GTE-I UNIT-1

LECTURE NOTES-1
INTRODUCTION:
The term ‘soil’ has different connotations for scientists belonging to different
disciplines. The definition given to a soil by an agriculturist or a geologist is different
from the one used by a civil engineer. To an agriculturist soil merely means the top layer
of the earth which is responsible for supporting plant life. Even to a geologist soil is the
thin outer layer of loose sediments within which plant roots are present. A geologist
refers to the rest of the earth's crust as rock. irrespective of how strong or weak the
bonding forces of the sediments are. For a civil engineer. soils mean all naturally
occurring. relatively unconsolidated earth material-organic or inorganic in character-that
lies above the bedrock. According to Terzaghi. soils can be broken down into their
constituent particles relatively easily. such as by agitation in water. On the other hand.
rocks are an agglomeration of mineral particles which are bonded together by strong
molecular forces. Often. this distinction between soils and rocks is not clear-cut. Many a
hard soil can also be termed as soft rock or vice versa. Rocks can be the massive bedrock
or large fragments of gravel. pebbles. etc.. within a soil.
Soil Mechanics is the branch of civil engineering that concerns the application of
the principles of mechanics hydraulics and to a smaller extent. chemistry. to engineering
problems related to soils. The study of the science of soil mechanics equips a civil
engineer with the basis scientific tools needed to understand soil behaviour. This is by no
means suflicient to provide satisfactory solutions to soil problems. The reasons for this
will be clear later.
The materials that constitute the earth’s crust are rather arbitrarily divided by the
civil engineer into two categories, soil and rock. Soil is a natural aggregate of mineral
grains that can be separated by such gentle mechanical means as agitation of water. Rock
on the other hand is a natural aggregate of minerals connected by strong and permanent
cohesive forces. The boundary between soil and rock is rather arbitrary and there are
many natural aggregates of mineral particles that are difficult to classify either as soil or a
rock.
Every structure whether it is a building, a bridge, a dam, and a pavement must be
founded on soil or ledge. From prehistoric times the choice of a satisfactory foundation

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GTE-I UNIT-1

has been one of the first problems in any construction project. Since most of the
structures rest on soil, the role of soil as foundation material and as a construction
material has always been one of the outstanding importance. Understanding of the origin
and past history of a given deposit is often an invaluable aid toward an understanding of
its inherent characteristics.
The beginning of knowledge of soil action undoubtedly extends into prehistoric
period when the experienced artisan first began to devise methods of avoiding difficulties
inherent in unfavorable types of soils. The scientific approach which is being adopted
now is said to be adoption of the attitude that for the best solution of any problem the
fullest possible use must be made of all available knowledge regarding fundamental
phenomena.
Rational design methods that are widely used are based on the principle of choosing each
member so that its strength shall be greater than its stress by a reasonable margin of
safety. Except for simple cases, such studies are statistically indeterminate; their studies
require modulus of elasticity and other stress- strain ratios. A low degree of accuracy is
obtained when the same type of studies are made on imperfectly elastic materials such as
soil. The rational approach to problems in soil engineering is aimed at the best possible
understanding of the action or behavior of soils under all conditions encountered in
engineering problems.
Nearly all soil problems are statically indeterminate to a high degree. Even more
important is the fact that natural soil deposits possess five complicating characteristics.
1. Soil does not possess a linear or unique stress-strain relationship.
2. Soil behavior depends on pressure, time and environment.
3. The soil at every location is essentially different.
4. In nearly all cases the mass of soil involved is underground and cannot be
seen in its entity but must be evolved on the basis of small samples obtained
from isolated locations.
5. Most of the soils are very sensitive to disturbance from sampling and thus the
behavior measured by a laboratory test may be unlike that of the insitu.
These factors combine to make nearly every soil problem unique and for all
practical purposes impossible of an exact solution. Soil mechanic can provide a solution

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GTE-I UNIT-1

to a mathematical model. Because of the nature and variability of soil and because of
unknown boundary conditions, the mathematical model may not represent closely the
actual problem. As construction proceeds and more information become available soil
properties and boundary conditions must be reevaluated and solution to the problem
modified accordingly.

S.S.G.PRASAD CIVIL GMRIT