The University of Texas at Austin CE 357 Geotechnical Engineering CE 357 Geotechnical Engineering Spring 2020 Instructor: Dr. Brady R. Cox, P.E. ECJ 9.227F 512-471-9162; [email protected] Office Hours: MW 4:00-6:00 PM and T 4:00-6:00 PM Lectures: MWF 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM in ECJ 1.204 MWF 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM in ECJ 1.314 Laboratories: Labs associated with 11:00 AM course Unique #15475: TH 8:00-11:00 in ECJ B.140 Unique #15480: M 12:00-3:00 in ECJ B.140 Unique #15485: M 3:00-6:00 in ECJ B.140 Unique #15490: W 3:00-6:00 in ECJ B.140 Labs associated with 3:00 PM course Unique #15495: F 12:00-3:00 in ECJ B.140 Unique #15500: T 3:00-6:00 in ECJ B.140 Unique #15505: TH 3:00-6:00 in ECJ B.140 Teaching Assistants: Names and office hours for teaching assistants will be provided in each laboratory section Textbook: (Required) Das, Braja and Khaled Sobhan. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering – 8th or 9th Edition. Cengage Learning, 2016 Lab Manual: (Required) Daniel, David E., and the Geotechnical Engineering Faculty and Staff, Laboratory Manual for CE 357 – Geotechnical Engineering (Available at the UT Co-Op). Materials: The basics… engineering paper, calculator, straight edge, compass and protractor. Prerequisites: Engineering Mechanics 319 - Mechanics of Solids Civil Engineering 319F - Elementary Mechanics of Fluids Course Description: A major specialty area within civil engineering, geotechnical engineering focuses on how soil and rock support and affect the performance of structures built on or below the earth's surface. This course will introduce the student to the basic principles that govern the behavior of soils, foundations, and other geotechnical engineering works. The central concepts to be covered in this course are: (a) Composition and classification of soils; (b) Engineering soil properties and their measurement; (c) Soil permeability and pore water movement; (d) Stresses in soil and the effective stress concept; (e) Soil compressibility, consolidation, and settlements; and (f) Shear strength of soil and bearing capacity. 1 The University of Texas at Austin CE 357 Geotechnical Engineering An understanding of these basic concepts is essential in the design of foundations for structures, retaining walls, tunnels, excavations, earth fills, dams, pavements, stable earth slopes, landfills, and environmental remediation projects. The laboratory component of this course will provide hands-on experience with characterizing soils for engineering purposes and help to familiarize the student with ASTM geotechnical laboratory testing procedures and standards. Course Objectives: A student completing this course should be able to: 1. Solve problems related to weight-volume relationships for soil (i.e., determine void ratio, unit weight, water content, degree of saturation, etc…). 2. Classify soils according to the USCS system using grain size distribution data and Atterberg Limits. 3. List appropriate drilling, sampling and in-situ soil property measurement tools for different types of soil and rock. 4. Calculate the flow rate of water through soils and explain how permeability and head loss influence flow rate. 5. Determine total stresses, pore water pressures, and effective stresses for in-situ soils. 6. Explain how negative pore water pressures and upward or downward seepage influence the effective stress in a soil mass. 7. Explain the relationship between dry density and water content in regards to soil compaction. 8. Estimate the magnitude (settlement) and time rate of primary consolidation for clay soils. 9. Solve for the state of stress on any plane in a soil mass using the principles of Mohr’s Circle. 10. Describe the Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria for soils, including the two distinct parameters that influence soil shear strength (c and ). 11. Evaluate the bearing capacity of shallow foundations on clay soils and sandy soils. 12. Predict the vertical stress increase caused by foundation loads at various locations in a soil mass using Boussinesq-type stress distribution solutions. 13. Estimate the settlement of shallow foundations on clay soils and sandy soils. 14. Summarize the fundamental differences in the engineering behavior of sand- and clay-type soils (in terms of permeability, compaction, consolidation/settlement, shear strength, etc…) Additionally, students successfully completing this course will acquire the background knowledge needed to complete more advanced courses in geotechnical engineering (i.e., CE 360K - Foundation Engineering, CE 375 - Earth Slopes and Retaining Structures, as well as courses at the graduate level) and improve their professional engineering skills, including the presentation of technical data and written communications. Course Grading: Class Assignments: 20% Laboratory Assignments: 20% Mid-term Examination 30% Final Examination (comprehensive) 30% Total 100% The plus/minus grading scale will be used when assigning letter grades. A minimum exam average