CE 524 L

Geotechnical Investigations
and
Foundation Design

Prof. A. Murali Krishna

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati
[email protected]

Geotechnical Engineering
 A sub-discipline of civil engineering that deals with
natural materials found close to the surface of the earth
(soil, rock and underground water) and their relation to
design, construction and operation of engineering
projects
 It includes the application of the principles of soil mechanics
and rock mechanics to the design of foundations, retaining
structures, and earth structures.
 Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963) Quotes
 “Unfortunately, soils are made by nature and not by man, and the products
of nature are always complex… As soon as we pass from steel and concrete
to earth, the omnipotence of theory ceases to exist. Natural soil is never
uniform. Its properties change from point to point while our knowledge of
its properties are limited to those few spots at which the samples
have been collected. In soil mechanics the accuracy of computed results
never exceeds that of a crude estimate, and the principal function of
theory consists in teaching us what and how to observe in the field.”
 “Soil Mechanics arrived at the borderline between science and art. I use
the term “art” to indicate mental processes leading to satisfactory results
without the assistance of step-for-step logical reasoning…To acquire
competence in the field of earthwork engineering one must live with the soil.
One must love it and observe its performance not only in the laboratory but also in
the field, to become familiar with those of its manifold properties that are
not disclosed by boring records…”

Examples of geotechnical engineering construction

John Atkinson (2007) The mechanics of soils and foundations

Hayward Baker 2014 Calendar Illustration
Geotechnical Engineering Applications
 Foundations
 Shallow foundations
 Deep Foundations
 Retaining Walls
 Earth or Concrete Dams
 Earthworks
 Sheet Piles
 Landslides
 Shoring
 Tunneling
 Ground Improvement…
 Environmental Geomechanics
 Instrumentation …

Foundations
 Shallow foundations
 Spread footings
 Mat (Raft) foundations
 Deep foundations
 Pre fabricated piles
 Drilled shafts

 Combined Pile-Raft Foundation (CPRF)

 combines the bearing effect of both foundation elements raft
and piles by taking into account interactions between the
foundation elements and the subsoil
 World’s Tallest Buildings

https://imgur.com/gallery/EuRaN5U
Rock Engineering – Geology and Geotechnology
interface
 Large number of power and transport tunnel projects
 Encounters different types of rocks
 Different types of rocks different problems
 The main areas of concern regarding tunnel stability are
 the existence of weak, highly deformable and anisotropic rock
mass and high degree of weathering and fracturing
 Discontinuities play decisive role in the behaviour of rock mass

Chenab Bridge

An under-construction rail bridge

located between Bakkal and Kauri in the
Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K), India
1,315m-long bridge at a height of 359m.
Once completed, it will be the tallest rail
bridge in the world.
 JAMMU-UDHAMPUR-SRINAGAR-BARAMULLA RAIL LINK PROJECT
L-3 IN PROGRESS
QAZIGUND-BARAMULLA SECTION
EXECUTING AGENCY M/S. IRCON
BARAMULLA
J JHELUM RIVER 1) Length 173-292 i.e. 119 km
KM 292.5
RL 1574 2) Exp./Cost 1594.65/2155 Cr
NH 1-A
3) Land acquired / involved
i) Area 15122/15122 Kanal
KAKAPORE
BADGAM KM. 222.40 ii) Villages 130/130 Nos.
KM.244.75 4) Physical Progress 82%
SRINAGAR
RAJWANSHER KM.233.9
RL 1587 5) Target a) Feb’2007(RAJWIAN-KAKA)
b) ’Dec 2007
PIR PANJAL MOUNTAINS

ANANTNAG
KM. 191.9
L-1 IN PROGRESS RL 1601

UDHAMPUR-KATRA SECTION
QAZIGUND
EXECUTING AGENCY – N.RLY. PIRPANJAL KM.172.8
Km. L-2 IN PROGRES
RL 1734
1) LENGTH 30Kms.
164 KATRA-QAZIGUND SECTION
CHENAB RIVER 1) Length 30-173 Kms. i.e. 143 kms.
a) 0-25Kms. i.e. 25 kms.
b) 25-30Kms. i.e. 5 kms. LAOLE a) KRCL 30-123 Kms. i.e.93 kms.
120 b) IRCON 123-173 kms. i.e.50 kms.
2) EXP. 2) Exp./ Cost
a) 562/540Crs.
b) 57/ 83 Cr a) 530/6106 Cr
SALAL
KATRA b) 510.22/2026 Cr
3) PROGRESS Km. KM.25/200 3) Progress :- 11 %
a) 0-25 –91.4% 30 RL 812 a) & b) Survey done in full length.
b) 25-30 – 62% Km 0/00
UDHAMPUR
4) Target Financial Year 2008-09
4) TARGET NH 1-A
KM 54/850
a) Feb’ 2007 RL 660
b) 2007-08 TAWI RIVER
L-0 COMPLETED
Pir Panjal (or T-80) is
LEGEND

COMPLETED
JAMMU-UDHAMPUR SECTION
EXECUTING AGENCY – N.RLY.
India's longest
RAIL BAJALTA 1) LENGTH
2) EXP/Cost
54.85 Kms.
512.39/520 Crs.
JAMMU TAWI
transportation railway
ROAD
KM.0/00 3) PHYSICAL PROGRESS
RIVER
RL 370 a) All works completed & commissioned
tunnel at 10.96km.
MOUNTAIN
b) The section has been taken over by open line.

