Geotechnical Engineering & Soil Testing PDF

Preface

Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Testing is intended for use in the first of a two-course sequence usually taught to third- and fourth-year civil engineering students. The text introduces students to soil materials as they relate to geotechnical engineering problems. Soil exploration with retrieval of samples permits evaluation of the soil behavior by use of laboratory tests. With preparation of a general picture of the underlying soil conditions at a site (soil profile) and a working knowledge of how soil behaves as a material, civil engineering technology can be applied to the design of foundations, slope stability problems, earth dams, and retaining structures. The design aspects are introduced in the final chapters and are covered extensively in subsequent courses. Students are assumed to have a working knowledge of undergraduate mechanics (statics, mechanics of materials, and fluids). Some knowledge of basic geology is desirable.