CE 524 L
Geotechnical Investigations
and
Foundation Design
Prof. A. Murali Krishna
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati
amk@iittp.ac.in
Geotechnical Engineering
A sub-discipline of civil engineering that deals with
natural materials found close to the surface of the earth
(soil, rock and underground water) and their relation to
design, construction and operation of engineering
projects
It includes the application of the principles of soil mechanics
and rock mechanics to the design of foundations, retaining
structures, and earth structures.
Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963) Quotes
“Unfortunately, soils are made by nature and not by man, and the products
of nature are always complex… As soon as we pass from steel and concrete
to earth, the omnipotence of theory ceases to exist. Natural soil is never
uniform. Its properties change from point to point while our knowledge of
its properties are limited to those few spots at which the samples
have been collected. In soil mechanics the accuracy of computed results
never exceeds that of a crude estimate, and the principal function of
theory consists in teaching us what and how to observe in the field.”
“Soil Mechanics arrived at the borderline between science and art. I use
the term “art” to indicate mental processes leading to satisfactory results
without the assistance of step-for-step logical reasoning…To acquire
competence in the field of earthwork engineering one must live with the soil.
One must love it and observe its performance not only in the laboratory but also in
the field, to become familiar with those of its manifold properties that are
not disclosed by boring records…”
Examples of geotechnical engineering construction
John Atkinson (2007) The mechanics of soils and foundations
Hayward Baker 2014 Calendar Illustration
Geotechnical Engineering Applications
Foundations
Shallow foundations
Deep Foundations
Retaining Walls
Earth or Concrete Dams
Earthworks
Sheet Piles
Landslides
Shoring
Tunneling
Ground Improvement…
Environmental Geomechanics
Instrumentation …
Foundations
Shallow foundations
Spread footings
Mat (Raft) foundations
Deep foundations
Pre fabricated piles
Drilled shafts
Combined Pile-Raft Foundation (CPRF)
combines the bearing effect of both foundation elements raft
and piles by taking into account interactions between the
foundation elements and the subsoil
World’s Tallest Buildings
https://imgur.com/gallery/EuRaN5U
Rock Engineering – Geology and Geotechnology
interface
Large number of power and transport tunnel projects
Encounters different types of rocks
Different types of rocks different problems
The main areas of concern regarding tunnel stability are
the existence of weak, highly deformable and anisotropic rock
mass and high degree of weathering and fracturing
Discontinuities play decisive role in the behaviour of rock mass
Chenab Bridge
An under-construction rail bridge
located between Bakkal and Kauri in the
Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K), India
1,315m-long bridge at a height of 359m.
Once completed, it will be the tallest rail
bridge in the world.
JAMMU-UDHAMPUR-SRINAGAR-BARAMULLA RAIL LINK PROJECT
L-3 IN PROGRESS
QAZIGUND-BARAMULLA SECTION
EXECUTING AGENCY M/S. IRCON
BARAMULLA
J JHELUM RIVER 1) Length 173-292 i.e. 119 km
KM 292.5
RL 1574 2) Exp./Cost 1594.65/2155 Cr
NH 1-A
3) Land acquired / involved
i) Area 15122/15122 Kanal
KAKAPORE
BADGAM KM. 222.40 ii) Villages 130/130 Nos.
KM.244.75 4) Physical Progress 82%
SRINAGAR
RAJWANSHER KM.233.9
RL 1587 5) Target a) Feb’2007(RAJWIAN-KAKA)
b) ’Dec 2007
PIR PANJAL MOUNTAINS
ANANTNAG
KM. 191.9
L-1 IN PROGRESS RL 1601
UDHAMPUR-KATRA SECTION
QAZIGUND
EXECUTING AGENCY – N.RLY. PIRPANJAL KM.172.8
Km. L-2 IN PROGRES
RL 1734
1) LENGTH 30Kms.
164 KATRA-QAZIGUND SECTION
CHENAB RIVER 1) Length 30-173 Kms. i.e. 143 kms.
a) 0-25Kms. i.e. 25 kms.
b) 25-30Kms. i.e. 5 kms. LAOLE a) KRCL 30-123 Kms. i.e.93 kms.
120 b) IRCON 123-173 kms. i.e.50 kms.
2) EXP. 2) Exp./ Cost
a) 562/540Crs.
b) 57/ 83 Cr a) 530/6106 Cr
SALAL
KATRA b) 510.22/2026 Cr
3) PROGRESS Km. KM.25/200 3) Progress :- 11 %
a) 0-25 –91.4% 30 RL 812 a) & b) Survey done in full length.
b) 25-30 – 62% Km 0/00
UDHAMPUR
4) Target Financial Year 2008-09
4) TARGET NH 1-A
KM 54/850
a) Feb’ 2007 RL 660
b) 2007-08 TAWI RIVER
L-0 COMPLETED
Pir Panjal (or T-80) is
LEGEND
COMPLETED
JAMMU-UDHAMPUR SECTION
EXECUTING AGENCY – N.RLY.
India's longest
RAIL BAJALTA 1) LENGTH
2) EXP/Cost
54.85 Kms.
512.39/520 Crs.