Typical Geotechnical Project

Geo-Laboratory Design Office

soil properties ~ for design & analysis
~ for testing

14

construction site
Soil Testing
 Site investigation
 Laboratory testing
 Field testing

Triaxial Test on Soil Sample in Laboratory

Vane Shear Standard

Test Penetration Test

Types of Laboratory Tests

 Classification tests
 Moisture content; Density; Atterberg limits; Particle size distribution
 Chemical Tests
 pH, sulphate, chloride, carbonate; Organic content and mass loss on
ignition
 Compaction Tests
 Density/moisture content relationships ; California bearing ratio
(CBR); Maximum/minimum density
 Shear strength and triaxial tests
 Shear Box; Laboratory vane shear; Triaxial tests; Ring shear for
residual strength
 Consolidation Tests
 1D consolidation, Triaxial consolidation; Hydraulic cells (Rowe);
Swelling tests
 Permeability Tests
 Constant head; Falling head; Triaxial permeability 16

 Specialist Tests ; Contamination Tests

 Instrumentation
 Instrumentation is a popular method to verify the
theories, assumptions, construction methods etc.
 To monitor the performances of earth and earth supported
structures
 To measure loads, pressures, deformations, strains,…

CE 524L Geotechnical Investigations and

Foundation Design (3-0-0-3)
 Geotechnical Investigations:
 Site Investigation: stages of site investigation, codal provisions; Drilling methods
in soils and rocks; Sampling techniques in soils and rocks;
 Laboratory tests and interpretation;
 Field tests: SPT, DCPT, SCPT, in-situ vane shear test, pressuremeter test,
dilatometer test; Geophysical methods;
 Foundation Design:
 Shallow Foundations: types, design considerations, codal provisions; Bearing
capacity of soils and rocks from field and laboratory tests, total and differential
settlements;
 Pile foundations: types of piles, construction methods, codal provisions; Axial
capacity of single pile and pile groups; Settlement of single piles and pile groups;
Uplift capacity, lateral load capacity, and negative skin friction of piles and pile
groups.
Course Objective
 Describe different methods of subsoil investigation,
drilling, and sample collection in soils and rock deposits.
 Describe the applications of the principles of soil
mechanics to analyse and design shallow and deep
foundations.
 Upon completion of this course, the student will be able
to
 Plan an appropriate geotechnical investigation program
 Design of a suitable foundation for different loading conditions
including compressive, uplift and lateral forces.

 Text book(s):
 Bowles J, Foundation Analysis and Design, McGrawHill (2008).
 Clayton R, Mathews C M and Simons N E, Site Investigation, Wiley Blacwell (1995).
 References
 Murthy V N S, Advanced Foundation Engineering, CBS Publishers (2007).
 Salgado R, The Engineering of Foundations, McGraw-Hill Education (2006).
 Tomlinson M and Woodward J, Pile Design and Construction Practice, Taylors & Francis (2008).
 Dunnicliff, J. and Green, G. E, Geotechnical Instrumentation for Monitoring Field Performance , John Wiley
& Sons, 1982.
 Kurian N P, Design of Foundation Systems - Principles and Practices, Narosa Publishing House (1994).
 Lunne, T., Robertson, P. K. and Powell, J. J. M, Cone Penetration Testing in Geotechnical Practice, Blackie
Academic & Professional, 1997.
 Ameratunga, J., Sivakugan, N. and Das, B. M. (2016). Correlations of Soil and Rock Properties in
Geotechnical Engineering. in Geotechnical Engineering. Developments in Geotechnical Engineering.
Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2629-1
 Peck, R. B., Hanson, W. E. and Thornburn, T. H.,Foundation Engineering, Wiley Eastern Ltd., 2nd
Edn., 1980.
 Day. R W., Forensic Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering, Second Edition McGraw-Hill, (2011).
https://www.accessengineeringlibrary.com/content/book/9780071761338
• Indian Standard Codes of Practice
• Manuals and Journal publications…
https://www.amazon.in/Foundation-Analysis- Download available at
Design-Joseph-Bowles/dp/1259061035
http://geotechnique.info

Pre-knowledge
 Geology
 Soil Mechanics
 Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering

 Holtz, R. D. Kovacs, W. D. and Sheahan, T. C. An Introduction to Geotechnical

Engineering, Second edition, Pearson, 2013.
 Lambe T W and Whitman R V, Soil Mechanics SI Version, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd.
(2008).
 Coduto, D. P., Yeung, M. C. and Kitch, W. A, Geotechnical engineering: principles and
practices, New Delhi : PHI, 2011
 Budhu, M. Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 2e, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd., 2008
 Terzaghi, K., Peck R. B. and Mesri, G. Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice, John Wiley
& Sons, 1996.
 Handy, R L and Spangler, M G, Geotechnical Engineering: Soil and Foundation Principles and
Practice, McGraw-Hill Education (2007).
Evaluation Scheme
 Mid sem - 30%
 Assignments – 20%
 Class tests/Term project – 10%
 End sem exam – 40%