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HISTORY
Karl Von Terzaghi
- October 2, 1883 ‒ October 25, 1963
- Mechanical and geotechnical engineer
- Father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering developed in the 1700s ‒ 1900s as a result of the
theories of the scientist Coulomb, Darcy, and Attenberg, who explained how
soil mechanics work and how water runs through the soil. This theory
influenced Karl Terzaghi to write a book entitled “ Theoretical Soil Mechanics,
“ which aims to better understand the behavior of the soil and give engineers
an idea in this field of what to do to build a strong foundation on the ground.
It also helps geotechnical engineers know or predict how the soil will respond
to environmental hazards.
Geotechnical engineering has played a vital role in human history, from
ancient civilization to modern advancements. By ensuring soil stability and
capacity, for example, the well know Great Wall of China, it was built during
the Han Dynasty. Despite the fact that it has been for a long time, it has not
been damaged due to an effective analysis of the land and a strong long ‒
term basis.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
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Geotechnical engineering is a field of civil engineering that examines the
behavior of soil and rock mechanics in order to solve and come up with
effective solutions to such dangerous situations. It includes the development
of soil and rock types to create the safest and most stable foundation in all
structures that we can use for a long time, such as buildings, roads, bridges,
and other infrastructure projects, as well as the improvement of foundation
design, slope, and soil retention systems. It focuses on the physical and
mechanical qualities of soil, along with the performance of structures that
are affected by environmental factors. Understanding the different types of
soil can help us build a more reliable and secure foundation.
II. APPLICATION OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Geotechnical engineering is a discipline of civil engineering concerned with
the knowledge and management of soil and rock behavior in connection to
construction, excavation, and other civil engineering tasks. It is used in a
variety of applications to ensure the stability, safety, and functionality of
infrastructure and building projects. Here are some significant geotechnical
engineering applications:
FOUNDATION DESIGN
One of the primary applications of geotechnical engineering is in foundation
design. Geotechnical engineers undertake detailed soil studies before any
work begins to analyze the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics
of the soil at the site. These evaluations are critical in developing
foundations that can withstand the enormous weight of buildings, bridges,
and other structures. Engineers ca decide the most appropriate foundation
type by studying the soil’s qualities, whether shallow, deep or specialized
such as pile foundation for high ‒ rise buildings in metropolitan locations.
TYPES OF FOUNDATION
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Shallow Foundation ‒ used when the soil near the surface has sufficient
bearing capacity to support the structure’s load. They are close to the
ground and disperse the load of the building across large area.
Here are the examples of shallow foundations
a. Spread footings ‒ wide, flat slabs of concrete or masonry that distribute
the load from columns or walls to the soil below. They come with various
shapes such as rectangle, square and circular.
b. Mat foundation ‒ also known as Raft foundations, are large continues
slabs that cover a significant portion of the building’s footprint. They
are used for heavy or unevenly distributed loads and are effective in
areas with poor soil.
c. Strip footings ‒ are long, narrow footings that support load ‒ bearing
wall or lines of closely spaced columns.
Deep Foundation ‒ are employed when soil near the surface is inadequate to
support the structure’s loads, or when there is need to transfer the loads to
deeper, more competent soil or rock layers.
Here are the common types of Deep foundations
a. Pile Foundation ‒ are long, slender structural elements (usually made of
concrete, steel or timber) that are driven or drilled into the ground. They
transfer loads through the friction between the pile and the surrounding
soil by bearing on a rock layer.
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b. Drilled Shafts (Caissons) ‒ are deep foundation elements created by
excavating a hole in the ground and filling it with concrete or another
suitable material. They are used both compression and tension loads.
c. Micropiles ‒ are smaller ‒ diameter, high ‒ strength piles typically used in
limited ‒ access or constrained spaces. They are often employed to
retrofit or repair existing foundations.
d. Helical Piers ‒ are screw ‒ like steel elements that are twisted into the
ground to provide support for structures. They are often used for light
structures and in areas with expansive soils.
Specialized Foundation ‒ are designed for specific applications or to address
unique soil conditions and construction challenges.
Here are some examples of Specialized foundation
a. Floating Foundation ‒ used in area with high groundwater tables or
where structure need to float on water’s surface Common in marine and
offshore construction.
b. Tension Piles ‒ designed to resist uplift forces, tension piles are used in
applications such as guyed towers and suspension bridges.
c. Vibro ‒ compaction and Grouting ‒ technique used to improve the
bearing capacity and reduce settlement of loose or compressible soils.
