Description
This course provides an introduction to the application of soil mechanics to the design of three main geotechnical infrastructure types: roads, retaining wall excavations and tunnels. The course is designed to provide a practical approach to the design of these types of infrastructure by using design manuals, codes of practice, industrial expertise and individual research to carry out three large pieces of coursework: pavement design, a length of tunnel spanning over 3 underground metro stations and the design of a propped retaining wall for an excavation. The topics covered in this course are highway alignment, drainage, pavement design, deep excavations and cuttings, retaining wall design, tunnel lining design, excavation methodologies, settlement calculations, shafts, etc.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the importance of Ground Investigation
- Knowledge and ability to analyse the different structures using state-of-the-art methods
- Awareness of the implications of the design on Health & Safety during construction
- Understanding the importance of the link between design and construction
- Appreciation of the different standards and codes of practice for the topics covered
- Appreciation of the concept of whole life cycle of structures and the influence of the decisions made at the design stage on the future performance of the structure
- Understanding and knowledge of the importance of monitoring systems during construction for verification and maintenance purposes
- Appreciation and knowledge of the most common maintenance techniques for each structure and how this can be influenced at design stage
Reading List:
- David Chapman, Nicole Metje, Alfred Stärk, Introduction to Tunnel Construction, Spon Press, 2010 (ISBN 978-0-415-46842-8)
- ICE Manual of Geotechnical Engineering - first edition, Thomas Telford (ISBN 978-0-7277-3652-9)
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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