Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics

Ian Smith

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780470673393
• eBook ISBN: 9781118848845
• Edition: 9
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Civil Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The 9^th edition maintains the content on all soil mechanics subject areas - groundwater flow, soil physical properties, stresses, shear strength, consolidation and settlement, slope stability, retaining walls, shallow and deep foundations, highways, site investigation - but has been expanded to include a detailed explanation of how to use Eurocode 7 for geotechnical design.

The key change in this new edition is the expansion of the content covering Geotechnical Design to Eurocode 7. Redundant material relating to the now defunct British Standards - no longer referred to in degree teaching - has been removed.

Building on the success of the earlier editions, this 9^th edition of Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics brings additional material on geotechnical design to Eurocode 7 in an understandable format. Many worked examples are included to illustrate the processes for performing design to this European standard.

Significant updates throughout the book have been made to reflect other developments in procedures and practices in the construction and site investigation industries. More worked examples and many new figures have been provided throughout. The illustrations have been improved and the new design and layout of the pages give a lift.

• unique content to illustrate the use of Eurocode 7 with essential guidance on how to use the now fully published code
• clear content and well-organised structure
• takes complicated theories and processes and presents them in easy-to-understand formats
• book's website offers examples and downloads to further understanding of the use of Eurocode 7 www.wiley.com/go/smith/soil

Chapter 1
Classification and Physical Properties of Soils

In the field of civil engineering, nearly all projects are built on to, or into, the ground. Whether the project is a structure, a roadway, a tunnel, or a bridge, the nature of the soil at that location is of great importance to the civil engineer. Geotechnical engineering is the term given to the branch of engineering that is concerned with aspects pertaining to the ground. Soil mechanics is the subject within this branch that looks at the behaviour of soils in civil engineering.

Geotechnical engineers are not the only professionals interested in the ground; soil physicists, agricultural engineers, farmers and gardeners all take an interest in the types of soil with which they are working. These workers, however, concern themselves mostly with the organic topsoils found at the soil surface. In contrast, geotechnical engineers are mainly interested in the engineering soils found beneath the topsoil. It is the engineering properties and behaviour of these soils which are their concern.

1.1 Agricultural and Engineering Soil

If an excavation is made through previously undisturbed ground the following materials are usually encountered (Fig. 1.1).

Fig. 1.1 Materials encountered during excavation.

Topsoil

A layer of organic soil, usually not more than 500 mm thick, in which humus (highly organic partly decomposed vegetable matter) is often found.

Subsoil

The portion of the Earth's crust affected by current weathering, and lying between the topsoil and the unweathered soil below.

Hardpan

In humid climates humic acid can be formed by rainwater causing decomposition of humus. This acid leaches out iron and alumina oxides down into the lower layers where they act as cementation agents to form a hard, rock-like material. Hardpan is difficult to excavate and, as it does not soften when wet, has a high resistance to normal soil drilling methods. A hardpan layer is sometimes found at the junction of the topsoil and the subsoil.

Soil

The soft geological deposits extending from the subsoil to bedrock. In some soils there is a certain amount of cementation between the grains which affects the physical properties of the soil. If this cementation is such that a rock-hard material has been produced, then the material must be described as rock. A rough rule is that if the material can be excavated by hand or hand tools, then it is a soil.

Groundwater

A reservoir of underground water. The upper surface of this water may occur at any depth and is known as the water table or groundwater level (GWL).

1.2 Engineering Definitions

Geologists class all items of the Earth's crust as rock, whether hard or soft deposits. Civil engineers consider rock and soil separately.

1.2.1 Rock

Rocks are made from various types of minerals. Minerals are substances of crystalline form made up from a particular chemical combination. The main minerals found in...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title page
• Copyright page
• About the Author
• Preface
• Notation Index
• About the Companion Website
• Chapter 1: Classification and Physical Properties of Soils
• Chapter 2: Permeability and Flow of Water in Soils
• Chapter 3: Total and Effective Stress
• Chapter 4: Shear Strength of Soils
• Chapter 5: Eurocode 7
• Chapter 6: Site Investigation
• Chapter 7: Lateral Earth Pressure
• Chapter 8: Retaining Structures
• Chapter 9: Bearing Capacity and Shallow Foundations
• Chapter 10: Pile Foundations
• Chapter 11: Foundation Settlement and Soil Compression
• Chapter 12: Rate of Foundation Settlement
• Chapter 13: Stability of Slopes
• Chapter 14: Compaction and Soil Mechanics Aspects of Highway Design
• References
• Index
• End User License Agreement