C&ENVENG 7069 - Geotechnical Engineering

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course is intended to reinforce the fundamentals of Soil Mechanics, in particular the analytical and design aspects of the subject. Design procedures will be introduced through problem solving, emphasising the role of idealisation of the field problems. Topics covered in the course include: site investigations and in situ testing; advanced topics in triaxial testing; lateral earth pressures and retaining wall design; foundation design; loading induced stresses and displacements; bearing capacity of shallow foundations; analysis and design of shallow foundations; analysis and design of pile foundations; pavement design; stability of slopes.

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Course Details

Course Code	C&ENVENG 7069
Course	Geotechnical Engineering
Coordinating Unit	School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Eng
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Assessment	Exams 60%, coursework 40%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Brendan Scott

Lecturers: Brendan Scott, Dr. An Deng

Design Sessions: Dr. Matthew Duthy, Dr. Issa Kousa, Brendan Scott, Irene Chung

Practical Coordinator: Dr. Issa Kousa

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

A full timetable will be available to students through MyUni.

Students need to enrol in the practical sessions. Practicals are held in the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratories, Ground Floor, Engineering Annex. Schedules and group numbers will be posted on MyUni. Prior to the start of your practical, you must have read the 'Practical Notes' and completed the 'Online Learning Modules' (both will be available on MyUni) for your relevant practical. Before entering the laboratory, Students must have also completed an online induction (available on MyUni). Closed toe and sturdy shoes must be worn in the laboratories. Students failing to comply with this will not be allowed to enter the laboratories.

Failure to attend a practical class will result in zero marks for that practical; attendance records will be kept. The group with whom you conduct the practical is the same group with whom you contribute towards the practical report. No ‘extra’ laboratory sessions will be held for students who miss their allocated session. Students who miss a laboratory class due to medical reasons should present proof to the practical coordinator who will then arrange for you to join another group. Students who miss their allocated practical session must consult with the Practical Coordinator who will schedule you into another session if there is one available.

Course Learning Outcomes

This course extends fundamental concepts of geotechnical engineering and soil mechanics and focuses on geotechnical design.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Interpret and summarise desktop information to predict the expected soil and groundwater conditions prior to undertaking a site investigation;

2. Scope and plan site investigations that are feasible, cost effective and appropriately characterise the ground;

3. Develop an idealised geotechnical model that summarises the ground profile and identifies and quantifies key parameters needed for design;

4. Calculate lateral earth pressures, loading induced stresses and displacements, and bearing capacity of shallow foundations;

5. Design retaining walls, foundations and pavements, and analyse the stablility of slopes;

6. Evaluate design options and specify final design recommendations based on factors such as sustainability, construction feasibility and cost effectiveness;

7. Communicate designs visually using computer aided drawings;

8. Measure soil properties in the laboratory and interpret and summarise the data.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-8
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1-8
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1-8
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-6
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Electronic copies of lecture notes and other relevant learning resources, such as copies of PowerPoint slides and audio recordings of
lectures, will be made available to students, at no cost, via MyUni.

In addition, hard copies of lecture notes can be purchased from 'Image and Copy'.

Recommended Resources

Students are encouraged to purchase text books; they will be beneficial for this course (although not essential).

Recommended text books:

Atkinson, J., The Mechanics of Soils and Foundations, 2nd ed., 2007, Spon Press.

Knappett, J. A. and Craig, R. F., Craig's Soil Mechanics, 8th ed., 2012, Spon Press.

Smith, I., Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics, 9th ed., 2014, John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Online Learning

MyUni will be used to disseminate learning resources and information relevant to the course. Online learning modules will be used to assist your preparation for laboratory experiments and these are available on MyUni. In addition, the MyUni Discussion Boards and Gradebook will also be utilised in this course.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course involves the following teaching and learning approaches:

Lectures
Tutorials
Software and physical demonstrations
Design sessions
Practical classes
Examination

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Activity	Contact Hours	Independent Study Hours	Total
Lectures & interactive learning modules	27	0	27
Design Project reports (x3, formative)	12	40	52
In-class problem set questions	6	12	18
Practicals (x3, formative)	4.5	13.5	18
Assignments (x6, formative)	0	18	18
Exam preparation	0	20	20
Exam (x1, summative)	3	0	3
Total	52.5	103.5	156

Learning Activities Summary

On successful completion of this course students will be able to apply the fundamentals of Soil Mechanics to:

Interpret and summarise desktop information about the Project site to predict the expected soil and ground water conditions;

Scope and plan a site investigation that is feasible, cost effective and provides all necessary design information for the Project;

Develop an idealised geotechnical model for the Project site that summarises the soil profile, and identifies and quantifies key parameters needed for design;

Undertake the design of retaining walls, footings and pavements; quantify loading induced stresses and displacements; calculate the bearing capacity of shallow footings and analyse the stablility of slopes;

Evaluating design options and providing final design recommendations based on factors such as sustainability, construction feasibility and cost effectiveness;

Communicate their final designs visually using computer aided drawings;

Develop a proficiency in handling experimental data; summarising the results of a laboratory experiment to a professional standard.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task (type)	Weighting	Submission	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Tutorials: 6 no. in total [formative]	10%	Individual	One week after being assigned	4-5
Practicals: 3 no. in total [formative]	10%	Group	Two weeks after lab session	7-8
Design Project: 3 no. phases [formative]	20%	Group	Refer MyUni	1-6
Examination: (3 hrs, open book) [summative]	60%	Individual	During exam period	1-5

Assessment Related Requirements

The tutorials will be individual submissions, whereas the design and practical reports will be submitted as a group – one submission per group. Students will be assigned to practical groups with up to 4 students in each group. Students will be able to choose their own design project groups, but the total number of persons in each group should not be less than 5 and not greater than 6.

Assessment Detail

Further details of each assignment will be provided in lectures and via MyUni well before the due date.

Submission

The submission time for all assessment tasks in this course is 4 pm on the due date, unless otherwise specified.

Details of the submission process will also be provided in lectures and via MyUni as part of the information provided relevant to the assignments.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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