Soil Mechanics: Principles and Practice

This book provides an up-to-date coverage of the basic principles of soil mechanics for undergraduate and equivalent students of civil engineering and geotechnics. Structural engineers, foundation, environmental and mining engineers and engineering geologists will also find it an invaluable source of reference. The main aims are to provide the reader with a good understanding of the nature of soil, an appreciation of soil behaviour and insight into how the principles are applied in the practical engineering context. It is the author's view that in addition to having a sound knowledge of the scientific and mathematical aspects of soil mechanics, a fully trained geotechnical engineer also requires a knowledge of geology, soil profiles and groundwater conditions. More emphasis is therefore placed on the application of soil mechanics in the ground, rather than on the behaviour of soils in the artificial environment of the laboratory. There are many detailed and instructive line illustrations included in all chapters, together with useful and informative tabular data. Worked examples appear in most chapters and there are numerous self-test problems with answers provided