School of Engineering and Technology, (SET)

In planning, designing, construction, and maintenance/management stages, characteristics of the ground condition is one of the most important geotechnical issues. There are many techniques to investigate/explore the soil stratigraphy and depth profile of soil parameters to meet the required quality and quantity in engineering sense. This course provides the students and practical engineers with the updated and advanced techniques of in-situ geotechnical investigation of soft clay ground. In addition, shallow exploration geophysics as a powerful tool to add the soil investigation will be taught to equip the student with the latest development in geoexploration technology.

Physical and mechanical properties of soils; effect of soil survey and in-situ test on soil parameters; ground survey and design; experiences in Japan on soil survey; surface and borehole geoelectric survey; seismic refraction and reflection survey, surface wave seismic survey, downhole and cross hole seismic; ground penetration radar (GPR); magnetic and magnetic susceptibility; electromagnetic survey; case studies of shallow exploration geophsyics.

None

PART I - In-situ geotechnical investigation (Dr.Y. Watabe, PARI)
 
I.      Physical properties indicated by laboratory test results:
·    Soil particle density
·    Water content
·    Particle size
·    Liquid limits and plastic limits

I.2.  Mechanical properties indicated by laboratory test results
·    Compaction test
·    Hydraulic conductivity test
·    Consolidation  test
·    Shear test

I.3. The effect of soil surveys and in-situ tests on soil parameters
·    Boring and sampling
·    Sounding
·    Platforms for Soil Survey

I.4 Ground survey and design
·    Points to note about design using N values
·    Points to note about clay sampling and design
·    Laboratory soil tests

I.5 Using reliability design and soil stability
·    Introduction
·    Stability analysis method
·    Characteristic values of undrained shear strength
·    The reliability of ground surveys
o       Variation dependent on survey companies
o       Variation dependent on sampling methods
o       Variations dependent on test methods
o       Heterogeneity of soil

I.6 Soil parameters used in the new design code of port facilities in Japan
·    Introduction
·    Principle of the soil parameter determination
·    Proposal of characteristic value determination method
o       Modeling of the depth profile
o       Concept of the characteristic value
o       Correction factor
o       Relationship between parameters of consolidation and shear
·    Application to the soil parameters
o       Geotechnical investigation results
o       Undrained shear strength
o       Consolidation parameters
o       Strength increase ratio

PART II – Shallow Exploration and Engineering Geophysics  (Dr.P. H. Giao, AIT)

II.1 Overview:
        Fundamental considerations, planning and implementation, depth of investigation, applicability and limitation. Development trends of modern geophysics.

II.2 Electric Methods
·    Electric flow in homogeneous and layered mediums.
·    VES, EP and Electric Imaging techniques

II.3 Seismic Exploration
·    General: Basic theory; energy sources and seismic equipment; comparison between seismic refraction and reflection; seismic data processing.
·    Seismic Refraction: Refracted waves propagation in different geological models; the delay-time and other methods; field procedures; practical applications.
·    Seismic Reflection: Reflected wave propagation in different geological models; common field procedures; reflection data processing; Green’s method and Dix’s method.
·    Surface wave seismic
·    Borehole seismic

II.4 Ground Penetration Rardar (GPR)

II.5 Magnetic and Magentic Susceptibility

II.6 Case Studies
 1) Lecture notes provided by the instructors
 2) Burger, H. R., Sheehan . F and Jones C. H. (2004): Introduction to Applied Geophysics, Exploring the shallow subsurface , W. W. Norton & Company, 554 p.
 
Hunt, R. E. (1984):
            Geotechnical Engineering Investigation Manual, McGraw Hill, 938p.

Griffiths D. H. and King R. F. (1981): Applied geophysics for geologists and engineers – the elements of geophysical prospecting, 2nd Ed., Pergamon Press,  1981

Class participation:                            +/-10%
Assigment/project work                           20%
Midterm exam                                            40%
Final exam                                                  40%

Closed book exam.

           

 

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