CIV2401 Geomechanics

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

.

SYNOPSIS

All engineers working with soils must understand the range of techniques available for determining their physical and mechanical properties. In this course, students will be introduced to the basic concepts of soil mechanics that are widely used in the design of Geotechnical engineering problems such as flow nets, soil consolidation, and shear strength of soils. The emphasis throughout the course is placed on a practical understanding of these topics.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On completion of this course, students should be able to:

1.

explain the nature of soils, physical and plastic properties, compaction and laboratory measurement techniques; (Assignments 1 and 2; 2 Hour Open Examination)

2.

describe the concept of effective and total stresses in saturated soils; (Assignments 1 and 2; 2 Hour Open Examination)

3.

apply Darcy's Law to simple soil structures and find permeability characteristics from the provided test data; (Assignments 1 and 2; 2 Hour Open Examination)

4.

employ the procedures involved in constructing flow nets to solve specific problems; (Assignments 1 and 2; 2 Hour Open Examination)

5.

explain the elastic behaviour of soils; calculate the stress distribution due to external loads, and employ influence charts for calculating vertical pressures; (2 Hour Open Examination)

6.

calculate the consolidation settlement under a single footing using the concept of one dimensional consolidation theory; (2 Hour Open Examination)

7.

calculate elastic settlement under a variety of external loading systems; (2 Hour Open Examination)

8.

describe the general concept of shear in soil; discuss the Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria and determine the shear strength parameters via laboratory test results; (2 Hour Open Examination)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Das, BM 2006, Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 6th edn, Brooks/Cole, Nelson, Canada.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Budhu, M 2000, Soil Mechanics and Foundations, Wiley, New York.

Coduto, DP 1999, Geotechnical Engineering - Principles and Practices, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Craig, RF 2004, Craig's Soil Mechanics, 7th edn, Spon Press, London.

McCarthy, DF 2006, Essentials of Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 7th edn, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Powrie, W 2004, Soil Mechanics: Concepts and Applications, 2nd edn, Spon Press, New York.

Whitlow, R 2001, Basic Soil Mechanics, 4th edn, Pearson/Prentice Hall, Harlow.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Student Administration will advise students of the dates of their examinations during the semester.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances then a penalty of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late up to a maximum of ten working days at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade in a course a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   In an Open Examination, candidates may have access to any material during the examination except the following: electronic communication devices, bulky materials, devices requiring mains power and material likely to disturb other students.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the examination period at the end of the semester of the next offering of this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.