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Properties and behaviour of rocks. Formation, properties and classification of soils. Strength and stiffness of soils. Applications to slopes, retaining walls, and site characterisation.
At the conclusion of this course you should be able to:- Interpret data and measurements from standard lab tests for the purpose of soil characterisation and classification (Module 1 and Lab activities);- Understand and apply the “Principle of Effective Stress” and explain its importance and relevance to geotechnical problems (Module 2);- Calculate static soil stresses (total and effective, vertical and horizontal) and pore water pressure for field deposits and lab test specimens (Module 2 and 3);- Describe and compare the stress-strain and deformation response of ‘loose’ and ‘dense’, ‘normally consolidated’ and ‘overconsolidated’ soils and explain the effects of confining pressure and density on soil stress-strain behaviour (Module 3);- Analyse flow of water through soil using fundamental fluid mechanics principles (Module 4);- Describe the geological and geomorphological processes responsible for the formation of soils, and relate geological processes to the likely nature and distribution of soils in different environments (Module 5)
Subject to approval of the Dean of Engineering and Forestry
ENCI252, ENCI271
For further information see Civil and Natural Resources Engineering Head of Department
TO PASS: You cannot pass this course unless you achieve a mark of at least 40% in the final exam. Assignments: All assignments can be done individually or in pairs. If done in pairs a single submission for marking is required and both students receive the same mark. It is important that both students play an equal role in completing the assessment as the internal assessment is designed to prepare you for the formal assessments. All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Late submissions will not be accepted. If a student is unable to complete and submit an assignment by the deadline due to personal circumstances beyond their control they should discuss this with the lecturer involved as soon as possible.Assignments should be submitted to the drop box marked “ENCN253” located on the 2nd floor of the Civil/Mech. Eng. building, adjacent to the civil computer suite. Official departmental coversheet should be used for all submissions. Assignments submitted without a coversheet will receive a mark of zero.
There are no specific recommended text book that are required for the course, but extensive notes and reference material will be provided. Useful references includes the following:• Holtz, R.D. and Kovacs, W.D. (1981). An introduction to Geotechnical Engineering. Prentice-Hall, 1st Edition, pp. 733.• Powrie, W. (2004). Soil Mechanics: concepts and applications. SPON Press, pp. 741.Das, B.M. (2010). Principles of Geotechnical Engineering. Ceneage Learning, 7th Edition, pp. 666
Domestic fee $901.00
International fee $4,863.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Civil and Natural Resources Engineering .