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27975 - Principles of Soil and Rock Mechanics

Academic Year 2011/2012

Teacher	Matteo Berti
Learning module	Matteo Berti (Modulo 1) Monica Ghirotti (Modulo 2) Alessandro Gargini (Modulo 3)
Number of credits	9
SSD	ICAR/07
Lingua	Italian

Versione italiana

Learning outcomes
Course contents
Readings/Bibliography
Teaching methods
Assessment methods
Teaching tools
Language of instruction
Office hours

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide the basic knowledge on the mechanical behaviour of soil and rock materials at the sample scale. Students will learn to:

- evaluate the physical characteristics of the soil (density, unit weight, grainsize distribution, plasticity)

- evaluate the deformability parameters of the soil and the effect of the stress history

- evaluate the shear strength parameters of the soil in drained and undrained conditions

- choose the suitable design parameters in the most common practical appliactions

- characterize the rock masses through geomechanical surveys and classification

Course contents

The topics of the course are:

A) soil mechanics

Origin and mineralogical composition of the soils
Soil fabric, specific surface, clay minerals, water in soils (adsorbed water, pore water)
Physical characteristics of soils (unit weight, porosity, void ratio, water content, saturation degree)
Grainsize distribution
Plasticity indexes and related parameters
Soil classification systems (USCS and AASHTO)
Elements of continuum mechanics, effective stresses, geostatic stresses
Stress-strain relationships and failure criteria
One-dimensional consolidation
Deformability parameters in oedometric conditions
The Mohr-Coulomb failure criterium
Shear strength of granular soils
Shear strength of fine soils

B) Rock mechanics

Strength and deformability of intact rock
Shear strength along rock discontinuities
Structural and geomechanical characterization of rock masses
Geomechanical classification systems
Use of stereonet prjections in rock mechanics

Readings/Bibliography

Italian: Renato Lancellotta (2004). Geotecnica. Terza edizione, Zanichelli, BO, 481 pp.

English: Holtz & Kovacs (1980). An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering . Prentice-Hall

Teaching methods

Classes will be held in the classroom and in the laboratory, where students will conduct the main geotechnical tests.

Assessment methods

The exam will consits of a written and an oral part. In case of a positive result, the written test will be onsidered valid for one year, after which t must be redone. The oral examination will evaluate (in order of importance): 1) knowledge of the physical-mechanical characterists of soils and rocks; 2) knowledge of laboratory tests procedures; 3) use of a proper technical language.

Teaching tools

Besides the traditional teaching tools (PC and video projectors) the course will make extensive use of the Geotechnical laboratory available at our Department. The main tests preformed by the students will be: soil sieving, Atterberg limits determination, uniaxial testing, direct shear testing.