CVEN40720: GEOTECHNICS 3
Week 1: Introduction
Module Coordinator: Dr. Shane Donohue (G75, Newstead)
Email: [Link]@[Link]
Academic Year Head info….
• If you have queries or issues concerning your academic work please feel
free to contact me for advice
• Engage with scheduled sessions on campus (tutorial and laboratory
session attendance is very important)
• Encourage you all to engage with UCD student life!
• Join clubs and societies
• UCD Civil and Structural Engineering Society
• Professional Engineering Society memberships - usually free,
• Engineers Ireland
• Institution of Structural Engineers
• Awards and Prizes – see [Link]
• Tiernan Byrne Medal – student who obtains the highest module grade in CVEN40720
• Common room – available to all students – please keep it clean!
• Student Plagiarism Policy – it is your responsibility for being familiar with
the requirements
• [Link]
Class Representatives
• Looking for class reps for each programme (Stage 4 BE Civil,
Stage 1 ME Civil and Stage 1 ME SEA)
• Provides communication channel between staff and students,
joins the Newstead Staff-Student Forum
• If you are interested, please fill out this google form (very short!)
by Wednesday 20th Sept
• [Link]
CVEN40720 Teaching slots
1. 12-12.50 Monday (F14)
2. 14-14.50 Monday (G87)
3. 14-14.50 Friday (F15)
2. actually listed as a tutorial slot in the timetable but
normally will be the lecture slot
Friday slot
• Used for online drop in Q&A slot, classtest, occasional
tutorials and lectures!)
• This week there won’t be a lecture this afternoon – will
be using the Friday slot for the second lecture
Notes & lecture videos
• Will upload all notes to Brightspace the day before the lecture,
leave blanks for you to fill in
• Will do step by step examples in class
• Worked solutions for these won’t be put online, you need to
attend the lectures to receive these
• Aim is to give you a better understanding have you better
prepared for the exam
• Will upload lecture videos for most of the content as a support if
attendance remains good
Key Learning Outcomes
• Understand how the theory of soil mechanics can be applied in
design practice
• Be able to design a shallow foundation system within a limit
state design framework using analytical approaches or in-situ
test data
• Be able to design a pile foundation system within a limit state
design framework using analytical approaches or in-situ test
data
• Be able to design and interpret a ground investigation to
provide information on which to base a design
Assessment
• Ground Improvement Assignment (20%)
• Groupwork
• Submit by end of Week 3
• More info in a couple of slides..
• 1hr open book classtest (40%)
• Week 7/8
• More info in a couple of weeks…
• Final open book classtest (40%)
• Week 12
Course Outline (Lectures)
Lectures & Tutorials
Week 1 Intro; Ground Improvement (overview), Site Investigation
Week 2 Underground Construction
Week 3 Site Investigation continued….
Week 4 Shallow Foundations
Week 5 Shallow Foundations, Ground Improvement Pres.
Week 6 Summary, prep for classtest/reading week
Week 7 Classtest
Week 8 Pile Design
Week 9 Pile Design
Week 10 Foundation Settlement
Week 11 Foundation Settlement; Course Summary
Week 12 Classtest
*Indicative timetable - subject to change…
Geotechnical Bibliography
• Soil Mechanics principles and practice; Barnes (Eurocode compliant)
• Smith’s elements of soil mechanics; Smith
• Foundation design and construction; Tomlinson
• The mechanics of soils and foundations; Atkinson
• Soil Mechanics; concepts & applications; Powrie
• Craig’s soil mechanics; Craig (UCD library Online)
• Principles of ground improvement; Han, Jie (UCD library Online)
• Ground Improvement; Bell et al (UCD library Online)