Vibro ‒ compaction involves the soil to densify it, while grouting involves
injecting a stabilizing material into the ground.
d. Underpinning ‒ used to strengthen or repair existing foundations. It
involves excavating under an existing foundation and adding support,
often through deep foundation elements.
e. Diaphragm walls and slurry walls ‒ these primarily used as retaining walls
for deep excavations or to create underground cutoff walls to control
groundwater flow.
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III. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING TEST CATEGORIES
A Geotechnical investigation assesses the ground properties at as site where
building of other construction is planned to establish whether the ground
condition are suitable for the intended land use.
It is achieving by inspecting and testing soils, rock and other materials below the
Earth’s surface, it is a necessity in all building and construction projects and
provides information on the groundwater conditions and other characteristics.
Soil investigation can also reveal potential problems with the soil, which may
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impact the design and construction of the project and allow to accordingly
adjust the budget of the proposed development.
Ground Test, assist geotechnical investigation with the use of geotechnical
drilling rig and other specialized testing equipment.
A geotechnical investigation employs a variety of testing methods, used in the
field to assess the ground condition and retrieve soil and rock samples for
subsequent testing and interpretation.
These Includes:
Test pits and Test Trenches ‒ are excavated on site. The test holes are
commonly up to 3 meter depth and are often dug during the design phase of the
projects, providing engineers the opportunity to assess the soil and rock
conditions to inform on suitable design and construction operation. They are
more cost effective than drilling work for shallow testing, and can help identify
issue early in a project, which will avoid unexpected costs and delays to the
project timeline.
Drilling ‒ Geotechnical drilling requires a drill rig and a drill crew to test, sample,
and inspect the soil and rock to great depths. The resulting borehole can be
equipped with a piezometer to monitor groundwater seasonal fluctuations.
In ‒ situ testing ‒ conducted at ground surface, within shallow test pits and deep
boreholes, or on the collected samples in a specialized soil and rock laboratory.
Testing both in the field and in laboratory, allows a more accurate assessment of
subsurface conditions and subsequent better data analyses and an informed
geotechnical design.
Five Key Geotechnical Test
1. Standard Penetration Test (SPT) - SPT is an in ‒ situ test carried out at
regular interval depths during the drilling of a borehole. Each SPT involves
repeatedly dropping a heavy hammer on a tube sampler that penetrates the
bottom of the borehole. The number of hammer’s blows are recorded to
provide an indication of the ground strength at the base of the borehole and
soil at the base of the borehole is sampled at the same time into the hollow
tube sampler for subsequent inspection and possible time into the hollow
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tube sampler for subsequent inspection and possible laboratory testing, SPT
results are used to determine the soil type and its various characteristics
such as bearing capacity, density and able of shearing resistance.
2. Cone Penetration Test (CPT) ‒ is another in ‒ situ testing technique used to
determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils and is well suited
to delineate soil stratigraphy because it returns a continues soil profile
unlike the SPT that is performed at discrete depths. It is performed by
pushing a specialized cone shaped probe at a constant rate along the soil
profile, using a ballasted rig. Gauges at the tip and along the shaft of the
probe measure the tip and shaft resistance of the soil against the probe. The
covered CPT data are useful to identify soil types and can be correlated to
numerous geotechnical properties. CPT is considered more cost effective
than SPT in suitable ground conditions, although it is a blind test where no
samples are recovered for inspection.
3. Soil Compact Testing ‒ is carried out in field (generally using a nuclear gauge)
and in a geotechnical testing laboratory, to verify that the soil has been
compacted in accordance with the project specifications. Soil compaction is
imply when soil particles are pressed closer to each other, reducing voids
between them. Soil compaction prevents soil settlement and frost damage,
increases ground stability, reduces soil permeability, and mitigates
undesirable settlement of structures. In the construction of earth
structures such as dams, paved roadways and for construction projects that
rely on the stability of embankments, soil compaction is used to increased
soil strength.
4. Rock Testing ‒ determines the strength of rock is used to set design
parameters for new developments such as tunnels, an excavation for a deep
basement, or a cutting for a road or railway. Laboratory tests can inform on
the following properties of rock: Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio,
unconfined compressive strength, point load strength index, rock tensile
strength, slake durability, moisture content and resistance to salt attack.
5. Concrete Testing ‒ Is used as a quality indicator to measure factors such as
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strength, consistency, unit weight, air content and temperature and confirm
how it compare to standard concrete specification. Performed in a
laboratory, it ensures that the concrete of suitable quality is placed at the
site so that concrete structural members of targeted strength are obtained.
