CE 3600 - Soil Mechanics

Index to Course Topics

Lecture Notes


Monday, 1/28/2013 Drainage Lab
Thursday, 1/31/2013 Drainage Lab

  1. Introduction
    1. Course Syllabus
    2. Course Information
    3. Homework Policy
    4. Phase Diagrams
    5. A Quick Introduction to Soil Mechanics


  2. The Soil as a Material and a Deposit
    1. Phase Diagrams (Solid, Liquid, Gas)
    2. Description of Solid Phase
      1. Geologic Cycle
      2. Weathering
        1. Physical Weathering
        2. Chemical Weathering
    3. Soil Deposition
      1. Residual
      2. Transportation
  3. Index Properties
    1. Sieve Analysis
    2. Atterberg Limits
  4. Classification
    1. USDA Soil Textural Classification System
    2. The 7th Approximation
    3. The AASHTO Soil Classification System
    4. The Unified Soil Classification System (USC)
  5. Normal Stresses in Soil
    1. Total Stress (Dry Soil)
    2. Effective Stress
      1. Soil usually is saturated
      2. Effective Stress = Total Stress - Water Pressure
      3. Horizontal Effective Stress
        Example Calculation
      4. Factors which change the Effective Stress
        1. Changes in Total Stress
          1. Uniform Surface Load
          2. Concentrated Surface Loads
            1. Point Load
            2. Infinite Strip Load
            3. Circular and Square Loads
            4. Construction Stresses
  6. (Groundwater)
        1. Changes in Water Pressure
          1. One-Dimensional Flow - Groundwater
            1. Definition of Head
            2. Groundwater Regimes
            3. Darcy's Law
            4. Determination of Head Diagrams (Important)
            5. Field Stress Determination (Important)
          2. Two-Dimensional Flow
  7. One-Dimensional Stress and Strain in Soil
    1. Generally Small deformations in Dense to Semi-Dense Sand
    2. Usually significant in Clays, Process Known as Consolidation
      1. Amount of Consolidation
        1. Due to Change in Effective Stress
        2. Determination of e-log p' curve
        3. Example
      2. Rate of Consolidation
        1. Function of Soil, Profile, T-Factor Solution
        2. Effects on Rate of Consolidation
        3. Time Factor Table
        4. Example
      3. Laboratory Consolidation Testing
        1. Normally Consolidated Soil
        2. Determining the Maximum Past Pressure
        3. Over Consolidated Soil
        4. Lightly Overconsolidated Soil
  8. Compaction
    1. Compaction of Fine Grained Soils
    2. Effects on Soil Structure
    3. Compaction of Coarse Grained Soils
    4. Compaction Control
    5. Making Compaction
    6. Other Special Procedures for Making Compaction
    7. Standard Specifications
  9. Shear Strength
    1. Direct Shear
    2. Effects of Density on Strength
    3. Strength of Clay
    4. Ranges of Strength Parameters
    5. Tests for Shear Strength
      1. Lab Tests
        1. Direct Shear
        2. Triaxial Stress Test
        3. Unconfined Compression
      2. Field Tests
        1. Vane Shear
        2. Standard Penetration
        3. Cone Tests
  10. Retaining Walls
    1. Coulomb Analysis
    2. Rankine Analysis
      1. Water
      2. Dry Sand At Rest
      3. At rest, Active, Passive States of Stress
      4. Active Dry Sand
      5. Passive Dry Sand
      6. Active Sand with Phreatic Surface
      7. Location of Resultant
      8. Design of Retaining Walls
  11. Slope Stability
    1. Infinite Slopes
      1. Dry Sand
      2. Submerged Saturated Sand
      3. Flowing Water in Clay
      4. Critical Depth in Clay
      5. Summary of Infinite Slope Failures
    2. Rotational Failures
      1. Method of Slices
  12. Foundations
    1. Bearing Capacity
    2. When you get Down to the Foundations!
    3. Foundation Types
    4. Considerations in Design and Construction