Course Details

Soil Mechanics

Academic Year 2025/26

BFA002 course is part of 4 study plans

​ BPA-SI Summer Semester 2nd year

​ BPC-SI / VS Summer Semester 2nd year

​ BKC-SI Summer Semester 2nd year

​ BPC-MI Winter Semester 2nd year

Course Guarantor

doc. Ing. Lumír Miča, Ph.D.

Institute

Institute of Geotechnics

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Credits

5 credits

Semester

summer

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Offered to foreign students

To offer to students of all faculties

Course on BUT site

https://www.vut.cz/en/students/courses/detail/289601

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • 1. Introduction to soil mechanics (basic characteristics of soils; origin, formation, mineralogy, grain size composition).
  • 2. Index and state properties of soils. Classification of soils for engineering purposes.
  • 3. Basic of geomechanics – (Stress and strain in soil; Mohr´s circle; Principle of effective stress, The mechanical behavior of materials - elasticity, plasticity, failure; drainaed, undrained conditions; the effect of time).
  • 4. Importance of water in soil (permeability, steady state seepage).
  • 5. Compressibility of soil (isotropic, One-dimensional, over-consolidation).
  • 6. Consolidation; Creep (theory + laboratory testing); settlement (immediate, consolidation and total).
  • 7. Shear strength of soils (peak, critical, residual).
  • 8. Shear strength of soils continuation.
  • 9. Shear strength of soils - laboratory tests (triaxial tests, shear test).
  • 10. Bearing capacity of soil.
  • 11. Slope stability.
  • 12. Earth pressure. Compaction of soils.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • 1. Index properties of soils. Characteristics of phase relationship in the soil.
  • 2. Classification of soils.
  • 3. Effective stress. Stresses in soil due to surface loads.
  • 4. Geostatic stress. Determination of the coefficient of hydraulic conductivity of the soil.
  • 5. Compression and consolidation – determination of relevant parameters.
  • 6. Calculation of settlements.
  • 7. Laboratory – index and state properties.
  • 8. Laboratory – mechanical properties.
  • 9. Determination of triaxial tests.
  • 10. Calculation of bearing capacity of soil.
  • 11. Solution of homogenous slope stability.
  • 12. Calculation of earth pressure. Credits.