Soil mechanics and flow through porous media
Summary
The course introduces students to the fundamentals of the mechanics of soils and fluid-infiltrated porous media. The first part is devoted to the constitutive behavior of soils in dry conditions, while the second part accounts for the presence of pore water.
Content
- Soil structure and phases, porosity, grain size distribution, soil classification
- Micromechanics, stress and strain within a soil mass
- Linear elasticity, geostatic stresses, stresses induced by loads, elastic halfspace solutions
- Nonlinear elasticity, oedometric compression, general stress-strain behavior
- Behavior under shear (direct shear, triaxial compression tests), dilatancy, shear strength, Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion
- Basic constitutive models of plasticity, introduction to the concept of Critical State
- Pore water pressure, effective stress, saturation, undrained behavior
- One-dimensional flow through soils, seepage forces, laboratory measurement of permeability, Darcy's law
- Two-dimensional flow through soils, flow nets, influence of soil anisotropy
- Pore pressure development during undrained loading
- One-dimensional consolidation and its analytical/numerical solution
Keywords
Soil mechanics, underground flow, effective stress, constitutive relationships, elasticity,
failure criteria
Learning Prerequisites
Required courses
Mécanique des milieux continus (pour GC) CIVIL-205
Géologie CIVIL-211
Important concepts to start the course
Mechanics of deformable media, linear elasticity theory
Learning Outcomes
- Formalize a problem linked to the field of soils and underground flows.
- Hypothesize on the behavior of geomaterials.
- Apply analytical and numerical techniques for the solution of underground flow problems.
- Interpret laboratory test results.
Transversal skills
- Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.
- Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
Teaching methods
Ex cathedra course, audio-visual means, in-class exercises, practical laboratory sessions.
Expected student activities
Active participation, home study, solution of provided exercises, preparation of laboratory reports.
Assessment methods
Written exam during the summer session (70%), intermediate test (20%), lab reports (10%).
Supervision
| Office hours | Yes |
| Assistants | Yes |
| Forum | Yes |
Resources
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
No
Bibliography
Lecture notes uploaded on Moodle
Geotechnical engineering by R. Lancellotta - CRC Press (2002)
An Introduction to Soil Mechanics by A. Verruijt - Springer (2018)
Ressources en bibliothèque
Moodle Link
Prerequisite for
Geotechnical Engineering, Rock mechanics
In the programs
- Semester: Spring
- Exam form: Written (summer session)
- Subject examined: Soil mechanics and flow through porous media
- Courses: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Exercises: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: mandatory