Knowra Geotechnical engineering Geotechnical engineering Geotechnical engineering studies how soil and rock behave and applies that knowledge to foundations, slopes, retaining structures, tunnels, and earthworks.
Soil mechanics : The study of soil behavior under forces, including its strength, compressibility, and response to water. Provides the principles used to predict how foundations and earthworks load and deform soil.
Foundation engineering : The design of structural foundations that transfer loads safely into soil or rock. Applies ground investigation and soil behavior to select and size foundations.
Geotechnical site investigation : The collection of subsurface information through field exploration, sampling, and testing. Design begins with evidence about the layers, groundwater, and material properties at a site.
Structural engineering : The engineering discipline that analyzes and designs structures to withstand loads and remain stable. Structural design focuses on the built frame, while geotechnical design addresses its interaction with ground.
Terzaghi's effective stress principle : The principle that soil strength and deformation depend on stress carried by the soil skeleton. It established a framework for relating pore pressure to the ground behavior engineers measure.
Rock mechanics : The study of rock and rock-mass behavior under stress, including failure, deformation, and discontinuities. Extends ground-behavior analysis to rock foundations, slopes, and underground works.
Retaining wall : A structure that holds back soil or other material at different ground elevations. Its design depends on earth pressure, drainage, and the strength of the retained ground.
Soil classification : The organization of soils into groups based on properties such as grain size and plasticity. Classification provides a consistent first description of materials encountered in the ground.
Hydraulic engineering : The engineering of systems involving water flow, storage, and control. Water is central to both fields, but geotechnical work emphasizes its effects within soil and rock.
Karl von Terzaghi : An Austrian-American civil engineer widely regarded as a founder of modern soil mechanics. His theories helped turn soil behavior into a systematic basis for engineering design.
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