SECTION-A
Unit-I: Soil Formation and Composition
Introduction, soil and rock, Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, origin of soils, weathering, soil
formation, major soil deposits of India, particle size, particle shape, inter-particle forces, soil structure,
principal clay minerals.
Unit-II: Basic Soil Properties
Introduction, three phase system, weight-volume relationships, soil grain properties, soil aggregate
properties, grain size analysis, sieve analysis, sedimentation analysis, grain size distribution curves,
consistency of soils, consistency limits and their determination, activity of clays, relative density of sands.
Unit-III: Classification of soils
Purpose of classification, classification on the basis of grain size, classification on the basis of plasticity,
plasticity chart, Indian Standard Classification System.Unit-IV: Permeability of Soils
Introduction, Darcy`s law and its validity, discharge velocity and seepage velocity, factors affecting
permeability, laboratory determination of coefficient of permeability, determination of field permeability,
permeability of stratified deposits.
SECTION-B
Unit-IV: Effective Stress Concept
Principle of effective stress, effective stress under hydrostatic conditions, capillary rise in soils, effective
stress in the zone of capillary rise, effective stress under steady state hydro-dynamic conditions, seepage
force, quick condition, critical hydraulic gradient, two dimensional flow, Laplace`s equation, properties
and utilities of flow net, graphical method of construction of flow nets, piping, protective filter.
Unit-V: Compaction
Introduction, role of moisture and compactive effect in compaction, laboratory determination of optimum
moisture content, moisture density relationship, compaction in field, compaction of cohesionless soils,
moderately cohesive soils and clays, field control of compaction.
SECTION-C
Unit-VI: Vertical Stress Below Applied Loads
Introduction, Boussinesq`s equation, vertical stress distribution diagrams, vertical stress beneath loaded
areas, Newmark`s influence chart, approximate stress distribution methods for loaded areas, Westergaard`s
analysis, contact pressure.
Unit-VII: Compressibility and Consolidation
Introduction, components of total settlement, consolidation process, one-dimensional consolidation test,
typical void ratio-pressure relationships for sands and clays, normally consolidated and over consolidated
clays, Casagrande`s graphical method of estimating pre-consolidation pressure, Terzaghi`s theory of onedimensional
primary consolidation, determination of coefficients of consolidation, consolidation
settlement, Construction period settlement, secondary consolidation.
SECTION-D
Unit-VIII: Shear Strength
Introduction, Mohr stress circle, Mohr-Coulomb failure-criterion, relationship between principal stresses at
failure, shear tests, direct shear test, unconfined compression test, tri-axial compression tests, drainage
conditions and strength parameters, Vane shear test, shear strength characteristics of sands, normally
consolidated clays, over-consolidated clays and partially saturated soils, sensitivity and thixotropy.
Unit-IX: Earth Pressure
Introduction, earth pressure at rest, Rankine`s active & passive states of plastic equilibrium, Rankine`s
earth pressure theory, Coulomb`s earth pressure theory, Culmann`s graphical construction, Rebhann`s
construction.