ENGV 345 Soil Mechanics

This course provides the students’ initial and foundation course in geotechnical engineering. Following mechanics of materials, this course applies principles of mechanics to soil as an engineering material and presents the study of soil properties and classification, compaction and consolidation theories, in-situ stresses under hydrostatic, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional seepage conditions, and shear strength.

The engineering degree programs are designed to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to positively influence engineering-related industries in the current and evolving economy. The programs prepare graduates for the thoughtful integration of work and life and to view the engineering profession as a lifelong commitment to serving others. Within a few years of graduating, engineering graduates will be able to advance in an engineering career or graduate studies, be recognized as creative thinkers, exhibiting an aptitude for continuous learning, and display professional ethics and behavior consistent with foundational Christian principles. Geotechnical Engineering is one of the pillars of Civil Engineering. Civil Engineers must be well versed with the intricacies of structural load transfer from superstructure to substructure (i.e., foundation), and then to the soil supporting the foundation. Civil Engineers also need to understand how loading and water flow phenomena affect the stability, strength, compressibility, and permeability of soil. Historically, all man made structure (e.g., buildings, bridges, dams, highways, etc.) rested on earth and thus, needed a properly designed and constructed foundation to safely transfer the ultimate and service loads to the soil. Soil mechanics (ENGV345) helps students understand the fundamental mechanics governing soil’s behavior as it is subjected to changes related to loading and flow conditions. The overarching goal of this course is to introduces students to the flow-, compression-, and strength-related properties (i.e., Geotechnical Engineering Properties) of soil. 

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be 450 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 250 words. The student is required to support the content of both their thread and response posts with direct, specific, and properly cited quotations from the assigned textbook reading and/or the Bible.

Essay Assignment

The student will write a 1-page essay in current APA format that focuses on one of the key contributors to the field of soil mechanics. The paper must include how God provided to the individual and how the individual’s contribution can be interpreted from a biblical worldview. The student is required to support the content of the essay with direct, specific, and correctly cited quotations from external sources, including scholarly articles and the Bible. The student must include a minimum of 1 citation from an external source and 1 biblical citation.

Homework Assignments (10)

The student will complete 10 homework assignments throughout the course. Homework problem sets reinforce material covered during class lectures. Problem sets play an important role in preparing the student for their graded examinations. All calculations must be submitted along with the solutions.

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned modules. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain written questions similar to homework problems, and have a 2-hour time limit.