Lecturer: Juan Pablo Osorio, PhD CEng MIEI
Module: Foundation Engineering
1. INTRODUCTION
The following set of notes have been prepared for the Geotechnical Engineering 1 module at
Technological University Dublin. This is an introductory course, and the notes will serve as a general
guideline for it. However, students are expected to conduct their own independent learning process,
consulting the recommended readings and searching for new sources of information.
1.1
Module overview, learning outcomes and Indicative Syllabus
1.1.1 Module overview
Students in this module will apply the fundamental principles and key concepts of geotechnical
engineering, gained during the undergraduate studies, in carrying out safe and sustainable design of
both the shallow and the deep foundations. Students will also learn to plan, design and conduct a site
investigation in order to determine the soil properties and profile.
1.1.2 Learning outcomes
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Design a site investigation to determine de subsoil profile
Select the adequate foundation for different cases
Calculate the bearing capacity for shallow and deep foundations
Estimate the settlement under for shallow and deep foundation
1.1.3 Indicative Syllabus
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1.2
Assessment
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1.3
Introduction to geotechnical design and review of key concepts
Ground investigation: Planning site investigation, exploration methods, In-situ testing,
Correlation of geotechnical properties, investigation report
Shallow foundations: Types of shallow foundations, modes of failure, bearing capacity,
settlement of shallow foundation
Deep foundations: Types of deep foundations, behaviour and mode of failure, bearing capacity
of single piles, bearing capacity of pile groups, settlement of deep foundations.
End of semester examination – 50%
Assignments – 50%
Late submissions
As described in the Student Handbook, the following penalty system is applied to coursework
assignments submitted after the published submission date:
Period of Lateness
up to 1 week
up to 2 weeks
over 2 weeks
Penalty to be imposed
10% deducted from mark awarded
20% deducted from mark awarded
maximum mark available is 40%
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Lecturer: Juan Pablo Osorio, PhD CEng MIEI
Module: Foundation Engineering
Assignments are initially marked according to the marking scheme and without regard to the lateness
of submission. If a penalty is due, it is applied to this original mark.
Assignments received within one or two weeks following the due date have their mark reduced to 90%
and 80% of the original mark, respectively.
Assignments received more than two weeks late may only attract a bare pass mark: If the original mark
is greater than 40%, the assignment is given a 40% pass mark. If the assignment originally gets a fail
mark, this mark is given. Note that this does not mean that the assignment gets 40% of the original
mark.
Example 1: If a student submits the assignment between one and seven days late and achieves a mark
of 72, a penalty of 10% is applied, bringing the mark to 65.
Example 2: If a student submits the assignment between eight and 14 days late and achieves a mark
of 45, a penalty of 20% is applied, bringing the mark to 36. However, as the lower cap for the mark is
40, this assignment’s final mark is set to 40.
Example 3: If a student submits the assignment eleven days late and achieves a mark of 34, no penalty
would be applied as the mark achieved is below 40; thus, this assignment’s final mark remains at 34.
1.4
References
1.4.1 Essential Reading List
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BOWLES, J.E. (1997). Foundation Analysis and Design. 5th ed. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
DAS, B.M. (2011). Principles of Foundation Engineering. 7th ed. Stamford: Cengage.
KNAPPETT, J.A. and CRAIG, R.F. (2019). Craig’s Soil Mechanics. 9th ed. Oxfordshire: Spon Press.
SMITH, I. (2021). Smith's Elements of Soil Mechanics. 10th ed. West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.
1.4.2 Supplementary Reading
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BARNES, G. (2010). Soil Mechanics: Principles and Practice. 3rd ed. Palgrave MacMillan:
Basingstoke.
BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. (2015). Code of practice for ground investigations (BS
5930:2015).
BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. (Several dates). Methods of test for soils for civil
engineering purposes (BS 1377: parts 1 to 9).
BUDHU, M. (2011). Soil Mechanics and Foundations. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
DAS, B.M. (2008). Advanced soil mechanics. 3th ed. New York: Taylor & Francis.
DAS, B.M. (2010). Principles of Geotechnical Engineering. 7th ed. New York: Cengage.
MURTHY, V.N.S. (2002). Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices of Soil Mechanics
and Foundation Engineering. New York: CRC Press.
NATIONAL STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF IRELAND. (2005). Eurocode 7: Geotechnical design Part 1: General rules (I.S. EN 1997-1:2005).
NATIONAL STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF IRELAND. (2007). Eurocode 7 - Geotechnical design Part 2: Ground investigation and testing (I.S. EN 1997-2:2007).
NATIONAL STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF IRELAND. (2017). Geotechnical investigation and
testing - Identification and classification of soil – Part 1: Identification and
description (I.S. EN ISO 14688-1:2017).
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Lecturer: Juan Pablo Osorio, PhD CEng MIEI
Module: Foundation Engineering
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NATIONAL STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF IRELAND. (2005). Geotechnical investigation and
testing - Identification and classification of soil – Part 3: Standard penetration test (I.S. EN ISO
22476-3:2005).
SHUKLA, S.K. (2014). Core Principles of Soil Mechanics. London: Thomas Telford.
SHUKLA, S.K. (2015). Core Concepts of Geotechnical Engineering. London: Thomas Telford.
TERZAGHI, K., PECK, R.B. and MESRI, G. (1996). Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. 3rd ed.
New York: John Wiley & Sons.
TOMLINSON, M.J. (2001). Foundation Design and Construction. Essex: Pearson Education
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