GEOTECH 1 — Geotechnical Engineering 1 UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS
College of Engineering and Architecture
Module 0 — Course Orienta on, Levelling of Expecta ons.
OBJECTIVES Descrip on and Other Technicali es
At the end of this module, the student shall be able to:
Differentiate Geotech 1 from the other geotechnical courses includ- Code & Desc. Geotech 1 – Geotechnical Engineering 1, Soil Mechanics Course Code and PC-13
ed in the university BSCE curriculum in terms of content scope and pur- Term and Year 3rd Trimester 2nd Year Classification PROFESSIONAL COURSE
pose. Course Descrip- Geotechnical Engineering 1, better referred to as Soil Mechanics, marks the beginning formally dealing with soil
Recall expected course learning outcomes. tion discipline of civil engineering. Included in the course herewith follows: a short review of pertinent geological pro-
Understand the intended course delivery approach for “Flexible cesses, determination of the soil’s physical and index properties, soil grain size distribution and Atterberg limits,
Learning Modality”. classification of soil according under USCS and AASHTO, soil stress relationships, compaction characteristics, intro-
List expected student and faculty responsibilities in line with the suc- duction to in-situ soil stresses, introduction to ultimate and serviceability limit states requirement of soil.
cess of the course. Above topics are to be discussed and related to prepare students in formally dealing with principles dealing with
OUTLINE soil’s performance in satisfying its purposes as a construction material.
Course technicalities, Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs), etc. An advanced understanding material stresses and strains is imperative to the success of the course.
Course Syllabus, Topic Learning Outcomes (TLOs) Contact Hours 52 hours per term Credit Units 3 units lecture
“Flexible Learning Modality” 2 meeting per week, 4 hour per meeting
Policies and Guidelines 6.5 weeks
Frequently Asked Questions
Prerequisite(s) Mech 3 - Strength of Materials, GeoCE – Engineering Geology Co-requisites GEOTECH 1L
COURSE TECHNICALITIES
Course Learning Outcomes
Course Syllabus and Topic Learning Outcomes
The student shall be able to discuss the role of the geotechnical
I. Introductory Concepts 13 meetings
engineering subdiscipline in the practice of the civil engineering
1 0. Orientation and levelling of expectations (26 hours)
discipline. Consequently, the student shall be able to recall the
1. Definition and Importance of Geotechnical Engineering to the Purpose of Civil Engineering
scope of said subdiscipline.
2. Geological Processes Governing the Formation of Soil Deposits; Origin and Mineral Composition of **suggested distribu-
The student shall be able to discuss introductory geological
soil tion
2 concepts with focus on the origin and composition of soil and
II. Description of Soil Topic 0: 2 Hrs
their possible effects on the soil’s performance.
3. Index Properties of Soils, mass to volume relationships. Topic 1: 1 Hr
The student shall be able to apply existing methodologies to 4. Soil Grain Size Distribution. Topic 2: 1 Hr
reflect, with numerical figures, variables pertinent to the physi- 5. Soil Consistency, Atterberg Limits. Topic 3: 4 Hrs
3 cal properties of the soil. These include but are not limited to 6. Soil classification Topic 4: 2 Hrs
values describing mass to volume relationships and soil con- AASHTO Topic 5: 4 Hrs
sistency. ASTM Topic 6: 4 hrs
The student shall be able to classify soil given the soil grain size M III. Stresses and Stress Relationships in a Soil Mass Topic 7: 4 Hrs
4
distribution and soil consistency parameters. I 7. Normal and Shear Stress Relationships Allowance: 4 Hrs
The student shall be able to discuss the basic principles on how D
soil reacts to stresses and how this ultimately affects the perfor- T Specific Topics include but are not limited to:
5 Steno’s Principles, Soil Mineral Content, Mass/weight to Volume relationships, void ratio, specific gravity, liquid limit, plastic limit,
mance of soil. Consequently, the student shall be able to relate E
these stresses mathematically with the use of Mohr’s Circle. R shrinkage limit, liquidity index, relative density, sieve analysis and gradation curves, pycnometer test, American Association of
The student shall be able to discuss the uses and be able to use M State and Highway Officials, Unified Soil Classification System, Normal Stresses, Shear Stresses, UU & UD tests, Mohr’s Circle,
some of the basic methodologies to reflect numerical parame- Shear Theory.
