Previously we have looked at various civil engineering materials used in construction and now I’m adding another one. This engineering resource was acknowledged the one has the closest relationship with our precious Mother Earth and noted to have large resultant impact in engineering. Soils, in the Geotechnical sense, could be considered as engineering materials. In every aspect of civil engineering activities, most construction projects are supported by the Earth ground which is 30% of its total mass.
Soil as Civil Engineering Materials
Soil in Latin defined as the Earth or ground, also as the face or surface of the Earth. Furthermore soil can be defined in many different ways for different purposes, whereas in engineering could be too broad for its applications. Nevertheless, the best possible explanation would be as follows;
Any naturally occurring deposit forming the outer part of the Earth’s crust, consisting of an assemblage of discrete particles (usually mineral, sometimes with organic matter) that can be separated by gentle mechanical means, together with variable amounts of water and air.
The study of soil mechanics covers the investigation, description, classification, testing and analysis of soils in determination of their inter-reaction with structures built in or upon them, or built with them. Their physical characteristics can be determined by experiment, and the application analysis methods enable these properties to be used to predict its likely behavior under defined working conditions. But unlike the other engineering materials such as concrete and metal, relatively control were exercised during manufacture, soil are naturally occurring materials, which more often than not to be used in its natural state.
- Soil Components (via Wikipedia)
The variety of soils is very wide in reality, and no two or more sites have identical soil conditions or profiles. Therefore necessary to evaluate the physical properties and engineering behavior of the soils present at construction site such as burrow pits. Generally soils can be classified into two categories namely coarse grained soils (gravels and sands) and fine grained soils (silts and clays). In terms of color we may often encounter yellowish, brownish, grayish, whitish or dark in color, or a mixer in between these soils.
Soil as material is a vital constituent in construction industries where it serves as a platform or foundation for most structures. Massive volumes of soil usage involving works in surface mining, Earthworks, road embankment fill, dam construction, and so forth. Besides that, some of the most significant impacts on soil properties occur as a result of activities associated with construction such as by contaminating soil as a result of accidental spillage or the use of chemicals, reduction of soil quality by mixing topsoil with subsoil, wasting soil by mixing it with construction waste or contaminated materials, etc.
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Author: Civil-Guy | Blog: Civil Craft Structures | Subscribe: RSS or Email
