CEE 330: Soil Mechanics

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CEE 330 - Soil Mechanics

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CEE 330: Soil Mechanics, Spring 2007 (Fratta), formerly Course Homepage of Fratta

CEE 330: Soil Mechanics, Fall 2003 (Bosscher)

CEE 330: Soil Mechanics, Spring 2003 (Benson)

CEE 330: Soil Mechanics, Spring 2002 (Edil)

CEE 330: Soil Mechanics, Fall 2001 (Tinjum, James)

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Catalog Description

330 Soil Mechanics. (Crosslisted with G L E 330.) I, II; 4 cr. Basic principles of soil mechanics and fundamentals of application in engineering practice; soil composition and texture; classification; permeability and seepage; consolidation; settlement; shear strength; lateral earth pressures; fundamentals of retaining structures, shallow and deep foundations, slope stability; sub-surface exploration; lab. P: EMA 303 or 304. Edil, Bosscher, Adams, Benson.

Course Prerequisite(s)

CEE 310
EMA 303 or 304

Prerequisite knowledge and/or skills

Students should have a basic understanding of the following:
basic tools for stress, strain and strength analysis
to design structures, predict failures and understand the physical properties of materials
analyze and design structural members subjected to tension, compression, torsion and bending using fundamental concepts of stress, strain, elastic behavior and inelastic behavior.
conduct themselves professionally and with regard to their responsibilities to society, especially with respect to designing structures to prevent failure.
a fundamental knowledge and understanding of the mechanics of fluid at rest and in motion by describing and observing fluid phenomena and by developing and using the principles and laws for analyzing fluid interactions with natural and constructed systems.

Textbook(s) and/or other required material

Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, by Braja M Das, Brooks/Cole, 2001, 5th ed.

Course objectives

Develop technical competence in basic principles of soil mechanics and fundamentals of application in engineering practice. (Outcomes b, e, k)
Ability to list the salient engineering properties of soils and their characteristics and describe the factors which control these properties. (Outcomes c)
Ability to apply laboratory methods of determining the properties of soils. (Outcomes a, c, d, k)
Ability to identify common situations when the soil becomes a factor in an engineering or environmental problem. (Outcomes a, c, i, k)
Capable of performing basic analytical procedures in these situations to obtain the engineering quantity desired given the formuli, tables, and the soil properties and understand their limitations. (Outcomes a, c, d, k)

Topics covered

Principles of Soil Mechanics:
1. Engineering Geology, Soil Composition & Classification
2. Flow of Water in Soils
3. Stress
4. Compressibility & Settlement
5. Shear Strength
Applications in GeoEngineering:
1. Excavation, Grading, and Compaction
2. Geosynthetics
3. Geoenvironmental Engineering
4. Slope Stability
5. Shallow Foundations
6. Deep Foundations
7. Retaining Structures

Class/laboratory schedule

Class meets twice a week for 75 minute lectures.
One two hour laboratory session is held each week.

Contribution of course to meeting the professional component

This course contributes primarily to the students' knowledge of engineering topics, and does provide design experience.

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

Economic Environmental Ethical Health & Safety

Relationship of course to undergraduate degree program objectives and outcomes

This course serves students in a variety of engineering majors. The information below describes how the course contributes to the college's educational objectives.

Soil Mechanics refers to the application of the mechanics of materials and fluids to describe the behavior of soils. The course covers soil mechanics along with GeoEngineering in a less rigorous and more qualitative manner. Upon completion of the course, students should have an understanding of the properties of soils, the standard analyses performed by a GeoEngineer, and the qualitative aspects of soil behavior which are used in the analysis of problems in GeoEngineering. Within the Geological Engineering Program, this course helps provide key educational outcomes as listed below: a. an ability to apply knowledge and principles of mathematics, science, and engineering to geological engineering problems. This includes differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, and geological science topics that emphasize geologic processes, the identification of minerals and rocks, geophysics, and field methods. This also includes engineering science topics such as statics, properties/strength of materials, and geomechanics. b. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data c. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, constructability, and sustainability. This requires exposure to topics such as surface and near-surface natural processes, the impacts of construction projects, disposal of wastes, and site remediation. d. an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams e. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve geological engineering problems in space and time. This includes the knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of earth materials, surface water, ground water and their distribution. f. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. g. an ability to communicate effectively h. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context. i. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning j. a knowledge of contemporary issues k. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Assessment of student progress toward course objectives

Homework comprises 20% of final grade.
Two exams make up 30% of final grade.
Laboratory is worth 25% of final grade.
Final exam is worth 25% of final grade.

Person(s) who prepared this description

Peter J. Bosscher

Copyright 2007 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
Date last modified: 12-Jul-2007
Content by: cee@engr.wisc.edu
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