Unit FOUNDATION ENGINEERING

Course
Civil engineering
Study-unit Code
GP004416
Curriculum
Infrastrutture
Teacher
Claudio Tamagnini
Teachers
  • Claudio Tamagnini
Hours
  • 84 ore - Claudio Tamagnini
CFU
12
Course Regulation
Coorte 2021
Offered
2022/23
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Ingegneria civile
Academic discipline
ICAR/07
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
Italian
Contents
Guidelines for the design of foundation structures. ULS and SLS design of shallow and deep foundations. Earth pressures on retaining structures. ULS design of gravity and flexible retaining structures. Geotechnical site investigations, definitions and NTC 2018 prescriptions. Methods for site investigations. Measurements of soil properties in laboratory tests. Measurement of soil properties in in-situ tests. In situ measurements and monitoring.
Reference texts
C. Viggiani (1999). Fondazioni (2a ed.). Hevelius, Benevento.

Bowles, L.E. (1996). Foundation analysis and design. McGraw-Hill.

C. Tamagnini (2015). Dispense del Corso di Tecnica delle Fondazioni, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, Perugia (available on web platform UNIStudium).
Educational objectives
The knowledge and skills which the students are expected to acquire from the course will include:

a) the methods for the evaluation of the safety of shallow and deep foundations with respect to geotechnical ULS and for their safe design according to the NTC 2008 code;

b) the methods for the evaluation of the safety of shallow and deep foundations with respect to geotechnical SLS and for their safe design according to the NTC 2008 code;

c) the calculation of earth pressures acting on retaining structures under limit equilibrium conditions;

d) the evaluation of the safety conditions of retaining structures with respect to geotechnical ULS and their design procedure according to the NTC 2018 code;

e) the use of modern site investigation techniques for the characterization of the subsoil and the definition of the “geotechnical soil models” for the evaluation of safety with respect to ULS and SLS;

f) the use of in-situ measurement techniques for the monitoring of geotechnical structures during construction stages and under working conditions.
Prerequisites
The students must possess a sound knowledge of the basic principles of:

a) continuum mechanics of solids and fluids;

b) soil and rock mechanics, with particular reference to the description of their behavior at pre-failure and failure states;

c) limit analysis theorems and limit equilibrium methods, as applied to geotechnical engineering problems.
Teaching methods
Teaching methods and support tools include:

a) Frontal lectures in class, with frequent interactions with the students by means of questions and answer sessions on the most significant topics covered;

b) Assisted class works including applications of design methods in class, as well as the development of software applications in excel and matlab environments;

c) Class seminars on specific topics, with overhead slide projector.
Other information
For additional information, please check the website of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the following link:
http://www.ing1.unipg.it/didattica/studiare
Learning verification modality
The evaluation is based on a oral exam, with a duration of about 30', in which the candidate's knowledge and skills are verified. The exam is divided in two parts. The first part covers the methodologies currently in use for the evaluation of safety of shallow and deep foundation structures, as well as of rigid and flexible retaining structures, with respect to ultimate limit states (ULS) and serviceability limit states (SLS). The second part focuses on modern methods of geotechnical site investigation for the mechanical characterization of the subsoil and the definition of “geotechnical soil models” according to NTC 2018, as well as the use of measurement techniques for the monitoring of geotechnical structures.
Extended program
The topics covered by the course can be divided in 3 parts:

Part 1. Shallow and deep foundations.

Guidelines for the design of foundation structures. Shallow foundations; classification and constructive details. Evaluation of bearing capacity. Foundation design against ULS according to NTC 2018. Piled foundations: construction methods. Ultimate load of a single pile subject to vertical loads. Ultimate load of a single pile subject to horizontal loads: Broms' method. Piled foundation design against ULS according to NTC 2018. Assessment of the serviceability performance of shallow and deep foundation structures. Soil-structure interaction. Serviceability limits in terms of absolute and differential displacements of foundation structrures.

Part 2. Retaining structures

Retaining structures: typology and classification. Earth pressures on retaining structures. Gravity and flexible retaining structures. ULS design of gravity retaining structures according to NTC 2018. ULS design of flexible retaining structures according to NTC 2018.

Part 3. Planning and execution of geotechnical site investigations

Definition of the “geotechnical soil model” according to NTC 2018. Summary of main characteristics of the mechanical behavior of natural soils and of the constitutive models adopted to describe them. Soil sampling. Experimental methods for the measurement of soil properties by means of laboratory tests. In-situ testing of soils: standard penetration test; cone penetration test; vane test; dilatometer test; on-situ permeability tests; geophysical tests for the measurement of Vs. Measurement of pore pressures, displacement components and normal total stresses in-situ.
Condividi su