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School of Environment and Society
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- Graduate major in Technology and Innovation Management
- Common courses
- Liberal arts and basic science courses
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Civil Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Sawada Mai
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- Day/Period(Room No.)
- Tue3-4(W5-105) Fri3-4(W5-105)
- Group
- -
- Course number
- CVE.C401
- Credits
- 2
- Academic year
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- 2024/4/8
- Lecture notes updated
- -
- Language used
- English
- Access Index
-
Course description and aims
Soil above the groundwater level consists of soil particles, water and air, and its engineering properties vary depending on the component ratios. Unsaturated soil mechanics is necessary for geo-disaster prevention and geo-environmental preservation. This course will deal with the theories about water retention, seepage, thermal properties, strength and stability of partially saturated soil.
Student learning outcomes
You will be able to explain:
– Differences between saturated and unsaturated soils from an engineering perspective
– Theories about the above items
Keywords
partially saturated soil, water retention, seepage, thermal properties, slope stability
Competencies that will be developed
| ✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Class flow
Attendance will be checked in each module. We will have group work and presentations as well as lectures.
Course schedule/Required learning
| Course schedule | Required learning | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Various issues in the vadose zone | Slope disaster, Expansive soil, Soil contamination |
| Class 2 | Porewater pressure of partially saturated soil | Surface tension, Capillary force, Suction |
| Class 3 | Soil water retention | Water retention curve, Hysteresis |
| Class 4 | Hydraulic property evaluation | Water retention test, Coefficient of permeability of partially saturated soil |
| Class 5 | Unsaturated seepage flow | Richards equation, Water retention curve models |
| Class 6 | Group work 1 | Literature review and discussion |
| Class 7 | Application to geo-environmental issues | Capillary barrier, Waste disposal |
| Class 8 | Presentation 1 | Report of Group work 1 |
| Class 9 | Thermal properties | The degree of saturation-dependent thermal properties, heat transfer |
| Class 10 | Shear strength of partially saturated soil | Apparent cohesion, Triaxial test on partially saturated soil |
| Class 11 | Slope stability during rainfall | Slope seepage-stability analysis |
| Class 12 | Group work 2 | Literature review and discussion |
| Class 13 | Effective stresses of partially saturated soil | Bishop’s effective stress |
| Class 14 | Presentation 2 | Report of Group work 2 |
Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)
Make sure to review each module.
Textbook(s)
Handouts and related materials will be provided via T2SCHOLA
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Fredlund, D. G., & Rahardjo, H. (1993). Soil mechanics for unsaturated soils. John Wiley & Sons.
Jury, W. A., & Horton, R. (2004). Soil physics. John Wiley & Sons.
地盤工学会不飽和地盤の挙動と評価編集委員会 (2005). 不飽和地盤の挙動と評価, 丸善出版 [in Japanese]
Assessment criteria and methods
Attendance（20%）, Reports（40%），Presentations（40%）
Related courses
- CVE.C201 ： Soil Mechanics I
- CVE.C402 ： Stability Problems in Geotechnical Engineering
- CVE.C202 ： Soil Mechanics II
- CVE.C311 ： Geotechnical Engineering in Practice
Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)
No prerequisites are necessary, but enrollment in the related courses is desirable.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from "[at]" to "@"(half-width character).
Mai Sawada（sawada.m.af[at]m.titech.ac.jp, 2798)
