MABY5410 Advanced Soil Mechanics Emneplan

This course provides the fundamentals of geotechnical soil characterization by introducing a wide range of in-situ field investigation techniques and laboratory experiments. Students will be familiar with field and laboratory testing: from auger sampling to CPT, and from basic index tests to the most advanced stress path apparatuses, together with the interpretation of the data obtained. The knowledge of soil behavior will be reinforced, allowing students to understand practical problems when deriving geotechnical parameters. The compilation and integration of field and laboratory data into a geotechnical ground model will be discussed.

BYGG2200 Geoteknikk or eqivialent

After completing this course, the student will gain the following knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

Students have in-depth knowledge of:

• soil aggregate, plasticity, and classification
• soil mechanical behavior: elasticity, plasticity, and shear strength
• effective stress and pore water pressure development due to loading
• stress path
• clay sensitivity and anisotropy
• concepts of constitutive modeling and soil state parameters
• cyclic loading properties

Skills

Students can:

• understand index properties of fine-grained and coarse-grained soils and perform soil classification
• interpret soil parameters from various types of experimental tests
• have a fundamental understanding of stress and strain states and general mechanical behaviors of soils
• apply soil elastic plasticity theory and concept of constitutive modelling

General competence

Students:

• have a solid understanding of general soil mechanical behaviors under various loading conditions
• have a good understanding of typical geotechnical parameters and application to engineering design
• have some simple form practice (for example in Excel) to use elastic-plasticity theory to simulate soil behaviours

Lectures, exercises, laboratory and field visits, and written project report. Practical laboratory experiments and field visits will be coordinated with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, NGI. Parts of the lectures will be covered by relevant international and national guest lecturers.

The following work requirements are mandatory and must be approved prior to the exam:

3 group exercises of 2-4 students: 1 exercise on laboratory testing, 1 on site investigation, and 1 on ground modelling. All exercises are part of applied engineering problems.

The exam consists of two parts:

1) Project report prepared in groups of 1-3 student, approx. 25 pages, weighted 70%, and

2) Oral group (up to 3 students) presentation of the project followed by individual Q&A, weighted 30%.

The oral exam will be within 10-15 mins.

All assessment parts must be awarded a passing grade (E or better) for the student to pass the course. Assessment Part 1) can be appealed. Assessment Part 2) can not be appealed.

All types of materials and equipment are allowed for the written project report. Project report counts will be considered as a written exam and shall be done in groups.

None for the oral exam.

Grade scale A-F

Exam 1: 1 internal examiner

Exam 2: 2 internal examiners

External examiners are used regularly

Santiago Quinteros