Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering

Course code -Title CE331 Geotechnical Engineering Principles (4-0-3) Credits 4

Text Book • Holtz and Kovacs,” An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering”(1981), Prentice-J

• L. Briaud, “Unsaturated and Saturated Soils” (2013), Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken,
New Jersey.
• Hall
Instructor: Dr. Ahmed M. Taha
Group: GA
Office: Engineering: G-35
Phone / Email amtaha@taibahu.edu.sa
Office Hours Sunday:9:30 – 10:30, Monday: 10:45-11:45, Tuseday:10:00-11:00.

Course Meeting Sunday, Wednesday  10.30 – 11.45 AM, Building B16, Room G33
2 sessions weekly
Lab: Tuesday, Wednesday  2:00-4:30 PM Building B16, Soil Lab , Or Amanah Lab
1 session bi weekly
Tutorials: Tuesday, Wednesday  2:00-4:30 PM Building B16, Room G56
1 session bi weekly
 Course Outline Weeks#

1 Introduction to Soil formation and identification. 1

2 Basic characteristics of soils : Index and classification properties of soils and clay minerals. 2
3 Seepage: Flow equation, Flow net construction, Seepage forces, Effictive stress in 3-4
saturated and unsaturated soils. Influence of seepage on effective stresses.

4 Elastic theory: Stresses and displacement. 5-6

5 Volume change: 1-D Consolidation theory, compressibility, and consolidation settlement. 7-8
6 Shear strength: Stress-strain characteristics, Failure theory, Moher-Coulomb concepts, 9-11
Stress paths, Laboratory techniques, Shear strength of cohesive and cohesionless soils.

7 Compaction 12-13
8 Site investigation Methods 14
Grading Policy:
1 Final Exam : 40% of Total Marks
2 One Mid-Terms exam 20%
3 11 Quizzes :20%
4
Tutorials: 10%
5
Lab reports: 10%
Reading Assignment
• Read Chapter 1 in the text book
• Read Ch1 in the class notes
Basic characteristic of soils
Soil particles formation
Soils are created by the exposure of rocks
to the weather:
• Physical weathering: wetting draying,
thermal, frost shattering → retain the
same composition.
• Chemical weathering: action of water
result in solution, oxidation,
hydrolysis→ changes the mineral form.
Soil particles are made from different
minerals : quartz and montmorillonite
• Course Grained : stable minerals :
quartz
• Fine Grained : Less stable :
montmorillonite
Soil particles formation
• Physical weathering: wetting
draying, thermal, frost shattering.
• Physical weathering result:
- Bulky particles
- Each particle in direct contact with
adjacent particles without bonding

Figure 1.1: Single grin structure,

Craig’s Soil Mechanics
Soil particles formation
Chemical weathering: results in the
formation of groups of crystalline
par cles of colloidal size ˂ 0.002
mm known as : Clay minerals.
-Most clay minerals are of Plate like
form having high specific area

The basic structural units of most

clay minerals are:
 silicon–oxygen tetrahedron
 aluminium–hydroxyl octahedron Figure 1.1: Clay minerals, Craig’s Soil Mechanics
Rocks formation
The Earth crust is 95% silica
Rock :The solid material forming the outer
crust of the earth.
Three major groups of rocks by its origin:
• Igneous rocks: cooled from a molten
state (from magma);
• Sedimentary rocks: deposited from fluid
medium; e.g., products of weathering of
other rocks in water; and recemented.
• Metamorphic rocks: formed from pre-
existing rocks by the action of heat and
pressure.
Grain size distribution
Grain size distribution
affect the mechanical
properties of soils.
Soils are classified
according to its grain
size distribution and
plasticity “Atterberg
limits”.
Relative Soil Particles sizes
 Grain size distribution

the distribution of the grain sizes and is the most important feature of soil.
Grain sizes are given names: the (ASTM D 2487-98) Guidelines:
Clay Silt Sand Gravel
C M S G
Fine Medium Course Fine Medium Course Fine Medium Course

0.002 mm 0.074 mm 4.76 mm 7.66 cm

Cohesive ,
water affect Course grained soils
its behavior so Fine grained soils
much Not seen by naked eye Can be seen be naked eye
Water can travel quickly through pores
Water can travel slowly through
pores Cohesionless, water does not affect behavior so much
Sieve analysis
• Used to determine the
% distribution of
different particle sizes
• According to the sieve
openings
J. L. Briaud, “Unsaturated and Saturated Soils” (2013), Wiley &
Sons, Inc., Hobken, New Jersey.
30
Cu=3.5/0.01= 350

J. L. Briaud, “Unsaturated and Saturated Soils” (2013), Wiley &

Sons, Inc., Hobken, New Jersey.
Cu = = 300
Cc = =3
Diameter=0.5-3
10%
Diameter=2-10
%20

Diameter=0.12-0.5
%35
 Pan sum
Sieve opining (mm) 9.5 4.75 2 0.417 0.147 0.074
Wt retained 0 9.4 16.5 51.9 24.8 8.3 7.1 118
Comulative Passing wt 118 108.6 92.1 40.2 15.4 7.1 0
% finer 100.00 92.03 78.05 34.07 13.05 6.02 0
Atterberg limits
- Liquid Limit : Water content at
which the soil flows like liquid .
Shear strength is very small 2
kPa.
- Plastic limit Water content at
which the soil becomes brittle
and crumbles. Shear strength
around 200 kPa.
- Plasticity index : Ip=WL-Wp
- It is the range of water content over
which the soil behaves plastic.
Atterberg limits
- Shrinkage Limit : Water
content that is just sufficient
to fill voids when the soil is at
minimum dry volume.
 Is the grouping of soil into groups and subgroups each
having similar characteristics and potentially similar
behavior
 Objective: Establish a set of conditions to allow for
useful comparisons between different soils
 Criteria: Size distribution , plasticity
Greater than #4 is less than ½ of the sample
Most of the sample is less than #4
Most of the sample is sand
Course grained soils
5%˂ (%˂ #200) ˂ 12
- Border line soils have a dual
symbol
- Such as : SP-SM or CP-CM
- The first part describe
gradation : well graded or
poorly graded
- Second part describe the
nature of fines: silts or clays.
- Above A-Line with LL˃ 50% CH - Below A-Line with LL ˃ 50% MH or OH
- Above A line with LL˂ 50% CL - Below A-line with LL˂ 50% ML or OL
 Use of plasticity chart for fine grained soil distribution

(CL) (CH)
Clay of Low Clay of high
plasticity plasticity

(MH) Silt of high plasticity

(OH) Organic soil of high
plasticity

(ML) Silt of Low plasticity

(OL) Organic soil of Low
plasticity
 Organic Soils
Organic Soils: The decomposition of plants and animals
The presence of organics in soils is, Generally, associated
with:
 high compressibility,
 significant secondary compression,
 unsatisfactory strength characteristics, and low unit
weight.
How to classify organic soil : Simply:
As outlined in ASTM D2487, the Unified Soil Classification
System (USCS) classifies silts and clays as organic based on
the difference in the liquid limit measured before and after
oven drying the soil. If LLoven dried/LLair dried <0.75, it is
expected that the engineering properties will be affected by
the organic content; thus, clays and silts in this category are
termed organic
Report by School of Civil Engineering Purdue University Joint Transportation Research Program Project No. C-36-36TT