1. Settlements of clayey soils. Consolidation theory. Drainage and preconsolidation. Calculation of total settlements. Time-dependent settlement analysis.
2. Shear strength of soils. Types of laboratory tests. Stress–strain behavior of granular and cohesive soils. Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. Behavior of saturated soils under drained and undrained conditions.
3. Earth pressures. Active and passive earth pressures. Methods for the calculation of earth pressures.
4. Slope stability. Infinite slopes. Methods for slope stability analysis in the presence of seepage flow. Method of slices.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Calculate settlements of saturated clayey soils.
• Determine the shear strength of various soil types through laboratory and in-situ testing.
• Analyze and evaluate shear strength test results for the determination of design parameters.
• Calculate active and passive earth pressures acting on retaining structures.
• Assess the stability of natural and engineered slopes and estimate the factor of safety under different geotechnical conditions.
• Apply fundamental principles of Soil Mechanics to the solution of practical geotechnical engineering problems.