2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Undergraduate major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Soil Mechanics I
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Mai Sawada
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Tue (W5-105) / 1-2 Fri (W5-105)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- CVE.C201
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Soil mechanics is necessary for social infrastructure development and disaster prevention. In this course, we will deal with theories about soil index properties, seepage, effective stress, consolidation, compaction, and stresses in the ground.
Course description and aims
You will be able to explain:
– Roles of soil mechanics in society
– Theories about the above items
Keywords
soil index properties, seepage, effective stress, consolidation, compaction, and stresses in the ground
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Attendance will be checked in each module. We will have time for exercise during class.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Roles of soil mechanics |
Soil mechanics for construction and disaster prevention |
| Class 2 | Soil index properties |
Definitions of physical properties |
| Class 3 | Soil classification |
Grain size distribution, Liquid & plastic limits |
| Class 4 | Seepage |
Darcy’s low, Coefficient of permeability |
| Class 5 | Steady-state flow analysis |
Continuity equation, Flow net |
| Class 6 | Effective stress principle |
Total stress, Effective stress, Porewater pressure |
| Class 7 | Quicksand & piping |
Critical hydraulic gradient |
| Class 8 | Midterm exam |
Exam & answer |
| Class 9 | Consolidation |
Consolidation mechanism, Oedometer test |
| Class 10 | One-dimensional consolidation equation |
Terzaghi’s consolidation equation |
| Class 11 | Consolidation prediction and control |
Consolidation analysis, Accelerated consolidation methods |
| Class 12 | Compaction |
Compaction curve, Procter compaction theory |
| Class 13 | Stresses in the ground |
Stress distributions in the semi-infinite elastic ground |
| Class 14 | Exercise |
Exercise and answer |
Study advice (preparation and review)
Make sure to review each module.
Textbook(s)
Soil Mechanics 3rd ed. Kenji Ishihara, Maruzen
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Handouts and related materials will be provided via T2SCHOLA
Evaluation methods and criteria
Attendance: 20%, Midterm exam:30%, and final exam:50%
Related courses
- CVE.C202 ： Soil Mechanics II
- CVE.C311 ： Geotechnical Engineering in Practice
- CVE.C401 ： Mechanics of Geomaterials
- CVE.C402 ： Stability Problems in Geotechnical Engineering
- CVE.C431 ： Physical Modeling in Geotechnics
- CVE.N231 ： Concrete and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory I
- CVE.N331 ： Concrete and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory II
Prerequisites
none