1. GLE/CEE 330: Soil Mechanics Course Introduction
Lecture 1 – Fall 2014
William J. Likos, Ph.D.
Geological Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison

2. Objectives of Welcome Lecture
Introduce instructor
Discuss key elements of soil mechanics
Discuss syllabus
Brief introduction as a welcome – ask a very open ended question – what is this sand particles role in the universe? – show picture of sand grain – than transition to next question with picture of cosmos – smattering of sand? - well first need to understand is where is this soil particle in the universe – then proceed through geologic history to humans to

3. William (Bill) Likos
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1415 Engineering Drive (Office 2226)
Madison, WI 53706
EDUCATION
• Colorado School of Mines, (2000): Ph.D. in Engineering Systems
• Tulane University, (1996): M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Tulane University, (1994): B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering
HISTORY
Associate Professor: University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012-present)
Associate Professor: University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (2008 – 2012)
Assistant Professor: University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (2002 – 2008)
Research Assistant Professor: Colorado School of Mines (2001 – 2002)
Geotechnical Engineer: USGS Landslides Hazards Program (1996 – 1999)

4. Research Interests unsaturated soil mechanics
expansive clay behavior & applications
laboratory characterization (mechanical, hydrologic, thermal)
pore-scale imaging and analysis(micromechanics)
field monitoring & instrumentation
beneficial reuse

5. Teaching Interests Intro. soil mechanics (undergraduate, GLE/CEE 330)
Unsaturated soil mechanics (graduate)
Interfacial mechanics
Fluid flow
Capillary stress
Testing and measurement
Soil behavior (graduate)
Clay mineralogy
Clay surface properties
Double-layer phenomena
Macroscopic clay behavior (what is the link?)

6. Unsaturated Soil Mechanics

7. Expansive clays (K. Gaspard, LTRC) high (FoundationSupportWorks.com)
low
(FoundationSupportWorks.com)
(K. Gaspard, LTRC)

8. What is Soil Mechanics?

9. What are we looking at? 1 mm
Brief introduction as a welcome – ask a very open ended question – what is this sand particles role in the universe? – show picture of sand grain – than transition to next question with picture of cosmos – smattering of sand? - well first need to understand is where is this soil particle in the universe – then proceed through geologic history to humans to

10. Key Elements of Soil Mechanics
Analysis of soil as an engineering material
How can we describe soil?
Classification and Index Properties
How can we predict/measure soil behavior?
Stress/Strain Behavior
Strength Behavior
Compressibility Behavior
Fluid Flow Behavior
How can we apply soil mechanics?
“Geotechnical Engineering”
Foundations, Slopes, Retaining Walls, Dams, etc.
Brief introduction as a welcome – ask a very open ended question – what is this sand particles role in the universe? – show picture of sand grain – than transition to next question with picture of cosmos – smattering of sand? - well first need to understand is where is this soil particle in the universe – then proceed through geologic history to humans to

11. Select History of Soil Mechanics
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb –
Member French Royal Engineers
Evaluated earth pressure and failure mechanisms in soil via a soil buttress against a castle wall
Soil movement along slip plane must overcome resistance in soil – attribute to particle friction
French natural philosopher; employed as a military engineer; distinguished in regards to mechanics, electricity, and magnetism
“failure of a laterally supported bank occurs as a result of the shearing resistance of the earth being exceeded along a surface of sliding”
nndb.com
Budhu (2007)

12. Select History of Soil Mechanics
Henry Darcy –
Hydraulic engineer who defined principles of flow through permeable media (e.g., sands)
French engineer;
wikipedia.com

13. Select History of Soil Mechanics
William Rankine –
Scottish civil engineer, mathematician, and physicist
Added to earth pressure theory for retaining walls
Albert M. Atterberg –
Swedish chemist – interested in soil classification
Developed plasticity limits for clayey soils
Transition from Rankine (earth pressure) to Swedish engineers working on soft soils – coined the word “geotechnical”
Atterberg – Swedish engineer focused on soil classification – established plasticity and liquid limits we use today
scottish-places.info
geodiendo.blogspot.com
cakitches.com

