Bearing Capacity

SOIL

• Soil is a natural body • Two Types:

comprised of solids (minerals
and organic matter), liquid,
1. Physical
and gases. Weathering - it
breaks down the
• Soil is formed from that rocks, but what it's
weathering of rocks and made of stays the
minerals. The surface rocks same
break down into smaller
pieces through a process of 2. Chemical
weathering and is then Weathering - it still
mixed with moss and breaks down the
organic matter. rocks, but it may
• Weathering is the process of change what it's
the breaking down rocks.
made of
 ROCKS
1. Igneous – formed by the solidification of molten
magma ejected from deep within the earth’s mantle
2. Sedimentary – made from deposits of gravel, silt and
clay by weathering and fill the spaces between
particles; - may undergo weathering to form
sediments or may be subjected to the process of
metamorphism to become metamorphic rock
3. Metamorphic – underwent metamorphism, which is
the process of changing the composition and texture
of rocks, without melting, by heat and pressure. New
minerals are formed and mineral grains are sheared
to give a foliated texture.
Rock cycle
Bowen’s reaction series
 weathering
• Chemical Process of weathering
• Physical processes of weathering
– Hydrolysis
– Unloading • is the reaction with water
• e.g. uplift, erosion, or change in • will not continue in the static
water.
fluid pressure. • involves solubility of silica and
– Thermal alumina
expansion and
–Chelation
contraction • Involves the complexing
– Alternate wetting and and removal of metal ions .
drying –Cation exchange
• is important to the formation of
– Crystal growth, including clay minerals
frost action –Oxidation and reduction.
– Organic activity –Carbonation
• is the combination of carbonate
• e.g. the growth of plant roots. ions such as the reaction with
CO2

Factors affecting weathering
–Many
factors can affect
the weathering process
such as climate,
topography, features of
parent rocks, biological
reactions, and others.
–Climate determines the
amount of water and the
temperature.
TRANSPORTATION OF WEATHERING
PRODUCTS
• Residual soils- to remain at the original
place
– Engineering properties of residual soils
are different with those of transported
soils
– The knowledge of "classical"
geotechnical engineering is mostly
based on behavior of transported soils.
The understanding of residual soils is
insufficient in general.
• Transported soils- to be moved and
deposited to other places.
– The particle sizes of transported soils are
selected by the transportation agents such
as streams, wind, etc.
• Interstratification of silts and
clays.
– The transported soils can be categorized
based on the mode of transportation and
deposition (six types).
 Transportation of weathering products

• (1) Glacial soils: formed by transportation and

deposition of glaciers.

• (2) Alluvial soils: transported by running water and

deposited along streams.

• (3) Lacustrine soils: formed by deposition in quiet

lakes

• (4) Marine soils: formed by deposition in the seas.

• (5) Aeolian soils: transported and deposited by the

wind.

• (6) Colluvial soils: formed by movement of soil from

its original place by gravity, such as during landslide.
SOIL-PARTICLE SIZE
• GRAVELS – pieces of • SILTS – microscopic soil
fractions that consist of very
rocks with occasional
fine quartz grains and some
particles of quartz, flake-shaped particles that
feldspar, and other are fragments of micaceous
minerals. minerals.

• SAND – made of mostly

quartz and feldspar, and • CLAY – mostly flake-shaped
microscopic and
other mineral grains.
submicroscopic particles of
mica, clay minerals, and
other minerals.
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY
- Ratio of unit weight of a
given material to the
unit weight of water.
- 2.6 – 2.9
SOIL PROFILE
SIEVE ANALYSIS