6
ters of soil compaction. In addition, the student shall be intro-
duced in passing to some soil improvement techniques. MIDTERM TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES (TLO’s)
The student shall be able to discuss the effect of different soil MTLO 1: The student is able to discuss geotechnical engineering as a subdiscipline to civil engineering. (CLO 1)
and load conditions on the vertical stress experienced by the MTLO 2: The student is able to discuss the geological processes governing the formation of soil deposits. (CLO 2)
7 soil. These include but are not limited to conditions dictated by MTLO 3: The student is able to recall basic principles on mineral composition of soils and is able to relate this to possible perfor-
the existence of water and type of substructure supported and mance indicators of soil. (CLO 2)
the nature of substructure itself. MTLO 4: The student is able to compute and relate the index properties of soils. (CLO 3)
The student shall be able to utilize the basic equations of com- MTLO 5: The student is able to describe and consequently establish numerical values pertinent to soil consistency. (CLO 3)
8 MTLO 6: The student is able to classify soil under the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
puting bearing capacity of spread footings.
(AASHTO), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). (CLO 4)
The student shall be able to utilize the basic equations of com-
9 MTLO 7: The student is able to discuss how the stresses in a soil mass and how these stresses interact. (CLO 5)
puting the change in soil volume induced by stresses.
GEOTECH 1 — Geotechnical Engineering 1 UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS
College of Engineering and Architecture
Module 0 — Course Orienta on, Levelling of Expecta ons.
IIV. Soil Compaction 13 meetings FLEXIBLE LEARNING MODALITY
8. Maximum dry unit weight, Optimum water content (26 hours)
V. Vertical Soil Subsurface Stresses POLICIES AND GUIDELINES
9. Principle of Total and Effective Stresses **suggested distribution
Topic 8: 2 Hrs FAQs
Submergence
Topic 9: 6 Hr
Capillary Action Topic 10: 6 Hr The above will be discussed and agreed upon during the first
Vertical Seepage Topic 11: 10 Hrs
meeting of the class. This module will be updated accordingly
VI. Change in Stress due to surface Loads Allowance: 2 Hrs
after.
10. Stress Increments Induced by (Sub)surface Loads
Point Loads
Line Loads
Circular Loads
Rectangular Loads
VII. Ultimate and Serviceability Limit States, Spread Footings
11. Introduction to Shallow Foundations
F
Bearing Capacity Equations, ESA assumptions
I
Strip Footings
N
A Rectangular Footings
L Circular Footings
S Settlement Equations
Elastic Settlement
Consolidation Settlement
Specific Topics include but are not limited to:
Compaction Energy, Maximum Dry Density, Optimum Water Content, Porewater Pressure, Total and Effective Stress, Bous-
sinesq’s Equation, Vertical Stress Increments, Bearing Capacity Equations, Elastic Settlement Equations, Consolidation Settle-
ment of fine grained Soils.
FINALS TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES (TLO’s)
FTLO 1: The student is able to discuss the advantages of and compute values pertinent to soil compaction. The
student is also able to recall common soil improvement techniques. (CLO 6)
FTLO 2: The student is able to discuss the difference between total and effective stresses. In relation to this, the stu-
dent shall also be able to reflect using numerical figures the effect of water and several loading conditions to the
stress state of soil. (CLO 7)
FTLO 3: The student is able to differentiate ultimate and serviceability limit state requirements for spread footings
and consequently be able to compute numerical parameters reflective of these. (CLO 8, CLO 9)
References
Das, B. M. (1997). Principles of geotechnical engineering. Boston: PWS
McCarthy, D. F. (2002). Essentials of soil mechanics and foundations: Basic geotechnics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pren-
tice Hall
Budhu, M. (2000). Soil mechanics and foundations. New York: Wiley.
S., M. V. N. (2003). Geotechnical engineering: principles and practices of soil mechanics and foundation engineering.
Marcel Dekker.