EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Organisation of the Module:

Duration:One Term

Teaching and Learning on EG6022 includes:

Lectures: Throughout Term

Tutorials:Include Tutorial Worksheets to support learning
Coursework: Allows students to apply their knowledge, in
particular using computer software for design
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Assessment:

Coursework Portfolio 3000 word portfolio comprising a

detailed design report

100% of total mark

EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Main Topics of Study:

• Theme 1:   Foundations (Foundation design philosophy and bearing

capacity theories, Introduction to Eurocode 7, ULS and SLS design for
shallow and deep foundations, Settlement of shallow foundations) 

• Theme 2:   Retaining Structures (Lateral earth pressure

theories, design of gravity and cantilever walls) 

• Theme 3:   Slope Stability and Stabilisation (Analysis and design of soil

slopes, computer-aided analysis and design, Slope stabilisation
concepts and conceptual design, temporary works)   
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Some Suggested Reading – Core:

• Smith, I. (2021) Smith’s Elements of Soil Mechanics. 10th edn.

Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.

• Knappett, J. and Craig, R. F. (2019) Craig’s Soil Mechanics. 9th

edn. London: CRC Press.

• Atkinson, J. H. (2007) The mechanics of soils and foundations. 2nd

edn. London: Routledge.

• EG6022 Teaching Materials

EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Some Suggested Reading – Recommended:

• Bond, A. and Harris, A. (2008) Decoding Eurocode 7. London: CRC

Press.

• Fleming, K. Weltman, A. Randolph, M and K. Elson (2008) Piling

engineering. 3rd Edition. London: CRC Press.

• Driscoll, R., Scott, P. and Powell, J. (2008) EC7 – Implications for

UK practice Eurocode 7 geotechnical design (CIRIA report C641).
London: CIRIA.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

The Purpose of this Module

The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to geotechnical

design. This will require that some background material will need to be
covered before moving on to look at how this can be utilised in the
design process.

Some of this background material will have been covered on previous

Modules, so there will be an element of revision and refreshment of
students’ knowledge.

Having covered this background material the Module will the look at
some aspects of specific cases of geotechnical design. Such design
covers a variety of structures and structural interactions.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Design Cases Covered in this Module:

Shallow Foundations
The simplest foundation solution will be a shallow foundation which is typically
constructed by excavating to shallow depth and filling the excavation with concrete.

Deep Foundations – Piles

Piles are used where the near-surface soils are weak and effectively comprise long
buried columnar structures which transmit structural loads to stronger soil layers at
depth.

Retaining Structures
Retaining structures are needed whenever there is a change of level between adjacent
areas of ground and available space is limited.

Design of Slopes
Where ground levels change and there are no limitations on available space these
changes can be accommodated by re-profiling the ground surface.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Soils as Engineering Materials

Soils are fundamentally different from other engineering materials in

that they are not produced under controlled conditions; when dealing
with soils the Engineer has to a large extent accept whatever is present
in the ground.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Soils as Engineering Materials

Engineering design must be carried out in order to prevent failure
occurring in the soil. This is similar to design for other engineering
materials, but a number of specific factors must be taken into account:
1. The soil acts as an extended mass of material in order to carry applied
loads.
2. Soil generally fails in shear.
3. The strength of a soil mass varies with location, sometimes very
significantly.
4. A soil is composed of a number of different phases. In particular, the
influence of groundwater is exceptionally important
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

What is Shear ?

Put simply:

Shear is an action which promotes a tendency for two

surfaces to move over each other
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

When Does Shear occur in Soils ?

Looking at a cubic block of soil at some depth in any soil mass, due to
the surrounding soil there will be a vertical stress acting on the upper
surface of this element and also a horizontal stress acting on the
vertical sides of the element.

In practice this will occur in three dimensions (a triaxial stress system),

but we often simplify this to two dimensions, as shown on the following
slide.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Would there be expected to be any shear forces acting in a simple

case where the vertical and horizontal stresses are equal as shown?
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

When Does Shear occur in Soils ?

It turns out that where the vertical and horizontal stresses acting on the
soil element are equal, there is no shear.

Any tendency for the element to distort due to the stresses will be
equal in all directions and therefore there will not be any tendency for
elements of soil to slide over each other. Rather, there will only be a
tendency for the element to compress.

Now, if the vertical and horizontal stresses are different, this changes
the situation:
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Where the vertical stress is greater than the horizontal stress, the soil
element will tend to distort by shortening and expanding horizontally. In
order for this to happen, movement will have to occur along planes in
the element – this is shear.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

When Does Shear occur in Soils ?

It turns out the shear in soils occurs due to differences in vertical and
horizontal stresses and consequently these are very important in
geotechnical engineering.

To be a little bit more precise, if a soil mass is initially in equilibrium, we

are usually interested in changes in vertical and horizonal stresses,
because it is these changes which will cause changes in equilibrium
and cause the soil to fail.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

When Does Shear Cause Soils to Fail ?

It the most general case, certain shear stresses will be present within
any soil mass.

This does not mean that the soil will fail – all soils will have the ability to
resist a certain level of shear stress.

Soils will only fail when:

The imposed Shear Stress exceeds the Soil’s Shear Strength

EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Shear Strength of Soil

In order to assess the shear strength of a soil and carry out analysis to
predict possible soil failure we ideally need to:

• Test Representative Samples of the Soil in the Laboratory

• Adopt a Mathematical Model to predict the Soil Strength

EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

Shear Strength of Soil

One of the simplest models of soil failure (and the most commonly
used in day to day analysis) is:

The Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion

This criterion gives a simple mathematical model to determine the soil

shear strength
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

The Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion:

This is simply stated as:

 f  c   n tan 

Where: tf is the shear strength of the soil at failure

C is the soil cohesive strength

 is the soil angle of internal friction

n is the normal stress on the plane being considered

EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

The Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion:

 f  c   n tan 
It can be noted that there are two distinct terms here:

The first one (C) is a cohesion term – a measure of the “stickiness”

along the potential failure plane.

The second term is a frictional term – a measure of the frictional

strength on the failure plane.
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

When Does Shear Cause Soils to Fail ?

In order to check whether a soil will fail, it is then necessary to:

• Calculate the applied shear stress on any potential failure planes

• Calculate the soil’s shear strength on that plane

If the applied shear stress exceeds the soil shear strength, this indicates
that the soil will fail in shear on that plane.

Unfortunately, because both the imposed shear stress and soil shear
strength vary with the normal stress on the plane, it is in theory necessary
to check for failure on all possible failure planes
EG6022 – Geotechnical Engineering

The Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion:

Further implications from the failure criterion are that:

The cohesive strength will be the same on every possible failure plane
within the soil mass, unless the strength of the soil changes.

The frictional strength will vary at all points in the soil mass, even
when the soil strength is constant

The second point occurs because the normal stress on any possible
failure plane, sn, will change depending on the location within the soil
mass.