18/08/2023

FOUNDATION
ENGINEERING
Part 1

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

1. Grain Size Distribution
 Coarse-grained soil distribution is determined by means of sieve analysis.
 Fine-grained soil distribution is obtained by Hydrometer analysis.

Hydrometer Analysis
• is based on the principle of sedimentation of soil particles in water.

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Void Ratio, e,
• is the ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of soil solids in a given soil mass..

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Porosity, n,
• is the ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of the soil specimen..

Also;

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
The weight relationships are moisture content, moist unit weight, dry
unit weight, and saturated unit weight, often defined as follows:

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%.

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
The weight relationships are moisture content, moist unit weight, dry
unit weight, and saturated unit weight, often defined as follows:

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%.

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
The weight relationships are moisture content, moist unit weight, dry
unit weight, and saturated unit weight, often defined as follows:

When a soil mass is completely saturated (i.e., all the void volume is occupied by water), the moist unit weight of a soil
becomes the saturated unit weight.

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%.

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
The weight relationships are moisture content, moist unit weight, dry
unit weight, and saturated unit weight, often defined as follows:

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%.

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
General relation of Moist Unit Weight:

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%. w = moisture content

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
General relation of Dry Unit Weight:

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%. e = void ratio

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

2. Weight-Volume Relationship
 Soils are three-phase systems consisting of solid soil particles, water, and air.
 Based on this separation, the volume relationships can then
 be defined.

Degree of Saturation, S,
• is the ratio of the volume of water in the void spaces to the volume of voids, generally
expressed as a percentage.
General relation of Saturated Unit Weight of soil

Note that, for saturated soils, the

degree of saturation is 100%. e = void ratio

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

3. Relative Density
 In granular soils, the degree of compaction in the field can be measured
according to the relative density, defined as

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

4. Atterberg Limits
 Clayey soil mixed with an excessive amount of water may flow like a semiliquid.
 If the soil is gradually dried, it will behave like a plastic, semisolid, or soli material,
depending on its moisture content.
 The moisture content, in percent, at which the soil changes from a liquid to a
plastic state is defined as the liquid limit (LL).
 The moisture content, in percent, at which the soil changes from a plastic to a
semisolid state is defined as the plastic limit (PL).
 The moisture content, in percent, at which the soil changes from a semisolid to a
solid state is defined as the shrinkage limit (SL),
 These limits are referred to as Atterberg limits.

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

5. Hydraulic Conductivity of Soils
 In soil mechanics and foundation engineering, you must know how much water is
flowing through a soil per unit time.
 Darcy (1856) proposed the following equation for calculating the velocity of flow
of water through a soil:

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Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

6. Steady State Seepage
 For most cases of seepage under hydraulic structures, the flow path changes
direction and is not uniform over the entire area.
 In such cases, one of the ways of determining the rate of seepage is by a
graphical construction referred to as the flow net.
 For a steady flow condition, the flow at any point A can be represented by the
equation;

Part 1 – Geotechnical Properties of Soils

6. Steady State Seepage (Flow Nets)

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Part 1 – Problems
1. A soil specimen has a volume of 0.05 m3 and a mass of 87.5 kg. Given: w=15%,
Gs=2.68, determine;
a) Void ratio
b) Porosity
c) Dry unit weight
d) Moist unit weight
e) Degree of saturation

THANK YOU

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