GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING Introduction: What is Geotechnical Engineering?

Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering
behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but is
also applied in military, mining, and other engineering disciplines that are concerned with
construction occurring on the surface or within the ground. Geotechnical engineering uses
principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to investigate subsurface conditions and
materials; determine the relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these
materials; assess risks posed by site conditions; design earthworks and structure foundations,
and earthwork and foundation construction. Learning Outcomes At the end of module 5, you
should have achieved the following topic learning outcomes: 1. Express a basic understanding
of the Geotechnical Engineering. 2. Familiarize with the practices of Geotechnical Engineers. 3.
Familiarize with the two types of Foundation. Topic 1: What is Geotechnical Engineering? 
Geotechnical Engineering is a branch of Civil Engineering, which embraces many aspects of the
established sciences, geology and pedology, engineering mechanics, structures and hydraulics.
The term is often used interchangeably with Soil Mechanics but it is much broader. Soil
Mechanics embraces the study of all those properties of soils that are related to their behavior,
and its application as an engineering material. According to Karl Terzaghi (1948),  Soil
Mechanics is the 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.  Geotechnical Engineering includes also: