Course No.

: CE 341
Course Title: Principles of Soil Mechanics
Credit hours: 4.00 Course Type: Theory
Course Type: Compulsory Pre-requisites (if any): CE203
Session/Calendar span: November 2022 (Engg. Geology and Geomorphology)
Course coordinator: Offered to (L/T): L3/T1
Course Teacher(s): Dr. Abu Siddique, Dr. Sarwar Jahan Md Yasin, Dr. Mohammad Shariful Islam

Class Schedule

Sec-A Sec-B Sec-C

Sat (11:00~11:50 am) Sat (9:00~9:50 am)
Prof. Abu Siddique
Sun (9:00~9:50 am)
Sun (10:00~10:50 am) Sun (8:00~8:50 am)
Prof. S J M Yasin Mon (11:00~11:50 am)
Tue (9:00~9:50 am Tue (11:00~11:50 am Tue (12:00~12:50 am
Dr. Mohammad Sat (12:00~12:50 am)
Shariful Islam Mon (9:00~9:50 am) Mon (8:00~8:50 am)

Course Outline:

Introduction to geotechnical engineering; formation, type and identification of soils; soil composition;
soil structure and fabric; index properties of soils; engineering classification of soils; soil compaction;
principles of total and effective stresses; permeability and seepage; stress-strain-strength
characteristics of soils; compressibility and settlement behavior of soils; lateral earth pressure; stress
distribution.

Course Outcomes (COs)

At the end of the course a student should be able to-

CO1 express the concept of formation, composition, structure and fabric and index C2
properties of soils
CO2 characterize, identify and classify different types of soils (visual-manual procedure C4
and engineering classification of soils)
CO3 explain the concept of shear strength of soils and to evaluate undrained shear C2, C5
strength and shear strength parameters (undrained and effective) based on
laboratory tests (unconfined compression test, direct shear tests and different types
of triaxial compression tests) and field test (field vane shear test)
CO4 explain the concept of lateral earth pressure and to evaluate active and lateral earth C2, C5
pressures for designing retaining structures
CO5 explain weight-volume relationships of soil and to determine compaction C2, C5
characteristics of soils and their application in geotechnical design and construction
CO6 estimate seepage and thereby to evaluate stability of hydraulic structures C5
CO7 compute increase in vertical stress distribution below the foundation due to various C3
types of loading.
CO8 estimate the rate and amount of foundation settlement applying the concepts of C5
one-dimensional consolidation theory in geotechnical problems

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Learning Domains Relevant to
development of
mental skill,
acquisition and
application of
knowledge; requires
thinking

Relevant to Feelings,
Attitude, Emotion,
How much learning is expected in Interest, & Valuing
cognitive/ affective/ psychomotor (degree of acceptance
domain in Engineering Program/ or rejection)
Education ?

Cognitive : 70 ~ 80% Relevant to acquiring

Affective : 10 ~ 20% Skills that require
Psychomotor : 10 ~ 20% integration of mental
and muscular /physical
activity/movement of
body parts

Cognitive Domain Learning Taxonomy

6. Create

5. Evaluate

4. Analyze

3. Apply

2. Understand

1. Remember
Revised Bloom’s taxonomy
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Category names : Verb
 Topics No. of classes
Introduction; 3
Basic definitions and relations
soil compaction 3
Principles of total and effective stresses 4
Permeability and seepage 4
Compressibility and settlement behavior of soils 8
Stress distribution 6
Total (Including 2/3 class tests) 28
*

Text Book(s):

1. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering; B.M. Das.

2. Soil Mechanics; M. Palanikumar

Reference Material (book/website):

1. Foundation Engineering; Ralph B. Peck, Walter E. Hanson, Thomas H. Thornburn

2. Physical and Geotechnical Properties of Soils; Joseph E Bowels
3. Geotechnical Engineering – Principles and Practices; Donald P. Coduto
4. Advanced Soil mechanics; B. M. Das
5. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering; S.K. Garg
6. An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering; Robert D. Holtz and William D. Kovacs
7. Soil Mechanics; R. F. Craig
8. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering; V. N. S. Murthy

Soil mechanics, also termed as géotechnique or geotechnics -- one of the younger basic civil engineering
disciplines

developed in the beginning of the 20th century

Along with Rock Mechanics provides the theoretical basis for analysis in geotechnical engineering

1776- Coulomb --published an important treatise on the failure of soils

1856 - Darcy -- published his famous work on the permeability of soils
1857 -Rankine -- published an article on the possible states of stress in soils
1925 - Karl Terzaghi - published in his most noted work Erdbaumechanik
(Introduction to Soil Mechanics, 1943–44).

