UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

ENCE 340-FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Fall 2015
Instructor : Professor Ahmet H. Aydilek
Office: 1163 Martin Hall
Lectures: 9:30 am to 10:45 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Office Hours: 11 am-12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays (1163 Martin Hall)
E-mail: aydilek@umd.edu
Textbook: Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices, 2nd edition, by Donald P.
Coduto, Prentice Hall, NJ.
Course web page: https://umd.instructure.com/login (Canvas)
Teaching Assistant: Ms. Asli Dayioglu
Office: 0122B Engineering Laboratory Building
Office Hours: 2 pm-3 pm on Tuesdays
E-mail: ayalcin@umd.edu
References
Holtz, R.D., Kovacs, W.D., and Sheahan, T. (2011). An Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering, 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey.
Das, B., Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 7th ed.,Cengage Learning
Introduction
Soil Mechanics is the first course in a field called Geotechnical Engineering in the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The term soil mechanics refers to the
application of the mechanics of materials and fluids to describe the behavior of soils. In this
course, we will study soil mechanics, but we will also survey some topics of Geo Engineering
in a less rigorous and brief manner.
More than many other branches of engineering, the practice of GeoEngineering requires the
use of prudent engineering judgment as well as the application of fundamental mechanics.
The course is divided into two parts. Part I includes the methods used to describe soils
qualitatively and quantitatively and the fundamental aspects of the strength, compressibility
and hydraulic conductivity of soils. Part II involves some design aspects of Geo Engineering.
This part gives recommendations about the use of the properties of soils to analyze
problems that are encountered by the engineer, such as earth construction, use of
geosynthetics, geoenvironmental applications and the design of retaining walls, foundations,
slopes.
Objectives
Aiming at simplicity and lucidity is a moral duty of all intellectuals: lack of clarity is a
sin, and pretentiousness is a crime.
Karl Popper

The aim of this course is to enable the student to:

list the salient engineering properties of soils and their characteristics,

describe factors, which control the properties of soil,
list methods of determining the properties of soils,
list basic areas of GeoEngineering that were covered in the course and how
problems in these areas are tackled,
perform elementary analyses in each area described in the course and understand
the limitations to these analyses.

The instructor hopes that each student will leave this course with at least an elementary
understanding of the properties of soils, the standard analyses performed by a GeoEngineer
and the qualitative aspects of soil behavior, which are used in the analysis of problems in
Geo Engineering.
Grading
Homework Assignments
The due date for each homework assignment is one week after the relevant chapter is
completed (e.g., Hmw 1 is due by one week after entire Chapter 4 is covered in class). The
homeworks should be turned in at the beginning of the class on the assigned due date. Do
not work on the assignment during the lectures. Do not place homework assignment in my
mailbox or do not slide it under my door.
Each homework assignment will comprise 3-4 questions. Selected 1-2 questions from each
submitted assignments will be graded (50% of the homework grade); however, the
submission will be also considered (50% of the homework grade) during the calculation of
the final grade. The answers to all questions will be posted on the course web page and the
students are responsible from all the materials posted. Homework submission guidelines
are given below. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a reduced grade for that
particular assignment.
Homework Submission Guidelines

Late assignments will not be accepted.

Students are expected to perform their homework neatly and in an organized
fashion. Any homework which is sloppy, difficult to read, or difficult to understand will
not be looked at.
Proper engineering units must be used at all times and the use of three significant
figures is sufficient for design purposes. Answers without proper units are
incorrect.
Clearly indicate the part or problem number on which you are working.
All final answers must be clearly indicated. Circle all the final answers with red
pen.
Submissions must be labeled clearly with students name in upper right corner of
first page.
All papers must be securely stapled together (no paper clips or folded edges).
Submissions must have straight edges (no frayed or ripped edges from spiral
notebooks).

Exams
Three exams will be held during the semester. The exams are scheduled for October 15
and November 24 (unless changed by the instructor), and will be held during the class
period. A final exam will be held at 8 am on December 15 and the official examination
schedule will be followed. None of the exams are cumulative. If the student misses the
exam, he/she will receive a zero for that exam. Therefore, even if the student is not ready,
he/she is advised to show up for the exam.
Prior consent of the instructor or a doctors certificate is the only satisfactory excuses
from the exams and assignments.
Grading Scheme
Grades will be based according to the following scheme:
Homework Assignments 30%
Exams 70%
It should be noted that the effort a student puts into performing and understanding the
homework is often reflected in the student's performance on the exams. Note that some of
the homework questions may be asked in the exams as well.
Reading Assignments
Students are responsible for all material in the assigned readings. I will effectively use the
course web page and post some of the lecture notes, homework assignments, and exam
solutions.

Schedule and Office Hours

The class will ordinarily meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, I do travel for the other
responsibilities of my job and thus can miss some other lectures. If needed, these lectures
will be made up at times that are acceptable to most, but not necessarily all students.
Regarding office hours, please note that there will inevitably be times during the semester
when scheduled office hours conflict with faculty meetings, travel, etc. I will try to notify the
students via e-mail about any changes ahead of time.
Special Arrangements
If you observe a religious holiday and would like to ask for a change in your schedule, please
inform me at least a week ahead of it. Also I will make every effort to accommodate you if
you need a special arrangement due to your disability.
Academic Integrity Policy:
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic
Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for

academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student,
you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you
to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For
more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please
visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/
SCHEDULE FOR FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING (ENCE 340)
Soil Genesis, Soil Composition and Classification- 4 Lectures
Soil Composition, Chapter 4
Soil Classification, Chapter 5
Compaction 2 Lectures, Chapter 6
Flow of Water in Soils- 4 Lectures
Groundwater-Fundamentals, Chapter 7
Groundwater Applications, Chapter 8
Stress- 3 Lectures
Stress Chapter 9
Compressibility and Settlement 4 Lectures
Compressibility and Settlement, Chapter 10
Rate of Consolidation, Chapter 11
Shear Strength-4 Lectures
Strength, Chapter 12
Geosynthetics (if time pertmits) 2 Lectures, Notes