CE3810: CE 3810-0A Soil Mechanics for Engineers
Course Description/Overview
The course is an introductory course to the field of soil mechanics also known as geotechnical engineering. The course applies the fields of geology and mechanics in solving basic soil and in some cases rock engineering problems. It is designed for students in the fields of civil, environmental, geological, mining and surveying. An important aspect of the course is the laboratory component that reinforces the lecture material and also provides the student with experience in conducting a number of important soil and rock tests. In addition, the course develops the terminology and descriptions common to the field of geotechnical engineering. Topics include soil formation and identification, compaction characteristics, fluid flow concepts, compressibility and strength as well as methods of determining geostatic stresses and stress changes due to boundary loadings
Course Learning Objectives
There are two levels of learning objectives for this course. The first level is the overall objectives. The second level incorporates the detailed objectives. These objectives are provided below:
General Objectives:
- Appreciation for geology and its relationship to geotechnical engineering
- To provide useful information throughout the semester for YOUR future use.
- Prepare the student for the ABET “Fundamentals of Engineering” (FE) Exam.
- To develop an appreciation and interest in the field of Geotechnical Engineering.
Detailed Objectives
- Basic understanding of soil formation
- Ability to classify soils
- An understanding of soil composition
- An ability to work with and solve weight-volume relationships
- An understanding and ability to solve soil excavation and compaction problems
- An understanding of groundwater flow and its application to engineering problems
- The ability to estimate geostatic, induced and effective stress.
- Soil compressibility and strength
- An overview of foundation engineering including bearing capacity, lateral earth stress and slope stability analysis.
Course Textbook
- Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices 2nd Edition, D. P. Coduto, M.R. Yeung and W. A. Kitch, Pearson - Prentice Hall, 2011, ISBN-13: 978-0-13-236868-1.
- Three textbooks are also on reserve at the MTU Library
Reference Materials
- ASTM - Geotechnical testing journal
- ASCE - Journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering (American Journal)
- Canadian Geotechnical Journal
- Géotechnique (British Journal)
- Engineering Geology
- Quarterly Journal of engineering geology & hydrogeology
Facts from Past Years
Grades for Exam 1 in Year 2014:
Grades for Exam 2 in Year 2014:
