Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Concluding remarks
My objective in writing this topic was to set out the basic theories of soil mechanics
and geotechnical engineering in a simple and understandable way. In common with
introductory texts in other engineering subjects, I have dealt principally with simple
idealization to construct a theoretical framework for soil behaviour. You should be
aware, however, that this is only a part of the story and the behaviour of natural soils
is often more complex.
I have tried to relate the basic principles of soil mechanics to the general theories
of mechanics and materials to demonstrate that soil mechanics does have a sound
theoretical basis linked to theories that will appear in other courses on structures and
fluid mechanics. I have also tried to describe soil behaviour in the context of everyday
experiences of the behaviour of soils and granular materials in the garden, on the beach
and in the kitchen. I want readers to relate the simple theories of soil mechanics to
their own observations. Broadly, the predictions of a theoretical calculation should be
what you would reasonably expect to happen and the stability of a large excavation or
foundation will be governed by the same theories that govern the behaviour of small
holes in the beach.
If you have understood the simple theories in this topic, you should be able to
analyse a simple retaining wall or foundation and assess the stability of a slope in
idealized soil. You should be able to say what soil parameters are required for a
particular design, distinguishing between the total stress parameters for undrained
loading and effective stress parameters which require knowledge of the pore pressures.
You should also know how values of soil parameters for design are determined from
ground investigations and laboratory and
in situ
tests and you should have some idea
of what are reasonable values for different soils.
Of course, when you graduate you will not be a fully qualified and experienced
engineer able to design major groundworks, and the next step in your career may take
one of several directions. You might, for example, want to become an accountant, a
manager or an inventor and you can do all these in civil engineering. Any construction
enterprise is really a business and the engineers will need to manage their resources
and account for income and expenditure. Any civil engineering design is really an
invention because it is a unique creation and inventors must also be engineers because
their inventions must be made to work.
The next step in your career as a civil engineer is to learn how to put theory into
practice. You should start by working with experienced engineers and you will be
