Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering

Dr. Braja Das is dean emeritus of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University, Sacramento. He received his M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of several geotechnical engineering texts and reference books as well as more than 300 technical papers in the area of geotechnical engineering. His primary areas of research include shallow foundations, earth anchors and geosynthetics. Dr. Das is a fellow and life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, life member of the American Society for Engineering Education and an emeritus member of the Stabilization of Geomaterials and Recycled Materials of the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council. He has received numerous awards for teaching excellence, including the AMOCO Foundation Award, the AT&T Award for Teaching Excellence from the American Society for Engineering Education, the Ralph Teetor Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Sivakugan received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, with First Class Honors. He earned his MSCE and Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, U.S.A. Dr. Sivakugan’s writings include eight books, 140 refereed international journal papers, 100 refereed international conference papers, and more than 100 consulting reports. As a registered professional engineer of Queensland and a chartered professional engineer, Dr. Sivakugan does substantial consulting work for the geotechnical and mining industry in Australia and overseas, including the World Bank. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Engineers Australia. He has supervised 14 Ph.D. students to completion at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, where he was the Head of Civil Engineering from 2003 to 2014. He is an Associate Editor for three international journals and serves in the editorial boards of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal and the Indian Geotechnical Journal.

• 1. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING – FROM THE BEGINNING.Geotechnical Engineering Prior to the 18th Century. Pre-classical Period of Soil Mechanics (1700–1776). Classical Soil Mechanics – Phase I (1776–1856). Classical Soil Mechanics – Phase II (1856–1910). Modern Soil Mechanics (1910–1927). Geotechnical Engineering after 1927. End of an Era.2. SOIL DEPOSITS – ORIGIN, GRAIN-SIZE, AND SHAPE.Rock Cycle and the Origin of Soil. Soil Deposits--General. Residual Soil. Gravity Transported Soil. Alluvial Deposits. Lacustrine Deposits. Glacial Deposits. Aeolian Soil Deposits. Organic Soil. Soil–Grain Size. Clay Minerals. Specific Gravity (Gs). Mechanical Analysis of Soil. Sieve Analysis. Hydrometer Analysis. Effective Size, Uniformity Coefficient, and Coefficient of Gradation. Grain Shape.3. WEIGHT-VOLUME RELATIONSHIPS AND PLASTICITY.Weight–Volume Relationships. Relationships among Unit Weight, Void Ratio, Moisture Content, and Specific Gravity. Relationships among Unit Weight, Porosity, and Moisture Content. Various Unit Weight Relationships. Relative Density. Consistency of Soil. Activity. Liquidity Index. Plasticity Chart. 4. SOIL CLASSIFICATION.AASHTO Soil Classification System. Unified Classification System (USCS), Visual Identification of Soils. 5. SOIL COMPACTION.Compaction – General Principles. Standard Proctor Test. Factors Affecting Compaction. Modified Proctor Test. Empirical Relationships. Field Compaction. Specifications for Field Compaction. Determination of Field Unit Weight after Compaction. Effect of Compaction on Cohesive Soil Properties. Other Ground Improvement Methods. 6. HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY.Bernoulli's Equation. Darcy's Law. Hydraulic Conductivity. Laboratory Determination of Hydraulic Conductivity. Empirical Relations for Hydraulic Conductivity. Equivalent Hydraulic Conductivity in Stratified Soil. Permeability Test in the Field by Pumping from Wells. 7. SEEPAGE.Laplace's Equation of Continuity. Flow Nets. Seepage Calculation from a Flow Net. Flow Nets in Anisotropic Soil.8. STRESSES IN A SOIL MASS.EFFECTIVE STRESS CONCEPT.Stresses in Saturated Soil without Seepage. Stresses in Saturated Soil with Seepage. Seepage Force. Heaving in Soil Due to Flow around Sheet Piles.VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE DUE TO VARIOUS TYPES OF LOADING.Stress Caused by a Point Load. Vertical Stress Caused by a Line Load. Vertical Stress Below a Uniformly Loaded Circular Area. Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangularly Loaded Area.9. CONSOLIDATION.Fundamentals of Consolidation. One-Dimensional Laboratory Consolidation Test. Void Ratio–Pressure Plots. Normally Consolidated and Overconsolidated Clays. Effect of Disturbance on Void Ratio–Pressure Relationship. Calculation of Settlement from One-Dimensional Primary Consolidation. Compression Index (Cc) and Swell Index (Cs). Settlement from Secondary Consolidation. Time Rate of Consolidation. Coefficient of Consolidation. Calculation of Primary Consolidation Settlement under a Foundation. Skempton–Bjerrum Modification for Consolidation Settlement. Effects of Initial Excess Pore Pressure Distribution of U-Tv Relationship. Construction Time Correction of Consolidation Settlement. 10. SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOIL.Mohr–Coulomb Failure Criteria. Inclination of the Plane of Failure Caused by Shear.LABORATORY DETERMINATION OF SHEAR STRENGTH PARAMETERS.Direct Shear Test. Triaxial Shear Test. Consolidated–Drained Test. Consolidated–Undrained Test. Unconsolidated–Undrained Test. Unconfined Compression Test on Saturated Clay. Selection of Shear Strength Parameters. Sensitivity and Thixotropy of Clay. Anisotropy in Undrained Shear Strength.11. GROUND IMPROVEMENT.CHEMICAL STABILIZATION.Lime Stabilization. Cement Stabilization. Fly–Ash Stabilization.MECHANICAL STABILIZATION. Vibroflotation. Dynamic Compaction. Blasting. Precompression. Sand Drains. 12. SUBSURFACE EXPLORATION.Subsurface Exploration Program. Exploratory Borings in the Field. Procedures for Sampling Soil. Split–Spoon Sampl