ENCN452-13S1 (C) Semester One 2013

Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 18 February 2013
End Date: Sunday, 23 June 2013
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 3 March 2013
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 19 May 2013

Description

Stress-strain behaviour of soils. Critical-state soil mechanics. Approximations and limitations for geotechnical analyses. Piles under axial and lateral loading. Shallow foundations.

The aim of the course is to increase students' understanding of load-deformation characteristics of soils and fundamental concepts in geotechnical analysis and design. The course focuses on two aspects in particular: stress-strain behaviour of soils and design/analysis of shallow/deep foundations. The background theme of the course is modelling as a fundamental engineering problem-solving methodology.


Course Content
1) Stress-strain behaviour of soils
- Soil testing in the laboratory
- Drained and undrained behaviour of soils under monotonic loading
- State concept interpretation of soil behaviour under monotonic loaidng
- Cyclic behaviour of soils and liquefaction

2) Stress-strain behaviour in geotechnical calculations
- Linear and equivalent linear models (elastic and secant stiffness approaches)
- Nonlinear models (hyperbolic model; elastic-plastic models)
- Strength of soils in geotechnical calculations
- Soil stiffness in geotechnical calculations

3) Piles under axial loading
- Philosophy of deep foundations (load transfer mechanism)
- Pile under axial loading: elastic analysis
- Settlement of single piles
- Settlement of pile groups

4) Piles under lateral loading
- Pile under lateral loading: elastic analysis
- Pile under lateral loading: numerical modelling
- Modelling nonlinear behaviour

5) Shallow foundations
- Bearing capacity calculations
- Settlement calculations
- Geotechnical design of spread footings and mat foundations
- Design of shallow foundations: allowable vs. limit state methods
- Principles of structural design of footings

Learning Outcomes

(a) to understand key features of stress-strain behaviour of soils
(b) to introduce fundamental concepts for soil modelling
(c) to introduce analytical and numerical methods for geotechnical analysis and discuss their approximations and limitations
(d) to understand principles of foundation engineering and to apply them to the geotechnical and structural design of shallow foundations
(e) to discuss and apply methods for analysis of piles under axial and lateral loading

Prerequisites

Restrictions

ENCI452

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Misko Cubrinovski

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Assignment 1 (Lab 1: TX Test) 10%
Assignment 2 (State concept interpretation) 5%
Assignment 3 (Stress-strain modelling) 5%
Assignment 4 (Lab 2 : LQ Test) 5%
Assignment 5 (Settlement of piles) 5%
Assignment 6 (Piles under lateral loading: elastic; nonlinear) 10%
Assignment 7 (shallow foundations) 10%
final exam 50%


1. Submission of homework: Homework should be put into the box marked “ENCI452” on the 2nd floor by the deadline given on the homework handout. Homework must be handed in complete with their cover sheets. Enquiries about marks allocation and assessment details should be at first instance with the TA of the course, and then with the lecturer (if the former cannot resolve the issues).

2. Submission deadlines: Deadlines are strict. Failure to hand in on time will result in half marks or no marks being given for the assignment. However, the lecturer may at his discretion allow late submission of assignments if a valid reason is given.

3. Final exam:  A minimum pass mark of 50% in the exam is required in order for a student to pass the course.

4. Aegrotat eligibility: “Aegrotat provisions are intended to assist students who have covered the work of a course but have been prevented by illness or other critical circumstance from demonstrating their mastery of the material or skills at the time of assessment” [UC Calendar].

5. Lecture notes, assignments and course information will be available and continuously updated on LEARN.

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Coduto, Donald P; Foundation design : principles and practices ; 2nd ed; Prentice Hall, 2001.

Muir Wood, David; Soil behaviour and critical state soil mechanics ; Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Wood, David Muir; Geotechnical modelling ; Spon Press, 2004.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $808.00

International fee $4,550.00

* 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 .

All ENCN452 Occurrences

  • ENCN452-13S1 (C) Semester One 2013