Soil Mechanics

AL6 - English

Dr. Ali Karnib

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 References

Geotechnical Engineering Design by Ming Xiao and Daniel Barreto

(Reference for Chapter 1)

Soil Mechanics Fundamentals by Muni Budhu

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 CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Chapter 4: Bearing Capacity of Soil

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Structure of the Earth

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Geologic map

A geologic map is a special-purpose map that shows the distribution, relationship,

and composition of Earth materials such as rocks and surficial deposits (landslides,
sediments) and shows structural features of the Earth (faults, folded strata).

The most important feature of a geologic map is color. Each standard color
represents a geologic unit. A geologic unit is a volume of rock with identifiable
origin and age range. 5
Chapter 1: Introduction

Geotechnical Subsurface Exploration

Subsurface exploration, also known as

“geotechnical investigation,” usually entails drilling
holes (also known as “boreholes”) in the ground

The scope of a subsurface exploration may include the

following aspects:

• Determination of the subsurface conditions, such as soil strata (depth, thickness, and types of
soils).
• Recovery of soil and rock samples for further laboratory testing.
• Determination of relevant engineering properties (shear strength, compressibility, plasticity,
permeability, expansion and collapse potential, and frost susceptibility).
• Field testing to obtain the in situ properties of the soil or rock.
• Determination of the depth of the groundwater table.
• Identification of the existence of any problematic soils, such as soft or expansive soils.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Ground penetration radar (GPR)

GPR is a non-destructive method for subsurface exploration, groundwater
detection, locating utilities, underground tanks, and sinkholes, and pavement
and infrastructure characterization.

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Chapter 1: Introduction
The geological cross-sections
A geological cross-section is a graphic
representation of the intersection of the
geological bodies in the subsurface with a
vertical plane of a certain orientation. It is a
section of the terrain where the different
types of rocks, their constitution and internal
structure and the geometric relationship
between them are represented. It is an
approximate model of the real distribution of
the rocks in depth, consistent with the
information available on the surface and the
subsurface. It can also represent the
extension of the materials of the structures
that have been eroded above the
topographic surface.

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Chapter 1: Introduction
The geological cross-sections
The cross-sections are an indispensable complement of the geological maps;
maps and cross-sections are fruit of the interpretation of the arrangement of the
rocks using diverse types of data, normally incomplete and with different degrees
of uncertainty. Both are bi-dimensional representations of the geological reality and
jointly allow us to understand the tri-dimensional structure of the rocky volumes
and, in consequence, the geological history of a zone.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Soil formation
Engineering soils are formed from the physical and chemical weathering of rocks.
Soils may also contain organic matter from the decomposition of plants and
animals.

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Particle Types and Soil Textures

Gravel Sand

Silt Clay

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Key points
1. Soils are derived from the weathering of rocks and are broadly described by terms such as
gravels, sands, silts, and clays.
2. Physical weathering causes reduction in size of the parent rock without change in its
composition.
3. Chemical weathering causes reduction in size and chemical composition that differs from
the parent rock.
4. Gravels and sands are coarse-grained soils; silts and clays are fine-grained soils.
5. Coarse-grained soils are composed mainly of quartz.
6. Clays are composed of three main types of minerals: kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite.
7. The clay minerals consist of silica and alumina sheets that are combined to form layers.
The bonds between layers play a very important role in the mechanical behavior of clays.
8. A thin layer of water, called adsorbed water, is bonded to the mineral surfaces of soils.
This layer significantly influences the physical and mechanical characteristics of fine-
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grained soils.
Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Definitions of key terms

Soil phases

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure
Definitions of key terms

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure
Definitions of key terms

Unit weight of solids ?

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure
Phase relationships

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

A wet clay soil and its container weigh 113 gram. After the wet clay soil and its
container was placed in an oven at 110°C for 24 hours, the weight reduced to
91 gram. If the container weighs 23 gram, calculate the water content of the
clay soil.

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

A test was conducted on a sand. The data are as shown below. Calculate the
specific gravity.