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Lecture Schedule (Dr. Sarwar J M Yasin)

Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, History of Development of Soil Mechanics, Course

1.
Objectives
Moisture Content, Void Ratio, Porosity, Degree of Saturation, Bulk , Dry, Submerged and Effective Unit
2. Weight, Relationship between Void Ratio & Porosity; Relationship between Degree of Saturation, Void
Ratio, Moisture content and Specific Gravity
3. Air Content, Percent Air Voids and Density Index, Problems on Weight-volume relationships
4. Compactions of Soils and its Specifications
5. Determination of Field Void Ratio and In-place-density of Soil
6. Solving Example Problems
7. 1St Class Test, Permeability of soil, Darcy’s Principle and its limitations
8. Factors affecting coefficient of permeability (k), and its determination in the Laboratory
Limitation of Laboratory determination of k (Cohesionless soil), Indirect method of determining k for
9. cohesive soil and Field Pumping Test for determining Coefficient of Permeability (k)for cohesionless
soil.
10. Principle of Effective stress, Seepage Pressure, Quick Condition
Critical Hydraulic Gradient, Conditions for Quick Sand (Boiling Condition), Materials susceptible for
11.
quick condition
12. Continuity Equation and its graphical interpretations, Flow Nets construction for confined flow problem
Hydraulic force under a structure and safety of Hydraulic structure against Piping. Heaving around sheet
13.
piles on the downstream side.
14. Filter design to mitigate seepage force; Solving Examples Problems
15. 2nd Class Test, Introduction of the concept of 1D-Consolidation
Normally Consolidate (NC) Clay, Over Consolidate (OC) Clay, Over Consolidation Ratio (OCR),
16.
Causes of Over Consolidation
Determination of Preconsolidation Pressure, Consolidation Test Procedure and Step by step procedure
17.
for establishing void ratio vs. Effective pressure from the laboratory test data
Determination of Coefficient of Compression Index (Cc) , Coefficient of Compressibility (av) and
18. Coefficient of Volume compressibility (mv), Settlement computation due to Primary Consolidation,
Example Problems for settlement computation
Construction of Field e-log(p) curve for NC and OC clays and settlement calculation equations for NC
19.
and OC clays and Example problems for settlement calculation
20. Derivation of 1D-Consolidation Equation, Determination of time factor (Tv)
21. Determination Coefficient of Consolidation (cv), Example problems for settlement rate calculation
22. Causes of Secondary Consolidation and Settlement due it. Application of 3D-Consolidation (Sand Drain)
23. 3rd Class Test, Boussinesq’s Theory for Point Loading
24. Stress due to Line Load of Infinite Length, Stress due to Line Load of Finite Length
25. Stress due to Strip area Uniform Pressure and Triangular Pressure
26. Stress due to Embankment Loading and Circular Loading
27. Stress due to Rectangular Loading, Solving Example Problems
28. Stress due to any arbitrary shape of Loading using Newmark’s Influence Chart

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Soil

Uncemented aggregate of mineral grains (solid particles) and decayed organic matter with liquid and gas
in the empty space between the solid particles.

Soil Mechanics & Geotechnical Engineering

A branch of science that deals with physical properties of soil and behaviour of soil masses
subject to various types of forces.

In Geotechnical Engineering the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics are applied for
design of foundations and earth related structures.

When a wet soil mass is examined, it is found to be a skeleton of solid particles of different
shapes and sizes forming voids between them, the voids also being of different shapes and sizes.
Three phase diagram of soil mass

V = Total volume of soil mass

Vs = Volume of solid
Vw = Volume of water
Va = Volume of air
Vv = Volume of void = Va + Vw
W = Total weight of soil mass
Ws = Weight of soil
Ww = Weight of water

V = Vs + Vv = Vs+ Vw + Va

W = W s + Ww

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