Soil Mechanics is the study of soil properties which govern the use of soil as a construction or foundation material. The course is devoted to describing soils, analyzing soil stresses, determining consolidation settlement, designing earth embankments, determining earth pressures, and designing foundations based upon applicable engineering principles and recognition of the fundamental concepts of soil behavior. The course includes several laboratory experiences that require students to develop and conduct experiments to examine soil properties, analyze and interpret data, use engineering judgement to draw conclusions, and extract necessary parameters for design.
