Geotechnical Engineering

DHARM

10 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

high swelling and shrinkage potential these are difficult soils to deal with in foundation

design.

2. Marine soils, occurring in a narrow belt all along the coast, especially in the Rann of
   Kutch. These are very soft and sometimes contain organic matter, possess low strength
   and high compressibility.


3. Desert soils, occurring in Rajasthan. These are deposited by wind and are uniformly
   graded.


4. Alluvial soils, occurring in the Indo-Gangetic plain, north of the Vindhyachal ranges.


5. Lateritic soils, occurring in Kerala, South Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa and West
   Bengal.

Summary of Main Points

1. The term ‘Soil’ is defined and the development of soil mechanics or geotechnical engineering as
   a discipline in its own right is traced.


2. Foundations, underground and earth-retaining structures, pavements, excavations, embank-
   ments and dams are the fields in which the knowledge of soil mechanics is essential.


3. The formation of soils by the action of various agencies in nature is discussed, residual soils and
   transported soils being differentiated. Some commonly used soil designations are explained.


4. The sturcture and texture of soils affect their nature and engineering performance. Single-grained
   structure is common in coarse grained soils and honey-combed and flocculent structures are
   common in fine-grained soils.

References

1. A. Atterberg: Über die physikalische Boden untersuchung, und über die plastizität der Tone,
   Internationale Mitteilungen für Bodenkunde, Verlag für Fachliteratur, G.m.b.H. Berlin, 1911.


2. J.V. Boussinesq: Application des potentiels á 1 etude de 1’ équilibre et du mouvement des solides
   élastiques’’, Paris, Gauthier Villars, 1885.


3. C.A. Couloumb: Essai sur une application des régles de maximis et minimis á quelques problémes
   de statique relatifs à 1’ architecture. Mémoires de la Mathématique et de physique, présentés à 1’
   Academie Royale des sciences, par divers Savans, et lûs dans sés Assemblées, Paris, De L’
   Imprimerie Royale, 1776.


4. W. Fellenius: Caculation of the Stability of Earth Dams, Trans. 2nd Congress on large Dams,
   Washington, 1979.


5. T.W. Lambe: The Structure of Inorganic Soil, Proc. ASCE, Vol. 79, Separate No. 315, Oct., 1953.


6. O. Mohr: Techiniche Mechanik, Berlin, William Ernst und Sohn, 1906.


7. L. Prandtl: Über die Härte plastischer Körper, Nachrichten von der Königlichen Gesellschaft der
   Wissenschaften zu Göttingen (Mathematisch—physikalische Klasse aus dem Jahre 1920, Berlin,
   1920).


8. W.J.M. Rankine: On the Stability of Loose Earth, Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society,
   London, 1857,