Geotechnics Course

Lesson 1 • Atterberg Limits and Plasticity

Defines liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index for fine-grained soils. Links plasticity to clay mineralogy and engineering behavior.

Lesson 2 • Soil Composition and Phase Relationships

Examines the three-phase soil model of solids, water, and air. Introduces void ratio, porosity, degree of saturation, and unit weight calculations.

Lesson 3 • Soil Origin and Formation

Covers geological processes that produce residual and transported soils. Establishes the link between parent rock, weathering, and resulting soil behavior.

Lesson 4 • Grain Size Analysis and Classification

Teaches sieve and hydrometer testing to determine particle size distribution. Connects gradation curves to soil behavior and classification systems.

Lesson 1 • Standard Penetration Test

Explains SPT procedure, energy correction, and N-value interpretation for soil classification and design. Highlights limitations and correction factors.

Lesson 2 • Geophysical and Groundwater Methods

Introduces seismic refraction, electrical resistivity, and groundwater monitoring techniques. Demonstrates how geophysics complements intrusive investigation.

Lesson 3 • Drilling and Sampling Methods

Describes rotary, percussion, and auger drilling techniques and associated samplers. Addresses sample quality, disturbance, and preservation for laboratory testing.

Lesson 4 • Cone Penetration Test

Presents CPT mechanics, soil behavior type classification, and derived geotechnical parameters. Compares CPT to SPT for different ground conditions.

Lesson 1 • Soil Water States and Capillarity

Distinguishes free, capillary, and adsorbed water in soil pores. Explains capillary rise and its effect on effective stress near the water table.

Lesson 2 • Darcy's Law and Hydraulic Conductivity

Presents Darcy's law as the governing equation for laminar flow in soils. Covers laboratory and field methods for measuring hydraulic conductivity.

Lesson 3 • Drainage and Filter Design

Establishes criteria for granular and geosynthetic filters to prevent internal erosion. Applies filter rules to dam cores, retaining walls, and pavements.

Lesson 1 • Effective Stress Principle

Introduces Terzaghi's effective stress equation and its role in controlling soil strength and volume change. Applies the principle to hydrostatic and seepage conditions.

Lesson 2 • Settlement Calculation Methods

Applies consolidation parameters to compute immediate, primary, and secondary settlements. Compares methods for normally and over-consolidated clays.

Lesson 3 • Secondary Compression and Creep

Distinguishes secondary compression from primary consolidation and quantifies it with the secondary compression index. Addresses long-term settlement in organic soils.

Lesson 4 • One-Dimensional Consolidation Theory

Derives Terzaghi's consolidation equation and defines compression and recompression indices. Establishes the framework for predicting primary settlement.

Lesson 1 • Drained and Undrained Strength

Distinguishes drained and undrained loading scenarios and their governing strength parameters. Applies the concept to short-term and long-term stability problems.

Lesson 2 • Strength of Clays and Soft Soils

Addresses sensitivity, anisotropy, and rate effects on clay shear strength. Introduces vane shear and field methods for soft ground characterization.

Lesson 3 • Strength of Sands and Gravels

Examines dilatancy, relative density, and their influence on friction angle in granular soils. Connects in-situ test results to design friction angles.

Lesson 4 • Laboratory Shear Strength Testing

Covers direct shear, triaxial, and unconfined compression tests for measuring strength parameters. Addresses sample preparation, drainage conditions, and data interpretation.

Lesson 1 • Shallow Foundation Settlement

Combines elastic and consolidation settlement methods for footing design. Addresses differential settlement limits and tolerable movement criteria.

Lesson 2 • Mat and Raft Foundation Design

Covers mat foundation analysis for heavily loaded or variable-soil conditions. Introduces the modulus of subgrade reaction and simplified beam-on-elastic-foundation models.

Lesson 3 • Pile Foundation Types and Capacity

Classifies driven and bored piles and calculates axial capacity from static and dynamic methods. Addresses group effects and negative skin friction.

Lesson 4 • Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations

Applies the general bearing capacity equation to strip, square, and circular footings. Incorporates shape, depth, and inclination factors for realistic conditions.

Lesson 1 • Limit Equilibrium Methods

Applies Fellenius, Bishop, and Janbu methods to compute the factor of safety for circular and non-circular slip surfaces. Compares method assumptions and accuracy.

Lesson 2 • Probabilistic and Numerical Slope Analysis

Introduces reliability-based slope analysis and finite element strength reduction methods. Addresses parameter uncertainty and its effect on design confidence.

Lesson 3 • Slope Stabilization Techniques

Presents drainage, regrading, reinforcement, and structural measures to improve slope safety. Evaluates cost-effectiveness and long-term performance of each method.

Lesson 4 • Stability of Embankments and Cuts

Analyzes end-of-construction and long-term stability of embankments on soft ground and highway cuts. Selects appropriate strength parameters for each scenario.

Lesson 1 • Lateral Earth Pressure Theories

Derives Rankine and Coulomb active and passive pressure distributions for cohesive and cohesionless soils. Addresses wall friction, surcharge, and water pressure effects.

Lesson 2 • Sheet Pile and Soldier Pile Walls

Analyzes cantilever and propped sheet pile walls using free and fixed earth support methods. Introduces soldier pile and lagging systems for temporary excavations.

Lesson 3 • Anchored and Braced Excavations

Covers ground anchor design, braced excavation analysis, and apparent pressure diagrams. Addresses base heave and hydraulic uplift in deep excavations.

Lesson 4 • Gravity and Cantilever Retaining Walls

Checks sliding, overturning, and bearing capacity for gravity and cantilever walls. Covers drainage provisions and backfill selection for wall performance.