Geotechnical Engineering
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 60 hours face to face + Blended
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning.
2023 teaching periods
Hawthorn Higher Ed. Semester 1 |
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Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Prerequisites
Aims and objectives
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment and content.
Teaching methods
Type | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total Hours |
Live Online Lecture | 3 | 12 | 36 |
On Campus Tutorial | 2 | 12 | 24 |
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 7.5 | 12 | 90 |
TOTAL | 150 hours |
Assessment
Types | Individual or Group task |
Weighting | Assesses attainment of these ULOs |
Assignment | Group | 15% | 3 |
Online Quizzes | Individual | 10% | 1,2,4 |
Research Assignment | Group | 15% | 6,7 |
Examination | Group | 60% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
Lateral Earth Pressures and Design of Retaining Walls (20%)
- Introduction to types / classes of earth retaining structures
- Lateral earth pressure calculations for (restrained) at-rest conditions
- Theory of stress–strain behaviour of soils behind retaining walls unrestrained conditions
- Rankine's active and passive lateral earth pressure calculations detailing the effect of water pressure on retaining walls
- Coulomb's active and passive earth pressure theory and Coulomb's graphical solution (including wall friction and non vertical walls)
- Stability and design concepts of retaining structures as well as construction issues
Bearing Capacity and Design of Shallow Foundations (25%)
- Simple bearing capacity theory including local and general shear failure, factor of safety, eccentric loads, inclined loads, influence of water table, moments and overturning of shallow foundations
- Extended bearing capacity theory to include various theories from Meyerhof, Hansen and Vesic to evaluate the accuracy of each method
- Hansen's Modified method of bearing capacity analysis for sloping ground
- Bearing capacity analysis of layered soils
- Site investigation requirements for shallow foundations
- Analysis and design of combined footings (Rectangular, Trapezoidal and Strap type combined footings)
- Construction issues of shallow foundations and combined footings
- Remedial underpinning methods of shallow foundations
Residential Slabs and Footings Design to AS2870 (15%)
- Site Classification to AS2870 by characteristic surface movement
- Design of stiffened raft slabs, waffle raft slabs, standard strip footings and pier/beam/slab systems
- Modification of Standard Slabs (AS2870) using Engineering Principles
- Construction issues for residential slabs and footings
Piling and Design of Deep Foundations (25%)
- Types of piles (bored vs. displacement) and the materials used in deep foundations
- Design of single piles for friction and end bearing strength in cohesive and non-cohesive soils
- Settlement of single piles
- Design of piles groups for strength and settlement
- Pile construction and factors to consider
- Lateral forces on piles (short and long mechanism)
- Site investigation techniques for deep foundations
Slope Stability Analysis (15%)
- Types, causes and examples of sloping ground failure
- Theory for the stability of infinite non-cohesive slopes and all finite slopes
- Analysis of finite slopes by the Mass Procedure, Ordinary Method of Slices, and Bishop's Modified Method of Slices – all detailing the significance of pore pressures, triaxial tests, and the influence of tension cracks
- Site investigation for slope stability analysis
- Slope stabilisation methods and use of stability charts
Study resources
- Reading materials.