14. Select History of Soil Mechanics
Karl Terzaghi –
Know as the father of soil mechanics
Originally from Austria – professor at MIT and Harvard
Principle of effective stress; clay consolidation theory
Published “Erdbaumechanik” or “Soil Mechanics” in 1925
Formulated theories on soil mechanics in his famous book and the proved them through experiments – active consultant & academician
gsl.erdc.usace.army.mil

15. Terzaghi’s Effective StressP sv sh t uw
self-weight and external (induced) stress
stress carried by soil skeleton
s = total stress (sv and sh)
s’ = effective stress (s’v and s’h)
uw = pore water pressure (isotropic)
hydrostatic (no-flow) or flow cond.

16. Modern Soil Mechanics Applications
Geotechnical earthquake engineering
Geoenvironmental engineering
Energy Geotechnics
Many, many more….
Image: Wikipedia
Published “Erdbaumechanik” or “Soil Mechanics” in 1925
Formulated theories on soil mechanics in his famous book and the proved them through experiments – active consultant & academician
Image: 1964 Niigata Earthquake (Mr = 7.5)
Image: Waste Management

17. Course Design and Syllabus

18. Purpose and Objectives
Provide students with physical, mechanical, chemical, and mathematical tools and concepts for the understanding of engineering behavior of soils and introduction to engineering design of geotechnical engineering systems.
Objectives:
Develop technical competence in basic principles of soil mechanics and fundamentals of application in engineering practice.
Identify important engineering properties of soils and their characteristics and describe the factors which control these properties.
Apply laboratory methods for determining the properties of soils.
Identify common situations when the soil becomes a factor in an engineering or environmental problem.
Perform basic analytical procedures to obtain engineering quantities desired given formulas, tables, and the soil properties and understand their limitations.

19. General Information Meeting Time: T&R, 9:30 am – 10:45 am
Meeting Place: 1227 Engineering Hall
Prerequisites: EMA 303 or 304, or consent
Course Webpage: Available on Moodle
Text: Budhu, M. (2007). Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Instructor: William J. Likos, PhD
Office: E-Hall,
Office Hours: T&R, am

20. Laboratory
Soil mechanics laboratory will be held in EH Laboratory sessions are held on Tuesday through Friday from 1:20 pm to 3:15 pm. Teaching assistants (TAs) will be assigned as your laboratory instructors.
Laboratory reports will be graded for technical content as well as the writing and presentation. Your TAs will review these expectations. Some laboratory reports will be individual and others will be group reports. Your laboratory grade will be based on ~80% - laboratory reports and ~20% - final project.
Safety first! Students should adhere to all safety policies described by the TAs.

21. Assessment Methods
Homework and Quizzes. Homework assignments and quizzes will be given throughout the semester. All homework is to be completed individually in an organized and professional manner. Assignments will be graded for completeness with individual problems (all if possible) graded for correctness. Homework solutions will be posted after homework is graded and handed back.
Exams. Two 90 minute exams will be held during the semester. The exams are scheduled for October 2nd and November 13th. Both exams will be held in the evening. Students should plan their schedules around this time. A comprehensive 2-hr final exam will be given at the end of the semester. Prior consent from the instructor or a doctor’s certificate are the only satisfactory excuses for missing an exam. All exams are cumulative.

22. Grading
This course is a 4-credit course with one of the credits for the laboratory portion of the course. Therefore, the course involves more work compared to other courses that are typically 3-credits. Course grades will be based on the following:
Homework and Quizzes = 15%; Exam 1 = 15%; Exam 2 = 20%; Final Exam = 25%; Laboratory = 25%
Late homework assignments or laboratory reports will not be graded.