USCS soil classification, index properties, Terzaghi bearing capacity theory, immediate and consolidation settlement, geotechnical site investigation, slope stability fundamentals, and how groundwater governs every foundation calculation.
Every foundation, retaining wall, and pavement decision in this program ultimately rests on the soil beneath it, and that soil is far less predictable than steel or concrete unless it is properly classified, tested, and characterized first. This module builds the geotechnical foundation the rest of the structural modules assume: how the Unified Soil Classification System and index properties predict soil behavior, how Terzaghi bearing capacity theory sets the pressure a footing can safely apply, and why immediate settlement in sands and consolidation settlement in clays follow completely different equations and time scales.
By the end of this module you should be able to explain why the same bearing capacity and settlement calculations are only as good as the assumed design groundwater elevation, and why a rising water table reduces effective stress — and therefore strength — even though the total weight of soil above has not changed. Module 9's foundation design and Module 10's retaining wall content both build directly on the bearing capacity and effective-stress concepts introduced here.