ENCN253-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026

Soil Mechanics

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 13 July 2026
End Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 26 July 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 27 September 2026

Description

Properties and behaviour of rocks. Formation, properties and classification of soils. Strength and stiffness of soils. Applications to slopes, retaining walls, and site characterisation.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Dean of Engineering and Forestry

Restrictions

ENCI252, ENCI271

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 10:00 - 11:00 E8 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
02 Monday 15:00 - 16:00 E7 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00 E8 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
02 Tuesday 15:00 - 16:00 E7 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture C
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 09:00 - 10:00 E8 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
02 Wednesday 14:00 - 15:00 E5 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture D
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 E8 Lecture Theatre
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 10:00 - 12:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
02 Monday 14:00 - 16:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
03 Tuesday 09:00 - 11:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
04 Tuesday 13:00 - 15:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
05 Wednesday 09:00 - 11:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
06 Wednesday 13:00 - 15:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
07 Thursday 09:00 - 11:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
08 Thursday 13:00 - 15:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
09 Friday 10:00 - 12:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Friday 14:00 - 16:00 CAPE 113 Teaching Lab
27 Jul - 2 Aug
Lab B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 10:00 - 12:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
02 Monday 14:00 - 16:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
03 Tuesday 09:00 - 11:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
04 Tuesday 13:00 - 15:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
05 Wednesday 09:00 - 11:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
06 Wednesday 13:00 - 15:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
07 Thursday 09:00 - 11:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
08 Thursday 13:00 - 15:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
09 Friday 10:00 - 12:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
10 Friday 14:00 - 16:00 Civil - Mech E112 Geo-mechanics Lab
28 Sep - 4 Oct
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 13:00 - 14:00 Rehua 102
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
02 Friday 16:00 - 17:00 Rehua 102
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Assignments (x4) 30% Learning Objectives 2-6
final exam 60% Learning Objjectives 1-6
Labs (x3) 10%

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Tony Waltham; Foundations of Engineering Geology ; 3rd Edition; Spon Press, 2009.

William Powrie; Soil Mechanics: Concepts and Applications, 3rd Edition. CRC Press ; 3rd; CRC Press, 2014.

Additional Course Outline Information

Resubmissions

If hard copies of the assignments are requested by the lecturer, they should be submitted to the drop box marked "ENCN 253" located on the ground floor of the Engineering CORE building. If the lecturer requests an electronic submission, then assignments should be submitted through the LEARN website.  In the case of electronic submission, students must follow the naming convention and file format specified by the lecturer.

Official departmental coversheets should be used for all submissions. Assignments submitted without a coversheet will receive a mark of zero.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,190.00

International fee $6,488.00

* 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 Environmental Engineering .

All ENCN253 Occurrences

  • ENCN253-26S2 (C) Semester Two 2026