JAMMU TAWI
transportation railway
ROAD
KM.0/00 3) PHYSICAL PROGRESS
RIVER
RL 370 a) All works completed & commissioned
tunnel at 10.96km.
MOUNTAIN
b) The section has been taken over by open line.
Typical Geotechnical Project
Geo-Laboratory Design Office
soil properties ~ for design & analysis
~ for testing
14
construction site
Soil Testing
Site investigation
Laboratory testing
Field testing
Triaxial Test on Soil Sample in Laboratory
Vane Shear Standard
Test Penetration Test
Types of Laboratory Tests
Classification tests
Moisture content; Density; Atterberg limits; Particle size distribution
Chemical Tests
pH, sulphate, chloride, carbonate; Organic content and mass loss on
ignition
Compaction Tests
Density/moisture content relationships ; California bearing ratio
(CBR); Maximum/minimum density
Shear strength and triaxial tests
Shear Box; Laboratory vane shear; Triaxial tests; Ring shear for
residual strength
Consolidation Tests
1D consolidation, Triaxial consolidation; Hydraulic cells (Rowe);
Swelling tests
Permeability Tests
Constant head; Falling head; Triaxial permeability 16
Specialist Tests ; Contamination Tests
Instrumentation
Instrumentation is a popular method to verify the
theories, assumptions, construction methods etc.
To monitor the performances of earth and earth supported
structures
To measure loads, pressures, deformations, strains,…
CE 524L Geotechnical Investigations and
Foundation Design (3-0-0-3)
Geotechnical Investigations:
Site Investigation: stages of site investigation, codal provisions; Drilling methods
in soils and rocks; Sampling techniques in soils and rocks;
Laboratory tests and interpretation;
Field tests: SPT, DCPT, SCPT, in-situ vane shear test, pressuremeter test,
dilatometer test; Geophysical methods;
Foundation Design:
Shallow Foundations: types, design considerations, codal provisions; Bearing
capacity of soils and rocks from field and laboratory tests, total and differential
settlements;
Pile foundations: types of piles, construction methods, codal provisions; Axial
capacity of single pile and pile groups; Settlement of single piles and pile groups;
Uplift capacity, lateral load capacity, and negative skin friction of piles and pile
groups.
Course Objective
Describe different methods of subsoil investigation,
drilling, and sample collection in soils and rock deposits.
Describe the applications of the principles of soil
mechanics to analyse and design shallow and deep
foundations.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able
to
Plan an appropriate geotechnical investigation program
Design of a suitable foundation for different loading conditions
including compressive, uplift and lateral forces.
Text book(s):
Bowles J, Foundation Analysis and Design, McGrawHill (2008).
Clayton R, Mathews C M and Simons N E, Site Investigation, Wiley Blacwell (1995).
References
Murthy V N S, Advanced Foundation Engineering, CBS Publishers (2007).
Salgado R, The Engineering of Foundations, McGraw-Hill Education (2006).
Tomlinson M and Woodward J, Pile Design and Construction Practice, Taylors & Francis (2008).
Dunnicliff, J. and Green, G. E, Geotechnical Instrumentation for Monitoring Field Performance , John Wiley
& Sons, 1982.
Kurian N P, Design of Foundation Systems - Principles and Practices, Narosa Publishing House (1994).
Lunne, T., Robertson, P. K. and Powell, J. J. M, Cone Penetration Testing in Geotechnical Practice, Blackie
Academic & Professional, 1997.
Ameratunga, J., Sivakugan, N. and Das, B. M. (2016). Correlations of Soil and Rock Properties in
Geotechnical Engineering. in Geotechnical Engineering. Developments in Geotechnical Engineering.
Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2629-1
Peck, R. B., Hanson, W. E. and Thornburn, T. H.,Foundation Engineering, Wiley Eastern Ltd., 2nd
Edn., 1980.
Day. R W., Forensic Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering, Second Edition McGraw-Hill, (2011).
https://www.accessengineeringlibrary.com/content/book/9780071761338
• Indian Standard Codes of Practice
• Manuals and Journal publications…
https://www.amazon.in/Foundation-Analysis- Download available at
Design-Joseph-Bowles/dp/1259061035
http://geotechnique.info
Pre-knowledge
Geology
Soil Mechanics
Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
Holtz, R. D. Kovacs, W. D. and Sheahan, T. C. An Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering, Second edition, Pearson, 2013.
Lambe T W and Whitman R V, Soil Mechanics SI Version, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd.
(2008).
Coduto, D. P., Yeung, M. C. and Kitch, W. A, Geotechnical engineering: principles and
practices, New Delhi : PHI, 2011
Budhu, M. Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 2e, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd., 2008
Terzaghi, K., Peck R. B. and Mesri, G. Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice, John Wiley
& Sons, 1996.
Handy, R L and Spangler, M G, Geotechnical Engineering: Soil and Foundation Principles and
Practice, McGraw-Hill Education (2007).
Evaluation Scheme
Mid sem - 30%
Assignments – 20%
Class tests/Term project – 10%
End sem exam – 40%
