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Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering for GATE Civil Engineering, one topic per lesson: the theory in plain words, the formulas, a solved example, and GATE-style questions (MCQ, MSQ and NAT) whose numerical answers are recomputed by a program when the site is built.

Start the first lesson

1Soil Properties

  1. Soil Phase Relations and ClassificationThree-phase diagram, void ratio, porosity, water content, degree of saturation, unit weights, specific gravity, Atterberg limits, grain size distribution and IS soil classification.

2Water in Soil

  1. Permeability, Seepage and Effective StressDarcy's law, coefficient of permeability and its tests, layered soils, flow nets and seepage, effective stress principle, quick sand condition and critical hydraulic gradient.

3Compressibility

  1. Compaction, Stress Distribution and ConsolidationProctor compaction and OMC, Boussinesq and Westergaard stress distribution, 2:1 method, one-dimensional consolidation settlement, Terzaghi's theory, time factor and coefficient of consolidation.

4Strength

  1. Shear Strength of SoilsMohr-Coulomb failure criterion, direct shear, triaxial (UU, CU, CD) and unconfined compression tests, sensitivity, pore pressure parameters and stress paths.
  2. Earth Pressure and Slope StabilityAt-rest, active and passive earth pressure, Rankine and Coulomb theories, effect of surcharge and water table, tension cracks, and stability of infinite and finite slopes.

5Foundations

  1. Shallow and Deep FoundationsTerzaghi's bearing capacity equation and factors, effect of water table, settlement limits, plate load test, pile capacity by static formulas, pile groups and efficiency, and subsurface exploration.