Soil Mechanics I

This course is divided in to seven chapters. The first chapter is general introduction about the course. Chapter two discusses on the physical properties of soils. It includes laboratory and field tests for identification of the properties. The third chapter is about one dimensional flow of water through soils. It clearly discusses how the ground water flow affects the structures built in or on the ground surface. Different lab tests are included to study the response of different soils to the flow of water through them.The fourth chapter discusses on the STRESSES, STRAINS, AND ELASTIC DEFORMATIONS OF SOILS. It is about the response of soils for the loads applied on them. It helps in identifying the load carrying capacity of different soils for the purpose of big structures. The fifth chapter discusses about two dimensional flow of water through soils.  The sixth chapter is about one dimensional consolidation of fine soils. It is generally about the settlement or reduction in volume of fine grained soils due to the removal of water out from the pore spaces between soil particles. And the last chapter ,Chapter seven is about soil compaction. Here again it is about settlement or reduction in volume of soil mass but due to removal of air not water. This is very important to improve the engineering soil properties.