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Course Catalog 1998/99


Civil and Mining Engineering

ABG002 Soil Mechanics 6.0 ECTS credits

TIMEPERIOD:
QI

LANGUAGE:English/Swedish

EXAMINER
S Knutsson Univ lekt


PREREQUISITES
Basics in structural mechanics. Forces, stresses, strains, deformations. Elasticity theory and fundamentals in plasticity theory. Principal stresses and shear stresses. Slabs. Beam theory.
Basics in geology. Soils and their formation. Soil description and classification. Different types of rock. Glaciation.

COURSE AIM
To provide a broad introduction to soil mechanics and foundation engineering. Soil behaviour is an important part of the course. After the course, it should be possible for the student to carry out common settlement analysis as well as bearing capacity analysis for a simple foundation. Stability analysis of simple slopes and retaining walls should also be possible to carry out.
The course provides knowledge about laboratory and field testing methods. A number of labs are integrated in the course.

CONTENTS
Nature of soils and classification (15%)
Soil behaviour. Nature of soil. Soil mineralogy. Soil formation and soil deposits. Determination of soil composition and engineering properties. Permeability and capillarity. Soil water and interaction between particles and soil water. Soil fabric.

Stresses in soil (5%)
Mean stress and deviatoric stress. Total stress, pore water pressure and effective stress. Stress increase due to surface loading.

Strength and deformation characteristics of soils (20%)
Relation between stresses and strains in dry and saturated soils. Undrained and drained strength. Consolidation theory. Shear tests and triaxial tests. Oedometer tests.

Bearing capacity of soils (15%)
Bearing capacity of shallow foundations. Inclined loads and effective area.

Settlements (20%)
Classical consolidation theory and calculation of settlements. Time dependency.

Earth pressure (15%)
Active and passive Rankine earth pressures against retaining structures.

Slope stability (10%)
Stability of slopes with a circular slip surface. Undrained and drained behaviour. Stability charts. Improvements of slopes.





TEACHING
Teaching is given in classes, including problem solving and discussions. Six assignments, normallly solved in groups of three students. Labs and one field test lab (one day). The field test comprises of sounding, sampling, CPT-testing, measuring of pore-water pressure, vane-boring. The results from the labs are presented on a video-tape which is handed in and graded in the end of the course.

EXAMINATION
Written exam in the end of the course.
COURSE GRADE SCALE: U, 3, 4 ,5

ITEMS/CREDITS

Project work 2.25ECTS
Laboratory work 1.50ECTS
Written exam 2.25ECTS

COURSE LITTERATURE
Cernica, J.N.: Soil Mechanics, John Wiley & Sons, New York, ISBN 0-471-11149-x,1995
Exempelsamling i jordmateriallära, Avd för geoteknik. Skrift 86:7, HLu.
Formelsamling, Avdelningen för geoteknik, Skrift 86:08, HLu.
Laboratoriehandledning, Avdelningen för geoteknik. Skrift 95:09, HLu.
Exempelsamling i geoteknik, Avdelningen för geoteknik. Skrift 86:10, HLu.

Further information: Sven Knutsson
Valid for school year 1998/99.
Current version this school year:http://www.luth.se/stuka

Web Editor: Karin.Lindholm@dc.luth.se

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LULEÅ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
University Campus, Porsön, 971 87 Luleå. Tel. +46 (0) 920-91 000, fax +46 (0) 920-91 399
Last edited 1998-12-16