Basic Soil Mechanics

Abstract

The two major technical design considerations in geotechnical engineering are to: (1) avoid catastrophic failure, and (2) avoid excessive deformations (settlements, heave or lateral deformations). In the context of limit state design these are referred to as the ultimate and serviceability limit states, respectively. To perform the design, it is necessary to: (1) calculate the loads from the structure that need transmission into the ground;(2) obtain the behavior characteristics of the soils including, but not limited to, the stress-strain and strength behavior in order to perform the necessary analyses and detailed calculations; and (3) compare the stresses created in the ground by the structure with (a) the available shear strength to evaluate proximity to failure conditions, and with (b) the stress-strain behavior to evaluate deformations. Local building codes may place additional requirements on the design and construction procedures.