An Introduction To Soil Mechanics

This textbook offers a superb introduction to theoretical and practical soil mechanics. Special attention is given to the risks of failure in civil engineering, and themes covered include stresses in soils, groundwater flow, consolidation, testing of soils, and stability of slopes. Readers will learn the major principles and methods of soil mechanics, and the most important methods of determining soil parameters both in the laboratory and in situ. The basic principles of applied mechanics, that are frequently used, are offered in the appendices. The author’s considerable experience of teaching soil mechanics is evident in the many features of the book: it is packed with supportive color illustrations, helpful examples and references. Exercises with answers enable students to self-test their understanding and encourage them to explore further through additional online material. Numerous simple computer programs are provided online as Electronic Supplementary Material. As a soil mechanics textbook, this volume is ideally suited to supporting undergraduate civil engineering students. “I am really delighted that your book is now published. When I “discovered” your course a few years ago, I was elated to have finally found a book that immediately resonated with me. Your approach to teaching soil mechanics is precise, rigorous, clear, concise, or in other words “crisp." My colleagues who share the teaching of Soil Mechanics 1 and 2 (each course is taught every semester) at the UMN have also adopted your book.” Emmanuel Detournay Professor at Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota, USA

Introduction to Soil Mechanics, Béla Bodó & Colin Jones Introduction to Soil Mechanics covers the basic principles of soil mechanics, illustrating why the properties of soil are important, the techniques used to understand and characterise soil behaviour and how that knowledge is then applied in construction. The authors have endeavoured to define and discuss the principles and concepts concisely, providing clear, detailed explanations, and a well-illustrated text with diagrams, charts, graphs and tables. With many practical, worked examples and end-of-chapter and coverage of Eurocode 7, Introduction to Soil Mechanics will be an ideal starting point for the study of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. About the Authors Béla Bodó B.Sc., B.A., C.Eng., M.I.C.E, was born in Hungary and studied at Budapest Technical University, the University of London and the Open University. He developed his expertise in Soil Mechanics during his employment with British Rail and British Coal. Colin Jones B.Sc, C. Eng., M.I.C.E, P.G.C.E, studied at the University of Dundee, and worked at British Coal where he and Béla were colleagues. He has recently retired from the University of Wales, Newport where he was Programme Director for the Civil Engineering provision, specializing in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnics. Also Available Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics 4th Edition J C Jaeger, N G W Cook and R Zimmerman Hardcover: 9780632057597 Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics 8th Edition Ian Smith Paperback: 9781405133708

A step-by-step text on the basic tests performed in soil mechanics, Introduction to Soil Mechanics Laboratory Testing provides procedural aids and elucidates industry standards. It also covers how to properly present data and document results. Containing numerical examples and figures, the information presented is based on American Society f

This book is mainly intended to meet the needs of undergraduate students of Civil Engineering. In preparing the first edition of this book, I had two principal aims: firstly to provide the student with a description of soil behavior-and of the effects of the clay minerals and the soil water on such behavior-which was rather more detailed than is usual in an elementary text, and secondly to encourage him to look critically at the traditional methods of analysis and design. The latter point is important, since all such methods require certain simplifying assumptions without which no solution is generally possible. Serious errors in design are seldom the result of failure to understand the methods as such. They more usually arise from a failure to study and understand the geology of the site, or from attempts to apply analytical methods to problems for which the implicit assumptions make them unsuitable. In the design of foundations and earth structures, more than in most branches of engineering, the engineer must be continually exercising his judgment in making decisions. The analytical methods cannot relieve him of this responsibility but properly used, they should ensure that his judgment is based on sound knowledge and not on blind intuition. I hope that the book will prove to be of use to students when their courses are over, and help to bridge the awkward gap between theory and practice.

Discover the principles that support the practice! With its simplicity in presentation, this text makes the difficult concepts of soil mechanics and foundations much easier to understand. The author explains basic concepts and fundamental principles in the context of basic mechanics, physics, and mathematics. From Practical Situations and Essential Points to Practical Examples, this text is packed with helpful hints and examples that make the material crystal clear.

While many introductory texts on soil mechanics are available, most are either lacking in their explanations of soil behavior or provide far too much information without cogent organization. More significantly, few of those texts go beyond memorization of equations and numbers to provide a practical understanding of why and how soil mechanics work.