Geotechnical engineering

scientific study of earth materials in engineering problems; branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials

Geotechnical engineering is an important subset of civil engineering dealing with engineering performance of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to determine:

A drilling machine for foundation piles.
  • subsurface conditions and materials;
  • relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials;
  • stability of natural slopes and man-made soil deposits;
  • risks posed by site conditions;

to design:

and to monitor:

Foundations built for above-ground structures include shallow and deep foundations. Retaining structures include earth-filled dams and retaining walls.

Notes change

  1. Terzaghi, K., Peck, R.B. and Mesri, G. (1996), Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-08658-4
  2. Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-484394-0