Be observant all the time

Soil, rock, and underground water (bridge between HWR and GTE)

Design, construction, and operation of engineering projects

Nearly all civil engineering projects are supported by the ground, and require some geotechnical
engineering

Excavation, overlaying

TYPICAL GTE PROJECT: CONSTRUCTION SITE: soil samples; GEO-LABORATORY for testing: soil properties;
DESIGN OFFICE for design and analysis: design details

DESIGN: capacity, failure, dimension

Site exploration: Standard penetration test; Assessing ground condition and engineering properties of
various strata; Drilling vertical holes (exploratory borings), obtain soil and rock samples, test samples in
laboratory; Conducting tests in-situ (in-place)

Geotechnical laboratory tests to determine soil properties (e.g., specific gravity) and to determine
suitability of soil for construction projects (e.g., type of soil)

Engineering analysis performed (soil and rock mechanics) to check capacity

WHAT DO GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS DO?

1. DESIGN PHASE: Assess site exploration and characterization; suggest suitable type of
foundation; perform engineering analysis soil mechanics and rock mechanics; geotechnical input
2. CONSTRUCTION PHASE: Examine the soil and rock conditions actually encountered; compare
actual performance with design (observational method); provide quality control testing
3. BEYOND END OF CONSTRUCTION: Investigation and monitoring of sites; development of
remedial measures

FOUNDATIONS provide support for structures by transferring their weight to underlying soil/rock to
carry them (shallow vs deep)

Depth of the embedded piles

DAMS are barriers that restrict flow of water; provides fresh water, power, and protects ecosystem from
natural disasters such as storms and floods (earth vs concrete)

SHEET PILE support excavations, parking structures, basements, pump houses, and con, used to
construct cofferdams and seawalls

EARTHWORKS processing of parts of the Earth’s surface involving quantities of soil for the construction
of roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berm (cut and fill; earthworks)
SLOPE PROTECTION/ STABILITY: improving an inclined soil or rock slopes to withstand or undergo
movement (to avoid landslide/ mass wasting/ slope failure) e.g., geosynthetics, vegetations, etc.

*GEOLOGISTS would determine exact location of failure, GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS would predict it.

TUNNELS: one of the most serious engineering projects which involves drilling a passage through
soil/rocks (using TBM: tunnel boring machine; different cutting rings depending on the different soil
conditions in different locations)

RETAINING WALLS holds or retains soil behind it

*SHEET PILES are made of steel, RETAINING WALLS are made of concrete

GROUND MOVEMENT support the ground around excavations to prevent movement of adjacent
structures, utilities, and soil(using braces/struts)

GROUND SETTLEMENT

GEO-ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING is an effective barrier to isolate and contain the waste as well as
protecting the surrounding environment and ground water from any associated contamination
(LANDFILL DESIGN) (liners and encapsulation)

SOIL EXPLORATION involves deep boring, field tests, and laboratory tests, for determination of different
properties of soils required for the design of any structures

Leaning tower of Pisa: tower’s tilt began during construction caused by an inadequate foundation on
ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure’s weight; kissing silos: the siloes were
built too close together so that the bulbs of pressure under the footings overlapped so the net results
was tilting, touching, and eventually structural failure; Oroville dam: made of 61,000,000m^3 of
compacted soil

ORGANIZATIONS: PSSMGE; GEOMATE; igs; ASCE; PICE – Geotechnical Engineering; ASEP

Foundations, tunneling, soil exploration

Unsung heroes of civil engineering buried right under your feet