CIV 410 – Principles of Foundation Engineering

Current Catalog Description

The course is designed to provide students with the theory and experience-based knowledge necessary to evaluate and estimate soil properties and earth pressures for analysis and design of retaining walls, anchored bulkheads, and excavation bracing systems. Bearing capacity and settlement of shallow foundations are also covered.

Prerequisite

CIV 312 and CIV 330

Corequisite:

None

Textbooks and/or Other Required Material

None

This course is

Not Required; Technical Elective Option

Topics Covered

1. Review of the main concepts of soil mechanics
2. Site characterization, laboratory and field tests, and sampling techniques.
3. Lateral earth pressure theories.
4. Design of earth retaining structures.
5. Design of shallow foundations.
6. Design of deep foundations.

Course Learning and Student Outcomes

Write clear technical memos

Estimate values for various soil properties from in-situ and laboratory tests.

Calculate total and effective vertical stresses in a soil mass due to overburden and external loads.

Estimate lateral earth pressures on retaining walls considering at-rest, active, and passive conditions using different theories.

Proportion retaining walls based on considerations of stability against sliding, overturning, and bearing failure.

Determine allowable bearing pressures for spread footings.

Estimate settlements of spread footings on sandy and clayey soils.

Determine allowable loads for pile foundations using static capacity analysis.

Prepared by

Sherif Abdelaziz (2019)

Last Updated:

4/2021