Concrete testing is used in various applications, including pavements, bridges,
drainage culverts and headwalls, industrial, commercial, and residential
buildings, precast walls, retaining walls and driveways.
IV. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER EQUIPMENT / TOOLS
Geotechnical equipment is generally employed by geotechnical engineers to
study the structure and form of earth materials. This can help in the planning
and construction of building foundations, designing earth works and
constructing origins. Some of the most common types of geotechnical
equipment are drillings rigs, surveying equipment, inclinometers, data loggers
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and computer programs.
Geotechnical engineering is a branch of civil engineering that deals with the
behavior and properties of soil and rock. It involves investigating, testing,
designing and constructing foundations, slopes, retaining walls, tunnels, dams
and other earthworks. To perform these tasks, geotechnical engineers need a
variety of tools for fieldwork and lab work. In this article, we will discuss some
of the most common and essential tools for geotechnical projects.
When constructing a building or a setting up an oilrig, many careful
consideration have to be made concerning how the edifice will fit in the Earth.
Geotechnical engineers usually perform these planning and designing tasks,
trying to determine the most safe and practical means to integrate the building
and earthly materials. Some of the potential problems geotechnical engineers
must be aware of are landslides, earthquakes and sinkholes. For these reasons,
there are various types of geotechnical equipment used in the engineering
process to help achieve the best results.
There are many types of drills and drilling rigs that are used in geotechnical
engineering to excavate and burrow into the ground. This can be done for many
reasons, such as laying foundations, collecting samples and compiling date on
geoformation. Some drills are specifically designed for underground drilling,
while others are intended for surface drilling. These can feature specialized
equipment, like diamond digging implements to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Five Types of Geotechnical Equipment
1. Drilling rigs ‒ An equipment used to drill a wellbore. Major components of
the drilling rig include the mud tanks and pumps, the derrick, the draw works,
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the rotary table, the drill string, the power generation equipment and
auxiliary equipment.
2. Surveying equipment ‒ The main pieces of surveying equipment in use
around the world are the following: theodolite, measuring tape, total
station, 3D scanners, GPS/GNSS, level and rod. Most survey instruments
screw onto a tripod when in use. Analog or digital tape measures are often
used for measurement of smaller distances.
3. Inclinometers ‒ Used for monitoring volcanoes, or for measuring the depths
and rate of landslides movement. Measuring movements in walls or the
ground in civil engineering projects. Determining the dip of beds or strata,
or he slope of an embankment or cutting; a kind of plumb level.
4. Data loggers ‒ are electronic devices which automatically monitor and
record environmental parameters over time, allowing conditions to be
measured, documented, analyzed and validated.
5. Computer programs ‒ refers to specialized computer programs or
application designed to assist geotechnical engineers in analyzing, designing
and modeling geotechnical structures and subsurface conditions.
The equipment and machinery used by geotechnical engineers and soil
technicians to asses proposed construction sites (and materials) is pivotal in
helping to determine the suitability for infrastructure and buildings on
those sites. We take pride in using cutting edge technology to help us deliver
quality service for our people.
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V. INVOLVED AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT
Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM)
Kawanihan ng Pamamahala sa lupa at tubig is an agency of the Philippine
government under the Department of Agriculture responsible for advising and
rendering assistance on matters to the utilization of soils and water as vital
agricultural resources. The main objective of soil and water conservation are to
obtain the maximum sustained level of production from a given area of land by
preventing soil designation and environmental pollution.
Philippine institute of Civil Engineers (PICC)
PICC is a professional organization for Civil Engineers in the Philippines. It was
formed by merging two separate organizations of civil engineers: one group
working from government sector and the second group working in the private
sector.
Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH)
As the primary engineering and construction arm of the government, the DPWH
is responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of
national highways, major flood control systems and other public works.
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VI. SUMMARY
Geotechnical engineering is important because it helps prevent complications
before they happen. Without the advanced calculations and testing provided by
a geotech, buildings could see significant damage after an earthquake, slope
stability shifting, ongoing settlement, or other effects.
Geotechnical engineers should be brought on during the early planning stages of
any construction projects. Doing so will help ward off potential hazards or
problems later during of even long after construction. Good developers and
contractor know: It’s best to gain the expertise and advice only a geotech can
provide from exploration through construction.
In addition to ensuring your construction plans are feasible, a geotechnical
engineer can guide you on water mitigation, building placement, and how
surroundings structure such as walkways and parking lots will affect your
project. All in all, the importance of geotechnical engineering comes down to
planning and reduction of risk pertaining to the development and long ‒ term
investment of the projects.
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