COURSE UNIT TITLE

: MEASUREMENT OF SOIL PROPERTIES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
CIE 5043 MEASUREMENT OF SOIL PROPERTIES ELECTIVE 2 0 2 7

Offered By

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR ALI HAKAN ÖREN

Offered to

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING (ENGLISH)
Geotechnicel Engineering (English)
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING (ENGLISH)

Course Objective

The aim of the course is enabling students to understand the fundamentals of soil properties and their measurement methods.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Categorize the soil components based on soil index properties,
2   Measure the soil properties through experiments such as permeability, compressibility, and shear strength
3   Interpret the soil behavior from laboratory tests,
4   Discuss the laboratory test results in technical reports,
5   Introduce in-situ soil tests.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Review of soil mineralogy (The 1:1 minerals, smectite minerals). Determining the water content, porosity and void ratio of tested soil.
2 Soil composition and engineering properties (Engineering properties of coarse and fine grained soils, Atterberg Limits, Activity). Begining for the 1st assignment. Determing the grain/particle size distribution tested soil (sieve + hydrometer analysis) Determining the consistency limits of clayey soils.
3 Compaction tests (Standard and Modified Proctor Tests) Effect of compaction on soil structure Effect of compaction on engineering behavior Determining the compaction curve for three different compaction energy. Determining the volumetric shrinkage of compacted soils. Deadline for the 1st assignment, beginning for the 2nd assignment.
4 Hydraulic conductivity (coefficient of permeability) Conducting the constant head test for granular soils and falling head tests for fine grained soils (rigid wall permeameter). Deadline for the 2nd assignment.
5 Hydraulic conductivity tests (constant and falling head tests) using rigid-wall and flexible wall permeameters. Conducting the falling head test for clayey soil using flexible-wall permeameter. Beginning for the 3rd assignment.
6 Consolidation (Oedometer) tests Conducting the one- dimensional consolidation tests on soils having different plasticity. Deadline for the 3rd assignment.
7 Methods of presenting consolidation test results-1 Unloading and reloading the ongoing tests (second week). Beginning for the 4th assignment.
8 Methods of presenting consolidation test results-2
9 Strength analyses in Geotechnical Engineering, Shear failure in soils, Determining the strength parameters of sandy and clayey soils using direct shear test apparatus. Deadline for the 4th assignment.
10 Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion Conducting the unconfined compression test on clayey soil.
11 Shear strength of saturated sands and gravels Shear strength of saturated clays and silts Conducting the triaxial compression test on clayey soil. Begining for the 5th assignment.
12 Standard Penetration Test (SPT) (Test procedure, corrections to test results) Field Vane Test
13 Cone Penetration Test (CPT) (Test procedure, overburden correction, correlation with SPT) Pressuremeter Test. Deadline for the 5th assignment.
14 Other In-Situ tests (dilatometer test, becker penetration test).

Recomended or Required Reading

Textbook(s): Bowles, J.E., (1992) Engineering Properties of Soils and Their Measurement, 480 pp.
Bardet J-P., (1997), Experimental Soil Mechanics, 583 pp.
Supplementary Book(s): Course notes and supplementary documents (standards, articles and etc.) will be sent to students for every week.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Courses will be held in class (2h) and in Soil Mechanics Laboratory (2h). The class section of the course will be done by presentations. Then, the students will go to the laboratory and carry out the test they have learned. The supplementary documents will be sent to students before class.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 ASG ASSIGNMENT
2 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE ASG * 0.30 + MTE * 0.30 + FIN * 0.40
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) ASG * 0.30 + MTE * 0.30 + RST * 0.40


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Assignment includes laboratory attendence and reports.

Assessment Criteria

LO1, 2, 3: Measured with mid-term and final exams.
LO3, 4, 5: Measured with laboratory studies and presentation.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

The attendance to the class and lab works will be considered during grading. The lab reports should be given on time.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Asst.Prof. A. Hakan ÖREN: ali.oren@deu.edu.tr
Asst.Prof. Okan ÖNAL: okan.onal@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Friday 15:00 - 17:00

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 2 28
Tutorials 14 2 28
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 20 20
Preparation for final exam 1 30 30
Preparing assignments 5 7 35
Final 1 1 1
Midterm 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 184

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11
LO.1545
LO.25445
LO.3545
LO.454454
LO.555