of 50% is required to pass the course. Students who miss an examination will receive a grade of zero on that exam. Exceptions to this rule will be made only on a carefully considered basis, and only if 2 The University of Texas at Austin CE 357 Geotechnical Engineering the student contacts the professor before the exam. Laboratory attendance is also mandatory in order to pass the course. The lab attendance policy is further explained in the Laboratory section, below. Course Attendance: Students are expected to attend all class periods and must attend all laboratory periods. Those who fail to attend class regularly will struggle to perform well on the course examinations. Students are responsible for material identified in the readings and covered in class, even if absent from class for authorized activities. Course Assignments: Homework assignments will generally be assigned each week and will be due at the beginning of class on the date specified. Late assignments will be accepted if turned in within 24 hours of the original due date/time. However, the score on any late assignments will be reduced by 20%. An assignment will be considered late after assignments have been collected at the beginning of class. In order to get credit for an assignment you must submit a hard copy (not an electronic copy) prior to the due date/time. This requirement also applies to receiving credit for late assignments. As you will quickly learn after college, most practicing engineers spend more time and effort communicating their ideas, analyses, and results than they do performing technical calculations. To encourage the development of these vital professional skills, your homework assignments may require a written response, and not just a simple numerical answer. In addition to engineering calculations, you might be asked to explain the important aspects of a problem, to identify the assumptions you have made, or to give some recommendations. Write your answers in paragraph form using good, technical English. When required, neatly draw all sketches and data plots using a straight edge, French curve, compass, etc., and show all relevant labels/units. As much as possible, I want your assignments to reflect real-world engineering practice where your submission to a client involves much more than calculations. Above all, present your results clearly and concisely so that someone else, who may be less knowledgeable than you are, could understand and apply your results correctly. At my discretion, I will give extra credit up to a maximum of 10% of the points for a homework assignment to students who submit neat, professional-looking assignments according to the sample homework format attached to this syllabus. Diligently completing homework assignments is the single most important factor in learning the course material. The effort put into performing and understanding your homework will certainly affect your final grade. Students may consult with each other regarding homework assignments. However, each student is responsible for understanding the principles behind the correct homework solution (not just the correct answer). Students are expected to report cheating issues to the professor. Cheating on homework assignments (i.e., blatantly copying another student’s work or a prior homework solution) will NOT be tolerated and at a minimum will result in: (1) a score of zero on the assignment, and (2) a reduction of 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g., from B to B-, or C+ to C) on the final grade earned in the course. If a student is caught cheating on a homework assignment, we will meet together and fill out the Faculty Referral/ Disposition Form found at the link provided below. This form will then be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Students. “An additional academic dishonesty violation could result in the student’s suspension or expulsion from the University.” http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct/downloads/FacultyReferralDispositionForm1819.pdf 3 The University of Texas at Austin CE 357 Geotechnical Engineering Course Examinations: There will be one, 2-hour mid-term examination given during the semester. This exam will be held outside of regular class hours to accommodate a single mid-term exam for both the 11AM and 3PM courses. The mid-term exam will take place from 7-9 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2020 in PAI 3.02. In addition to material covered in class lectures and homework assignments, exams may include questions from the laboratory portion of the class or from reading assignments. Course examinations will be closed-book and closed-notes. However, you will be permitted to bring one sheet (8.5 x 11 inch) of your own handwritten notes to each examination. The organizational effort required to do this is an effective means of reviewing the course content before the exam. In addition, you need to bring a calculator, straight edge, compass and protractor to the exams. Cell phones must be turned off and stored out of sight during exams.