SOIL MECHANICS

The term soil is derived from the Latin word “solium” which means the upper
layer of the earth that may be dug or flowed; specifically, the loose surface
material of the earth in which plants grow.
The above definition of soil is used in field of agronomy where the main concern
is in the use of soil for raising crops.

In ecology, earth’s crust is assumed to consist of unconsolidated sediments,

called mantle regolith overlying rocks. The soil is used for the upper layer of
mantle which can support plants. The material which is called soil by the
agronomist or the geologist is known as top soil in geotechnical engineering or
soil engineering. The top soil contains a large number of organic matter and is
suitable as a construction material or as a foundation for structures. The top
soil is removed from the earth’s surface before the construction of structures.
The term soil in soil engineering is defined as an unconsolidated material,
composed of solid particles, may contain organic matter. The soil particles can
be separated by such mechanical means as agitation in water.

According to Terzaghi, soil mechanics is application of the laws of mechanics

and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediment and other
unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles produced by the mechanical
and chemical disintegrated of rock, regardless of whether or not they contain
an admixture of organic constituents; soil mechanics is therefore, a branch of
mechanics which deals with the action of forces on soil and with the flow of
water in soil.
The soil consist of discrete solid particles which are neither strongly bonded as
in solids nor they are as free as particles of fluids.

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Consequently, the behavior of soils is somewhat intermediate between that of
solid and fluid. It is not therefore, surprising that soil mechanics draws heavily
from solid mechanics and fluid mechanics.

THE NATURE OF SOIL MATERIALS

1. Soil are heterogeneous i.e. their material or engineering properties vary
widely from point to point with soil mass.
2. Soil are generally non-isotropic i.e. the material or engineering
properties are not the same in all directions.
3. Soil are generally non-linear materials i.e. their stress-strain curves are
not straight line.
4. Soil are not conservative i.e. they respond to almost everything that
happen to them.
5. Soil in-situ in the field are often characterized by joint fractures, week
layers or zones and other dejects in the material.

TRANSPORTATION OF WEATHERED PRODUCT

The product of weathered may stationary or be transported to other place by
ice, H2O, mind and gravity. The soil formed by weathered product at the place
of their origin are called Residual Soil. An important characteristic of residual
soil is the presence of fine grained soil at the surface. i.e. grained size increase
with depth down to the bedrock fragment may be found. Transported soil may
classified into several types depending on their mode of transportation and
decomposition on follow;
1. Glacial soil – formed by transportation of glacial (ice)
2. Alluvial soil – formed by running and deposited along
3. Lacustrine – formed by deposition in guest (still, fresh melon) takes

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4. Marine soil – formed by deposition from suspension in sea
5. Aeolian – transported and deposited by wind
6. Colluvial – formed by the movement of soil by gravity i.e. land size from
its original place.

ENGINEERING SOIL
The engineering soil are classified on either cohesive or non-cohesive soil
(cohesionless)

COHESIVE SOIL
Soil in which the absorption water and particle attraction act such that it
deforms practically at varying water content are known on cohesive soil. E.g
laterite, black cotton soil (typical black soil), tropical red clay stiff fissured clay.

ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF COHESIVE SOIL

1. LATERITE
i. It’s a ferruginous soil of clay texture
ii. It’s has concretion any appearance
iii. It is a product tropical weathering and occurs widely in Central
American, west and central Africa and India.
iv. Laterite are reddish brown of yellow in color
v. They exist in form of a stiff to earth crust.
vi. At six (6m) or more deep over lined soften, clay material followed
by parent rock.
vii. It has high bearing capacity and low compressibility
viii. It does not absorb water easily.

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2. BLACK COTTON CLAY (TROPICAL BLACK CLAY)