The course aims to provide the basic elements to analyze and identify the geotechnical risk associated with the construction of excavations, the triggering of landslides, the occurrence of critical conditions in the ground following seismic events and introduces the choice of the engineering works to enhance the safety within the current regulatory framework.
Basic knowledge of soil mechanics is required
The course is divided into: a) lessons on all the topics of the course with an active interaction with the students; b) exercises. During the exercises, students will be guided to solve application examples through the use of analytical methods and/or numerical-analysis software.
The exam consists of an oral exam aimed at verifying the acquired knowledge and application skills. The objective of the oral exam will be to verify the learning ability, the level of knowledge and understanding of the course contents as well as to evaluate the communication skills. The final grade in 30-point scale will be assigned on the basis of the following elements: acquired knowledge, degree of in-depth study, critical analysis of the topics, mastery of the topics, language properties, grade of the practical exercises carried out by the student.
The final grade in 30-point scale will be assigned on the basis of the following elements:
-30 - 30 cum laude”: complete, in-depth and critical knowledge of the topics, excellent language skills, complete and original interpretative ability, full ability to autonomously apply knowledge to solve the proposed problems;
-“26 – 29”: complete and in-depth knowledge of the topics, high language skills, complete and effective interpretative ability, capability to autonomously apply knowledge to solve the proposed problems;
-“24 – 25”: knowledge of the topics with a good level of learning, good language skills, correct and confident interpretative ability, ability to correctly apply most of the knowledge to solve the proposed problems;
-“21 – 23”: adequate knowledge of the topics, but lack of mastery of the same, satisfactory language skills, correct interpretative ability, limited ability to autonomously apply the knowledge to solve the proposed problems
Course materials prepared by the teacher
1. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES DETERMINATION OF SOILS FOR STABILITY PROBLEMS FROM IN-SITU AND LABORATORY TESTS. 2. EXCAVATIONS. Excavations for foundation works and trench excavations. Unprotected and protected excavations. A brief outline on the failure phenomena of the excavations. Excavations under the water table and dewatering systems. 3. RISK OF LANDSLIDES IN NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL SLOPES (dams, embankments, etc). A brief outline on the classification of landslides. Safety levels and critical slip surface. Operational tools for slope safety analysis: use of calculation codes. Effects of water seepage on slope stability. Slope stability control and monitoring tools. A brief outline on the types of slope stabilization methods. 4. RISK OF SOILS LIQUEFACTION DUE TO SEISMIC EVENT. Origin of earthquakes and geotechnical risk phenomena associated with seismic events. Categories of the subsoil for seismic purposes. Stability of a site against the liquefaction of soils. 5 INTRODUCTION TO NATIONAL BUILDING CODE