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships

Description of coarse-grained soils

based on porosity

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

A container of volume 3146 cm3 weighs 907.185 gram. Dry sand was poured to fill the
container. The container and the sand weigh 5443.11 gram. Calculate (a) the void ratio of
the sand, (b) the porosity of the sand, and (c) describe the packing (loose or dense) of the
soil. Assume that Gs = 2.7.

Solution

e = 0.872

n = 47%,

Sand is medium dense

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

The following results were taken during laboratory tests performed on a saturated soft
clay:
Weight = 331 g
Volume = 185 cm3
Specific gravity of solid particles = 2.67
Using these results, determine the voids ratio, porosity, degree of saturation, the unit
weight and the water content of the soil.

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

The following results were taken during laboratory tests performed on a soil sample:
unit weight = 1.73 t/m3
voids ratio = 0.84
Specific gravity of solid particles = 2.7
Using these results, determine the dry unit weight, the water content of the soil and the
degree of saturation.

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

The following results were taken during laboratory tests performed on a soil sample:
Weight = 67.5 g
Volume = 39.2 cm3
Specific gravity of solid particles = 2.7
The soil sample didn’t loose weight during drying.
Using these results, determine the volume of voids and the unit weight of the soil.

Solution

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Chapter 2: Soil Structure

Phase relationships
Example

A sample of saturated clay and its container weight 1.3 lb. The clay in its
container was placed in an oven for 24 hours at 105°C. The weight reduced to a
constant value of 1.1 lb. The weight of the container is 0.2 lb. If Gs = 2.7,
determine the (a) water content, (b) void ratio, (c) bulk unit weight, (d) dry unit
weight, and (e) effective unit weight.

Solution

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

3.1 Introduction

The distribution of particle sizes or average grain diameter of coarse-grained

soils gravels and sands is obtained by screening a known weight of the soil
through a stack of sieves of progressively finer mesh size. A typical stack of
sieves

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Soil types, descriptions, and average grain sizes.

Soil type Description Grain size, D

Rounded and/or angular bulky hard rock, coarsely
Gravel > 4.75 mm
divided
Sand Rounded and/or angular hard rock, finely divided 0.075 – 4.75 mm
Particle size between clay and sand, nonplastic or very
Silt 0.005 – 0.075 mm
slightly plastic, exhibiting little or no strength when dried
Particles smooth and mostly clay minerals, exhibiting
Clay plasticity and significant strength when dried but < 0.005 mm
reduced in strength by water

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

3.2 Characterization of soils based on particle size

Stack of sieves

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Particle size distribution curves

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Uniformity coefficient, Cu

Well graded: Cu ≥ 4 (gravel content > sand content)

Cu ≥ 6 (sand content > gravel content)

Poorly graded: Cu < 4 (gravel content > sand content)

Cu < 6 (sand content > gravel content)

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

EXAMPLE
A sieve analysis test was conducted using 3500 grams of soil (gravel content
> sand content). The results are as follows.

No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pan
Opening
12.5 5 2 1 0.5 0.2 0.1 -
(mm)
Mass
0 217 868 1095 809 444 39 28
retained (g)

Plot grading curve.

Determine the Uniformity coefficient. Characterise the grading of the soil.

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Solution

Step 1: Set up a table or a spreadsheet to do the calculations.

Total % Passing
Sieve No Opening Retained Passing
Retained (N)
1 12.5 0 0 3500 100
2 5 217 217 3283 94
3 2 868 1085 2415 69
4 1 1095 2180 1320 37.7
5 0.5 809 2989 511 14.6
6 0.2 444 3433 67 1.92
7 0.1 39 3472 28 0.8
Pan 0 28 3500 - -

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Step 2: Plot grading curve

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Solution

Step 3: calculations

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

EXAMPLE
A sieve analysis test was conducted using 650 grams of soil (gravel content <
sand content). The results are as follows.

Plot grading curve.

Determine the Uniformity coefficient. Characterise the grading of the soil.

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Solution

Step 1: Set up a table or a spreadsheet to do the calculations.

Passing

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Chapter 3: Soil Classification

Step 2: Plot grading curve

Step 3: calculations

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