CE2405

DEPARTMENT OF
CIVIL
ENGINEERING

Soil Mechanics
THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE

Soil Mechanics

Theory Teachers:
Section A & C
Engr. Omer Altaf
Section B & D
Engr. Azhar Shehzad

Lab Teachers:
Sections A & B
Engr. Asad Sultan
Section C & D
Engr. Rabia Yaseen

Marks Distribution:

Theory : 80 marks
Lab : 20 Marks

Mid Exam : 20
Final Exam : 40
Quizzes: 15
Assignments : 05

Lab Manual
Viva
Quizzes
Lab participation

Objective
To apply laws of mechanics to soils so
that the engineer can design and
construct safe structures on or with
soil.

Course Contents
Introduction: Applications in engineering
practice, types of soils and their formation.
Index properties of soil: Water content, voids
ratio, porosity, degree of saturation, specific
gravity, unit weight and their determination.
Mass-volume relationships.
Soil
Classification:
Importance of soil
classification. Grain size distribution by sieve
analysis and hydrometric analysis, Atterberg's
limits, classification systems.

Course Contents
Geotechnical Investigation: Purpose, phases and scope.
Methods of soil exploration: probing, test trenches/pits, auger
boring, wash boring, rotary drilling. Disturbed and undisturbed
samples. Introduction to Geotechnical report writing.
Permeability and Seepage: Darcy's law, factors affecting
permeability, laboratory and field determination of permeability.
Introduction to flow nets. Estimation of seepage quantity and
gradients.
Stress Distribution in Soils: Geo-static stresses, total stress and
pore pressure, effective stress, capillarity and its effects. Vertical
stresses induced due to structural loads: Boussinesq's theory.
Pressure bulb, Stress distribution diagrams on horizontal and
vertical planes. Induced stress at a point outside the loaded area:
use of influence charts and 2:1 method.

Course Contents
Shear Strength: Concept, parameters,
Coulomb's law, shear strength of cohesive
and non-cohesive soils. Factors affecting shear
strength of soil and its applications in
engineering. Laboratory and field tests for
determination of shear strength.
Compaction: Mechanism, moisture density
relationship, compaction standards, factors
affecting
compaction,
field
control
and
measurements
of
insitu
density.
Field
compaction equipment. Relative density.

Books Recommended
Donald P.Coduto Geotechnical Engineering
(Principles and practices)
Whitlow, R., Basic Soil Mechanics, Longman
Scientific & Technical
Smith, G.N. Elements of Soil Mechanics, Oxford
BSP, Professional Books.
Smith, G.N. Elements of Foundation Design,
Granada Publisher.
Braja M. Das, Principles of Geotechnical
Engineering, 5 edition, Thomson-Engineering
Fundamentals of soil mechanics by M.
Siddique Qureshi & Aziz Akbar (Text book)

Lecture 1:
Introduction

Soil
Soil is an unconsolidated (loose)
agglomerate of minerals with or
without organic matter at or near
the surface of earth crust, with
which and upon which civil
engineers build their structure.

soil mechanics
Soil mechanics is the branch of civil
Engineering technology concerned
with the study of soil and its behavior
under different types of loads
(external
forces,
temperature
changes, moisture variations etc.)
using the principal of engineering
mechanics,
fluid
mechanics,
mechanics of dynamics, thermal
mechanics etc.

Sieve Analysis

Sieve sizes

Sieve no.

mm

4.75

10

2.00

20

0.841

40

0.420

70

0.210

100

0.150

200

0.075

Sizes

gravel is material smaller than 75 mm (3 in.) but

retained on a No. 10 sieve
coarse sand is material passing a No 10 sieve
but retained on a No. 40 sieve; and fine sand is
material passing a No. 40 sieve but retained on a
No. 200 sieve.
Material passing the No. 200 sieve is silt-clay and
is classified based on Atterberg limits.
It should be noted that the division between
gravel and sand is made at a smaller size (No. 10
sieve) in the AASHTO system than in the unified
system (No. 4 sieve).

Clay

Silt

Sand

Gravels

Soil Sizes

Gravels

NEED TO STUDY SOIL MECHANICS

Almost all civil engineering structures

are in contact with soil mass or rock
Foundations of buildings
Embankments
Water structures
As a construction material
Stability of slopes and cuts
Design of roads and airfields

Uses of soil

Supporting material
Raw construction material
As a processed bricks
In pottery industry
Kaolinite is also used as paint, paper
and pharmaceutical industries
Stabilizations of borings (bentonite
slurry)

Soil Formation
All soils initially come from rocks, this is termed
the parent material. The Parent Material may be
directly below the soil, or great distances away if
wind, water or glaciers have transported the soil.
In addition to the soil parent material, soil
formation is also dependent upon other prevailing
processes affecting soil formation. The soil
formation process is termed 'pedogenesis'.
Climatic conditions are important factors affecting
both the form and rate of physical and chemical
weathering of the parent material.

Weathering processes

One important influence on the

formation of soils is weathering.
There are two main categories of
weathering, both having different
effects:
Physical weathering
Chemical weathering

Physical weathering
Freezing and Thawing- here, the expansive
force of water pushes the soil structures apart.
Water expands considerably when frozen and this
expansion literally pushes the soil apart, breaking
it down. When the ice thaws the soil can slump
back again. The overall process is rather like a
very slow 'churning'. Freeze-thawing can literally
grind mountains down over time!
Heating and Cooling- here soils subjected to
extremes of temperature are affected as they
expand and contract. The effect is less
pronounced than that of freezing and thawing but
over time this can become significant.

Physical weathering

Wetting and Drying- soils that are wetted up may

be prone to swelling. Clay minerals in particular exhibit
this property. The soils that have thus expanded then
shrink when the soils dry out. These seasonal effects
are termed shrinkage and swelling. Many household
claims for subsidence are based upon such shrinkage
and swelling of clays under foundations.
Grinding or Rubbing- most obvious on the beach,
grinding of particles against each other leads to
particle disintegration. Thats why beach pebbles
become smooth. Abrasion similarly breaks down the
soil particles.

Physical weathering
Organisms- the effect of organisms, plants and
animals, living in the soil cannot be overstated.
Soil is home for a wide range of organisms. If
plants can push through concrete - soil presents
little obstacle! Worms churn their way through
soil, mixing and aerating it all through their lives
and there can be thousands of worms in a field.
Unloading- when pressure is placed upon soil it
becomes compressed. Imagine the weight of a
glacier! When ice melts a huge weight is lifted
and the soils may react accordingly by uplifting
and expanding.

Chemical weathering
Solution- certain solid components in
the soil can be dissolved in soil water.
Hydrolysis- certain compounds in the
soil can react to elements in the water.
Carbonation- soil compounds can
react with carbonic acid.
Desilication: consists in leaching out
dissolved or colloidal silica freed in the
case of other chemical processes.

Chemical weathering

Hydration- water in the soil can act

to change the chemical structure of
the soil components.
Oxidation- oxygen in the soil can
act to change the chemical structure
of the soil components.
Reduction- a lack of oxygen in the
soil can act to change the chemical
structure of the soil components

Home study: pages 1 to 4 of

the text book

Thank you

Question/Answer
Session