.            Determine the bearing capacity of shallow and deep foundations.

6.            Understand the process of consolidation and estimate consolidation settlement.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

• Darcy’s Law; Co-efficient of permeability; Effective stress; Flow nets, Wick drains
• Coulomb’s law; Shear box; Tri-axial compression
• Types of retaining structures; Rankine’s method; Stability Analysis
• Stability of cohesive- and non-cohesive slopes; Stability curves, computer simulations, geotechnical monitoring and instrumentation
• Terzaghi’s equation; bearing capacity coefficient; shape factors; safety factors; Piles
• Stress at depth; Consolidation test results; Coefficient of volume change/Compression index