Availabilities:
Unit Summary
Unit type
UG Coursework Unit
Credit points
12
AQF level
Level of learning
Advanced
Former School/College
Pre-requisites
Unit aim
Expands on knowledge gained in the unit Soil Mechanics and Geology and applies this knowledge to geotechnical design. Students will learn to investigate, prepare and design geotechnical structures. They will also learn how to conduct geotechnical site investigations, design foundations and assess geotechnical safety and stability.
Unit content
- Methods of site investigation
- Vertical stress increase under foundations
- Bearing capacity and settlement of foundations
- Design of shallow foundations
- Design of deep footings and pile foundations
- Slope stability of soils and rock slopes
- Design of earth retaining structures
- Design of excavations using techniques such as passive soil nailing or rock anchors
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | apply knowledge of soil mechanics and geology to design a range of different geotechnical components including shallow and deep foundations, excavations, analyse the stability of soil | |||||||
| 2 | specify a site testing regime to adequately develop an understanding of the soil/rock properties on a site in order to develop suitable engineering designs | |||||||
| 3 | assess site specific contextual factors and constraints to select appropriate geotechnical solutions to complex problems | |||||||
| 4 | model typical geotechnical problems using industry standard computer modelling techniques. | |||||||
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
-
apply knowledge of soil mechanics and geology to design a range of different geotechnical components including shallow and deep foundations, excavations, analyse the stability of soil
- GA4:
- GA5:
-
specify a site testing regime to adequately develop an understanding of the soil/rock properties on a site in order to develop suitable engineering designs
- GA4:
- GA5:
-
assess site specific contextual factors and constraints to select appropriate geotechnical solutions to complex problems
- GA2:
- GA4:
-
model typical geotechnical problems using industry standard computer modelling techniques.
- GA4:
- GA5:
Prescribed texts
- Das, B, 2015, Principles of Foundation Engineering, 8th edn, Cengage Learning, Stamford, CT, USA. ISBN: 9781305081567.