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Soilmechanics: by Dr. ETG 2112

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10 views

Soilmechanics: by Dr. ETG 2112

Uploaded by

viksithv
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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S O I L M EC H A N I C S

BY DR. SANKHA WIDISINGHE


ETG 2112

Email – [email protected]
C H A PT ER 1 - H I S T O RI C A L PERS PEC T I V E
O F S O I L M EC H A N I C S

-Pre-classical and classical periods of Soil Mechanics


-Modern soil Mechanics in 19th Century and 20th Century
-Importance of soil mechanics for Geotechnology
G E O T E C H N I C A L E N G I N E E R I N G P R I O R T O T H E 18 T H
C EN T U RY
The understanding of geotechnical engineering as it is known today began early in
the 18th century
For years the art of geotechnical engineering was based on only past
experiences through a succession of experimentation without any real
scientific character. Based on those experimentations, many structures
were built—some of which have crumbled, while others are still standing.
Recorded history tells us that ancient civilizations flourished along the banks
of rivers, such as the Nile (Egypt), the Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia), the
Huang Ho (Yellow River, China), and the Indus (India).
Dykes dating back to about 2000 B.C. were built in the basin of the Indus to
protect the town of M ohenjo Dara (in what became Pakistan after 1947).
During the Chan dynasty in China (1120 B.C. to 249 B.C.), many dikes were
built for irrigation purposes.
There is no evidence that measures were taken to stabilize the foundations
or check erosion caused by floods
Ancient Greek civilization used isolated pad footings and strip-and-raft
foundations for building structures.
Beginning around 2700 B.C., several pyramids were built in Egypt, most of which
were built as tombs for the country’s Pharaohs and their consorts during the old
and Middle Kingdom periods.
The construction of the pyramids posed formidable challenges regarding
foundations, stability of slopes, and construction of underground
chambers
With the arrival of Buddhism in China during the Eastern Han dynasty in 68
A.D., thousands of pagodas were built. Many of these structures were
constructed on silt and soft clay layers. In some cases the foundation pressure
exceeded the load-bearing capacity of the soil and thereby caused
extensive structural damage.
One of the most famous examples of problems related to soil-bearing
capacity in the construction of structures prior to the 18th century is the
Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy

The t ower has t ilt ed. Recent investigations showed that a weak clay
layer exist s at a dept h of about 11 m below t he ground surface,
compression of which caused t he t ower t o t ilt .
The tower on the left is the Garisenda Tower. It is 48 m high and weighs about
4210 metric tons. It has tilted about 4 degrees. The tower on the right is the
Asinelli Tower, which is 97 m high and weighs 7300 metric tons. It has tilted about
1.3 degrees. The towers are located in Bologna, and were built in Italy in 12th
century
Thank you

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