Soil Mechanics Series - Deformation

Yun Zhou, Ph.D., P.E.

Course Outline

In this course, you need to review Chapter 7 – Approach Roadway Deformations from “Reference Manual Volume I, SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS”, Publication No. FHWA NHI-06-088, by Federal Highway Administration of U.S. Department of Transportation. 

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end of each of the five lectures, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course material.

Learning Objective

Upon completion of this course, the student will gain the following specific knowledge: 

• Typical deformation problems in approach roadway;
• Basic theories and computations of deformations;
• Immediate settlement (short-term settlement);
• Consolidation settlement (long-term settlement);
• Secondary compression of cohesive soils;
• Lateral movement (squeeze) of soft soils;
• Concepts and practical approaches of deformation control;
• Reduction of settlement magnitude;
• Shortening of settlement time;
• Surcharge treatment;
• Vertical Drains; and
• Construction monitoring by instrumentation.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for geotechnical, civil, mining, structural, and environmental engineers, as well as design and construction personnel involved with the planning, design, and construction of building structures on, in, and with soils.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendee of this course will be able to understand and deal with issues associated with soil deformation.

Course Introduction

This course explains and provides procedures for evaluations of soil deformation that must be controlled by design.  Excessive deformation that hinders a structure’s serviceability is a common form of failure that has to be presented or mitigated by design features.

Course Content

The associated course materials are contained in an Adobe Acrobat pdf format of Chapter 7 – Approach Roadway Deformations from “Reference Manual Volume I, SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS”, Publication No. FHWA NHI-06-088, by Federal Highway Administration of U.S. Department of Transportation.

Chapter 7 – Approach Roadway Deformations

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

This course, as a part of soil mechanics series, covers basic theories and practical controls of deformation in soils. 

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

PDHonline Course C518 - Soil Mechanics Series - Stress and Strain
PDHonline Course C520 - Soil Mechanics Series - Description and Classification
PDHonline Course C521 - Soil Mechanics Series - Subsurface Exploration
PDHonline Course C522 - Soil Mechanics Series - Laboratory Testing

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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