- Docente: Guido Gottardi
- Credits: 6
- SSD: ICAR/07
- Language: Italian
- Moduli: Daniela Boldini (Modulo 1) Guido Gottardi (Modulo 2)
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Civil Engineering (cod. 8211)
Learning outcomes
The course is aimed at providing students with advanced knowledge of soil mechanics and geotechnical modelling, with special emphasis on their applications to the design of civil engineering structures. On successful completion of the course, the student will: know the characteristics and peculiarities of soil behaviour, be able to determine and compare physical and mechanical soil parameters, learn skills and develop methods for the design of main geotechnical structures.
Course contents
Characteristics and peculiarities of soil behaviour.
Revision of basic soil mechanics concepts. Soil description and classification. Groundwater, permeability and seepage. One-dimensional compression and consolidation rate. Stress distribution due to surface loads from elastic theory. Calculation of soil settlements. Soil shear strength and failure criteria.
The experimental soil behaviour. Laboratorytesting of volume element. The triaxial test. Stress and strain analysis of the experimental data. Drained and undrained conditions. Critical State Soil Mechanics.
Geotechnical investigations. Planning, executing, data processing, results interpretation. Site monitoring and observational method.
Stability analysis of geotechnical works. Stress paths. Drained and undrained conditions. Total and effective stress analyses. Limit equilibrium methods. The application of plasticity and limit analysis.
Retaining walls. Gravity and embedded retaining structures. Criteria for design and stability analyses.
Shallow foundations. Bearing capacity and settlements. General loading conditions and stratified soil.
Piled foundations. Pile types and installation methods, design of single piles, load tests, integrity testing, lateral loads. Pile groups and piled rafts.
Readings/Bibliography
Lecture notes.
William POWRIE: Soil Mechanics. Concepts & applications, 2nd Edition, Spon Press, 2004.
Teaching methods
The course is divided in two parts.
The first modulus is taught by Professor Daniela Boldini.
The second modulus is taught by Professor Guido Gottardi.
Lectures by invited foreign professorscan be included.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on a final oral exam as well as on specific homeworks carried out throughout the course.
Office hours
See the website of Guido Gottardi
See the website of Daniela Boldini