CE 240 Soil Mechanics and Foundations Catalog description Fundamentals of soil behavior and use of soil as a construction material Effective stress principle seepage and flow nets consolidation shear strength limit equilibrium analysis Lab experiments and written reports Prerequisite CE 287 Mechanics of Materials and CE 297 Fluid Mechanics both of which may be taken concurrently Prerequisite to CE 241 Foundation Design CE 242 Soils Engineering Texts Principles of Geotechnical Engineering by B M Das 4th Ed Engineering Properties of Soil and Their Measurement by J E Bowles 4th Ed Course Objectives The course objectives are to prepare the student for advanced geotechnical courses CE 241 Foundation Design and 242 Soil Engineering the required senior major design experience CE 280 and entry level professional practice Course Outcomes After successfully completing CE 240 the student will be able to classify soils specify lab tests analyze groundwater flow determine stress distributions and evaluate elastic and consolidation settlements building on skills and concepts mastered in CE 287 and 297 Topics 1 Origin and Composition of Soils 2 Phase Relations and Compaction 3 Flow of Water in Soils 4 Stresses and Mohr s Circle 5 Compression and Consolidation 6 Shear Strength 7 Subsurface Exploration and Investigation 8 Design of Filters 9 Selection of Shear Strength for Design 10 Lateral Earth Pressures and Forces on Retaining Walls 11 Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations Schedule 14 weeks of 3 one hour lectures and 1 three hour laboratory per week Relationship of Course to ABET Criteria Criterion 2 Program Educational Objectives The course objectives include preparing the student for entry level practice by being able to determine soil properties and behavior and understanding their importance in the design and construction of earth structures and foundation systems This course objective directly ties to Program objective 1 that our graduates practice engineering and provides a foundation for our graduates to achieve Program objective 2 that our graduates become licensed professional engineers Criterion 3 Program Outcomes a an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics science and engineering Students apply knowledge from CE 287 Mechanics of Materials and CE 297 Fluid Mechanics and the prerequisites to these courses to the analysis design and construction of earth structures b an ability to design conduct experiments as well as analyze interpret data Students perform 12 laboratory experiments which include standard tests and tests to determine behavior or verify theory Lab data are analyzed and written reports are prepared c an ability to design a system component or process to meet desired needs Students design a cost effective site investigation and a filtration drainage system for an earth structure and prepare a brief report on each design d an ability to function on multi disciplinary teams Students work in teams to complete the laboratory experiments The team shares the lab workload data analysis presentation of results and some written reports as a group e an ability to identify formulate and solve engineering problems Students measure soil properties such as permeability or coefficient of compressibility which are then used to predict flow or deformation followed by physical measurements to validate predictions f an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility g an ability to communicate effectively Students prepare four written lab reports and two written design projects h the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context i a recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life long learning j a knowledge of contemporary issues The importance of health and safety in the engineering workplace is stressed throughout the course k an ability to use the techniques skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice Students use state of the art equipment and current test methods Criterion 4 Professional Component The course prepares students for geotechnical design in their major design experience CE 280 either directly or through advanced geotechnical design courses for which this course is prerequisite Prepared by Kenneth R Demars 3 29 00 Reviewed by Gregory C Frantz 4 10 00 Christian F Davis 4 10 00 Revised by Kenneth R Demars 4 25 00 4 27 00 Approved by Head Erling Smith 4 28 00