Soil may remain at the place of its origin or it may be transported by various natural agencies. It is said to be ‘residual’ in the earlier situation and ‘transported’ in the latter.
‘‘Soil mechanics’’ is the study of the engineering behaviour of soil when it is used either as a construction material or as a foundation material. This is a relatively young discipline of civil engineering, systematised in its modern form by Karl Von Terzaghi (1925), who is rightly regarded as the ‘‘Father of Modern Soil Mechanics’’.*
An understanding of the principles of mechanics is essential to the study of soil mechanics. A knowledge and application of the principles of other basic sciences such as physics and chemistry would also be helpful in the understanding of soil behaviour. Further, laboratory and field research have contributed in no small measure to the development of soil mechanics as a discipline.
The application of the principles of soil mechanics to the design and construction of foundations for various structures is known as ‘‘Foundation Engineering’’. ‘‘Geotechnical Engineering’’ may be considered to include both soil mechanics and foundation engineering.
In fact, according to Terzaghi, it is difficult to draw a distinct line of demarcation between soil mechanics and foundation engineering; the latter starts where the former ends. Until recently, a civil engineer has been using the term ‘soil’ in its broadest sense to include even the underlying bedrock in dealing with foundations. However, of late, it is wellrecognised that the sturdy of the engineering behaviour of rock material distinctly falls in the realm of ‘rock mechanics’, research into which is gaining impetus the world over.
An understanding of the principles of mechanics is essential to the study of soil mechanics. A knowledge and application of the principles of other basic sciences such as physics and chemistry would also be helpful in the understanding of soil behaviour. Further, laboratory and field research have contributed in no small measure to the development of soil mechanics as a discipline.
The application of the principles of soil mechanics to the design and construction of foundations for various structures is known as ‘‘Foundation Engineering’’. ‘‘Geotechnical Engineering’’ may be considered to include both soil mechanics and foundation engineering.
In fact, according to Terzaghi, it is difficult to draw a distinct line of demarcation between soil mechanics and foundation engineering; the latter starts where the former ends. Until recently, a civil engineer has been using the term ‘soil’ in its broadest sense to include even the underlying bedrock in dealing with foundations. However, of late, it is wellrecognised that the sturdy of the engineering behaviour of rock material distinctly falls in the realm of ‘rock mechanics’, research into which is gaining impetus the world over.
* According to him, ‘‘Soil Mechanics is the application of the laws of mechanics and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediments and other unconsolidated accumulations of soil particles produced by the mechanical and chemical disintegration of rocks regardless of whether or not they contain an admixture of organic constiuents’’.