What is geotechnical engineering?
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering, which is more of the practical application of geology. It is the study of soil behavior using the principles of soil and rock mechanics to investigate the building sites in order to determine if the location is fit for the construction of tall buildings, highways, railways, and landfill deposits.
What does a geotechnical engineer do?
The prime job role of a geotechnical engineer involves examining the soil and observing its behavior when it is subjected to loading forces and deciding if the land is stable enough to make a good foundation for the building or any project which is being planned for that particular site.
The responsibilities of a geotechnical engineer can be divided as
Investigation
The process is also known as the geotechnical survey. It is an investigation that geotechnical engineers do to find out the quality of the land to come up with the decision that whether the earth materials of a certain place are in good shape to do construction upon or not. Also, the survey takes place after an earthquake or any natural disaster.
Report
After the investigation is done, the report has to be filed in geotechnical engineering by the engineers. The report on the soil deals with the following parameters-
Composition of soil
Bedrock and rocks
Layers of soil present under the construction site, which are being examined
The geotechnical feasibility of the site
The condition of the groundwater and the paths through which the water flows
Effect of groundwater condition on the development of the land
Drilling
Drilling in geotechnical engineering deals with collecting samples of rock and soil with simultaneous checking natural features of the soil like oil and minerals. Drilling is primarily taken place for buildings and oil rigs.
Where is geotechnical engineering used?
Geotechnical engineering is used in different industries and for different projects like government and military projects, and in mining and petroleum industries.
Any construction occurring on the surface or inside the ground calls for geotechnical engineering.
What kind of methodologies and equipment do geotechnical engineers use?
While there can be a number of tools and equipment used to carry out the entire process of investigation, report making, and drilling in geotechnical engineering by the engineer, some of the primary methodologies and equipment which are used as a part of the process are-
Geotechnical instrumentation-
The instruments and tools which engineers use in geotechnical engineering, like drills, soil testers, hydrometers, hammers, excavation tools, magnifying lenses, and many others, are referred to as geotechnical instrumentation.
Q system-
The methodology of classifying the rock mass when geotechnical engineers are analyzing a piece of land is known as the Q system. It was developed by Barton, Lien, and Lund for the identification of rock mass classification.
G- force-
G-force is the gravitational force or how gravity affects anything extra which is built upon the natural land like buildings, highways, bridges, or any other structure. The gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of the structure which is built upon the land. The lesser the mass, the lesser the force of gravity, and the more the mass, the higher the gravitational force experienced by the building.
Why the geotechnical engineering is important?
Geotechnical engineering is important for designing foundations that are capable of holding bridges and buildings and is a discipline of civil engineering which works hand-in-hand with structural and infrastructure engineering. The engineers in this discipline play a major role in every construction project, and their analysis helps the rest of the team to come up with the design best suited according to the land.