Course info

Starting from the principles developed in the previous course Soil Mechanics 1, an introduction is presented to the procedures, stages, and approaches of a geotechnical job. After recalling Darcy’s Law, calculations are developed for aquifers, pumping from wells, and more generally the flow of water through soils and its effects on compositional and mechanical stability. The ideas of limit equilibrium and mechanisms are introduced, and used to analyse the stability of slopes. Some aspects of landslide stabilisation and avoidance are also covered.