Geotechnical engineering

Main page: Engineering

Geotechnical engineering is an important subset of civil engineering dealing with engineering performance of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to determine:

A drilling machine for foundation piles.

subsurface conditions and materials;
relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials;
stability of natural slopes and man-made soil deposits;
risks posed by site conditions;

to design:

earthworks;
structure foundations;

and to monitor:

site conditions;
earthwork and foundation construction.^[1]^[2]

Foundations built for above-ground structures include shallow and deep foundations. Retaining structures include earth-filled dams and retaining walls.

Geotechnical Engineering Media

Boston's Big Dig presented geotechnical challenges in an urban environment.
Precast concrete retaining wall
A typical cross-section of a slope used in two-dimensional analyzes.
A compactor/roller operated by U.S. Navy Seabees
A collage of geosynthetic products.
Platforms offshore Mexico.

Notes

↑ Terzaghi, K., Peck, R.B. and Mesri, G. (1996), Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-08658-4
↑ Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-484394-0

[TerzaghiPeckMesri-1] Terzaghi, K., Peck, R.B. and Mesri, G. (1996), Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-08658-4

[HoltzKovacs-2] Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-484394-0

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