ADAMA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TEHCNOLOGY

Department of Civil &Architectural Engineering
Subject: Soil Mechanics-I (CENG-2502) Instructor: Hiyaw Hatiya
Program: Summer (4th year civil) Target Group:
Academic Year: 2010/2011 Prerequisite: Hydraulics I

Course outline

Chapter-1 Introduction
Definitions, origin & formation of soils,
Chapter - 2
Physical Characteristics of Soils:
2.1 Phase Relationships
2.2 Determination of Particle Sizes of Soils
2.3 Determination of index properties, consistency, etc,
2.3.1 Casagrande Cup Method
2.3.2 Plastic Limit Test, liquide limit, Shrinkage Limit
2.4 Soil Classification Schemes
2.4.1 Unified Soil Classification System
2.4.2 AASHTO Soil Classification system
2.4.3 Engineering Use Chart

Chapter - 3
Hydraulic properties of soils:
3.1 Capillarity and surface tension.
3.2 Darcy’s Law
3.3 Permeability
3.4 Flow Parallel to Soil Layers
3.5 Flow Normal to Soil Layers
3.6 Determination of the Coefficient of Permeability k
3.6.1 Constant-Head Test
3.6.2 Falling-Head Test
3.6.3 Field Tests to Determine the Coefficient of Permeability
3.7 Flow Rate, Uplift forces, flow net & seepage analysis, critical hydraulic
gradient & piping.

Chapter - 4
Stresses, Strains, and Elastic Deformations of Soils
4.1 Stress and strain
4.2 Idealized stresses-Strain response and Yielding
4.3 Total and Effective Stresses
4.4 Stresses in soil from surface load
4.4.1 Point Load, Line load, Strip Load
4.4.2 Uniform Loads over regular and irregular area.
Chapter - 5
Compaction of Soil
5.1 Theory of Compaction
5.2 Compaction in the Laboratory
5.3 Field Compaction

Chapter-6
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT OF FINE SOILS
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Primary consolidation
6.3 Over consolidation Ratio
6.4 Calculation of Primary consolidation settlement
6.5 Terzaghi one-Dimensional consolidation theory
6.6. Evaluation of Total Settlement

Laboratory works:
Lab. 1 on chapter two
-Determination of moisture content
-Sieve Analysis
-Atterberg’s Limit (Liquid limit and plastic limit)
Lab.2 on chapter three
- Permeability of soil (Constant and variable head test)
Lab.3 on Chapter 5
- Proctor’s compaction tests
Lab.4 on chapter Seven
- One Dimensional Consolidation

Reference books:
 Murthy: Principles-and-Practices-of-Soil-Mechanics-and-Foundation-
Engineering.
 Mefine Leikum, Basic soil mechanics for Civil Engineers, 1ST ed (1984) AAU
press, Addis Ababa.
 B.M Das, Advanced Soil Mechanics.
 G.N.smith, elements of soil mechanics for Civil and Mining Engineering, 5th
edition.
 K.R Arorra,Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering,1st ed (1997)
 Any related books can be referred

Tentative
Mode of Evaluation
Ass’t & Quiz 10 %
Laboratory 15 %
Mid Exam 25 %
Final Examination 50 %
Total 100 %