What is Soil?

What is Soil? 

The term ‘soil' in Soil engineering is defined as an unconsolidated material, composed of solid particles, produced by the disintegration of rocks. The void space between the particles may contain air, water, or both. The soil particles may contain organic matter.

What is Soil Mechanics?

The term ‘Soil Mechanics' was coined by Dr. Karl Terzaghi in 1925, who is also known as the Father of Soil Mechanics.

According to Terzaghi, ‘Soil mechanics is the application of the laws of mechanics and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediments and other unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles produced by the mechanical and chemical disintegration of rock, regardless of whether or not they contain an admixture of organic constituents’. Soil mechanics is, therefore, a branch of mechanics that deals with the action of forces on soil and with the flow of water in the soil.

What is Soil Engineering?

Soil engineering is an applied science dealing with the applications of principles of soil mechanics to practical problems. It has a much wider scope than soil mechanics, as it deals with all engineering problems related to soils. It includes site investigations, design and construction of foundations, earth-retaining structures, and earth structures.

What is Geotechnical Engineering?

Geotechnical engineering is a broader term that includes soil engineering, rock mechanics, and geology. Sometimes Geotechnical Engineering is used synonymously with Soil Engineering.

1. Origin of Soil
2. Soil-Water Relationship
3. Classification of Soil
4. Clay Minerals
5. Soil Compaction
6. Soil Consolidation
7. Effective Stress and Seepage theory
8. Shear Strength of Soil
9. Earth Pressure Theory
10. Foundations