2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Undergraduate major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Soil Mechanics II
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Akihiro Takahashi
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Tue (W5-106) / 5-6 Fri (W5-106)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- CVE.C301
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course aims to understand (a) the deformation and failure of soils and (b) concepts and theories for the practical design of geotechnical structures. In particular, the followings things will be explained; (1) shearing and volume-change characteristics of soils, (2) classic analysis methods to assess the stability of geotechnical structures, and (3) how to assess the stability of slopes, shallow foundations and retaining structures.
Course description and aims
This course aims to understand (a) the deformation and failure of soils and (b) concepts and theories for the practical design of geotechnical structures. In particular, students are expected to understand (1) shearing and volume-change characteristics of soils, (2) classic analysis methods to assess the stability of geotechnical structures, and (3) how to assess the stability of slopes, shallow foundations and retaining structures.
Keywords
Volume change, shearing, failure criteria, stability analysis methods, slope stability, bearing capacity, earth pressure, geotechnical structures
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures and exercises
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Stability problems of geotechnical structures, soil as a continuum, and drained/undrained conditions |
To understand typical stability problems of geotechnical structures and drained/undrained conditions in the stability analysis |
| Class 2 | Shearing and volume-change characteristics of soils, and strength of soils |
To understand volume-change characteristics of soils under shearing and strength of soils |
| Class 3 | Mohr's stress circle, failure criteria |
To understand failure criteria of soils |
| Class 4 | Shear tests in laboratory |
To understand triaxial tests |
| Class 5 | Interpretation of soil test results |
To understand interpretation of soil test results |
| Class 6 | Safety margin, modelling of geotechnical structures, and limit |
To understand safety margin, modelling of |
| Class 7 | Fundamentals of limit analysis |
To understand the fundamentals of limit analysis |
| Class 8 | Classic limit analysis |
To understand classic limit analysis |
| Class 9 | Slope stability analysis |
To understand slope stability analysis |
| Class 10 | Bearing capacity |
To understand the bearing capacity of the ground |
| Class 11 | Stability analysis of shallow foundation |
To understand stability analysis of shallow foundation |
| Class 12 | Earth pressures |
To understand earth pressure |
| Class 13 | Stability analysis of retaining structure |
To understand stability analysis of retaining structure |
| Class 14 | Stability of structures subjected to seepage-flow and earthquake |
To understand stability analysis of structures subjected to seepage-flow and earthquake |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Akihiro Takahashi (2011) Geotechnical Engineering, Corona-sha (in Japanese)
Kenji Ishihara (2018) Soil Mechanics, 3rd ed., Maruzen (in Japanese)
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Osamu Kusakabe (2004) Soil Mechanics, Corona-sha (in Japanese)
Hakuju Yamaguchi (1984) Soil Mechanics, Giho-do (in Japanese)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Assignments (20%) and final exam (80%)
Related courses
- CVE.C201 ： Soil Mechanics I
- CVE.C311 ： Geotechnical Engineering in Practice
- CVE.N231 ： Concrete and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory I
- CVE.N331 ： Concrete and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory II
- CVE.A201 ： Mechanics of Materials and Members
- CVE.B201 ： Hydraulics I
- CVE.C401 ： Mechanics of Geomaterials
- CVE.C402 ： Stability Problems in Geotechnical Engineering
- CVE.C432 ： Rock Engineering
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are necessary, but enrollment in the related course (Soil Mechanics I, CVE.C201) is desirable.