48
Geotechnics
REGGIO DI CALABRIA
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, and upon successfully passing the final assessment, the student will possess the fundamental concepts of soil mechanics and the most important experimental methodologies for determining soil's physical and mechanical parameters.
The student should be capable of applying this knowledge and comprehension to interpret, describe, and solve basic problems in geotechnical engineering.
Furthermore, the student should be able to write technical reports on the conducted activities and present the results in group discussions. They should be capable of communicating their knowledge clearly and unambiguously, expressing judgments, and providing design solutions, including original ones, to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
The course will provide the foundation for the student to continue studying autonomously and independently.
Course Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Mathematical Analysis courses is recommended.
Teaching Methods
Such knowledge and skills will be acquired through attending theoretical and practical classes and utilising advanced-level textbooks.
Lecture hours per year: 36
Exercise hours per year: 6
Practical activities hours per year: 6
Student self-study: For each Credit Unit (CFU): 10 to 15 hours of independent student work, depending on their prior knowledge and skills. Students will organize their study focusing on the topics presented during the lectures.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of an oral test covering the topics discussed during the course. The test will include questions related to the course content described in the syllabus. The test aims to assess the acquired knowledge, the ability to apply the knowledge in a professional context, and the capacity to understand and discern the limits and conditions of the technical solutions studied.
The grading criteria for the final score will follow the following evaluation criteria:
30 - 30 with honours: complete, in-depth, and critical knowledge of the topics, excellent language proficiency, full and original interpretative skills, and the ability to independently apply knowledge to solve proposed problems.
26 - 29: complete and in-depth knowledge of the topics, strong language proficiency, effective interpretative skills, and ability to independently apply knowledge to solve proposed problems.
24 - 25: knowledge of the topics with a good degree of learning, good language proficiency, correct and confident interpretative skills, the ability to correctly apply most of the knowledge to solve proposed problems.
21 - 23: adequate knowledge of the topics, but a lack of mastery, satisfactory language proficiency, correct interpretative skills, and limited ability to independently apply knowledge to solve the proposed problems.
18 - 20: basic knowledge of the main topics, basic understanding of technical language, sufficient interpretative skills, the ability to apply acquired basic knowledge.
Insufficient: does not possess an acceptable knowledge of the topics covered during the course.
Texts
Riccardo BERARDI: Fondamenti di Geotecnica. Città Studi Edizioni, Seconda Edizione, 2013.
Alberto BURGHIGNOLI: Meccanica delle terre. Hevelius, 2018
Guido GOTTARDI, Laura TONNI: Esercizi di Geotecnica. StreetLib, 2010.
Contents
1_DESCRIPTION
The course aims to provide the fundamental concepts of soil mechanics and the essential experimental methodologies for determining soil's physical and mechanical parameters. During the course, students will acquire the necessary theoretical foundations to understand the mechanical behaviour of soils and learn the techniques and tools used to characterize their properties, aiming to investigate and model the soil response in construction.
2_COURSE PROGRAMME
The topics covered will include:
-Analysis and classification of soils. Origin of natural soils. Main types of soils. Mineralogical components and structural characteristics. Physical properties of soils and index properties. Grain size analysis. Atterberg limits. Soil classification systems.
-Lithostatic stresses. Soil as a continuous medium. Representation of stress state. Profile of vertical lithostatic stresses. Coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest. Stress history. Preconsolidation pressure and causes of overconsolidation.
-Water in soil. Principle of effective stress. Seepage through a porous medium. Darcy's law and permeability coefficient. Filtration pressure and critical hydraulic gradient. 2D seepage.
-Compressibility and consolidation. Consolidation test. One-dimensional consolidation process. Consolidation parameters and settlement calculations. Secondary consolidation.
-Shear strength and deformability of soils. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. Analysis in terms of effective stresses and total stresses. Shear strength parameters and their experimental determination. Direct shear test and triaxial compression test. Strength and deformability of coarse-grained and fine-grained soils. Residual shear strength.
-Fundamentals of Geothermal Energy and Geo-Energetic Structures.
3_EXPECTED RESULTS
The student should be able to apply knowledge and understanding to interpret, describe, and solve simple problems in geotechnical engineering. The student should be able to prepare technical reports on the activities carried out and present the results in group discussions.
They should be able to communicate their knowledge clearly and unambiguously, express judgments, and provide design solutions (including original ones) to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
The course will provide the foundation for students to continue studying autonomously and independently.