Course Information
           
 
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Course:

Soil and Rock Mechanics for Highway Engineering - Fundamentals of Soils

SAP Course Number:

78TECH400641

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Course can be found when searching
"By Topic" under these categories:

Geotechnical and Foundations



Class Schedule


No Offerings Are Currently Scheduled









General Information

Summary:
This training course provides participants with an understanding of how soil and rock mechanics principles are important to the design and construction of highways. Upon completion, participants will be better equipped to identify which items can be adjusted to meet project goals.

Learning Outcomes:
-Describe how project features can influence project complexity.
-Describe how subsurface conditions can influence project complexity.
-Identify commonly used methods to obtain soil and rock information in the field.
-Read a boring log and describe the information it should contain.
-Explain why laboratory testing on soil and rock is performed.
-Identify common laboratory tests and the information they provide.
-Describe effective stress, total stress, pore water pressure and overburden pressure.
-Describe the shear strength equation.
-Explain the effect of normal load on shear strength; friction versus cohesion.
-Explain the effect of water on shear strength.
-Identify applicable stress states for proposed construction (i.e., drained vs. undrained).
-Identify appropriate laboratory tests for anticipated stress states.
-Use field and laboratory testing information to estimate soil design parameters.
-Describe the soil behavior associated with various soil parameters.
-Use appropriate correlations to aid in selecting soil parameters.
-Demonstrate how stress distribution dissipates with depth.
-Describe the effects of water on different soil types.
-Explain how the presence of water impacts various design and construction issues.
-Identify methods of obtaining groundwater level data in field explorations.
-Explain why providing a filter is important in the design of a drainage system.
-Identify what controls the shear strength of rock masses.
-Explain what strike and dip values represent.
-Name which parameters within the RMR system are important to evaluating rock in compression such as when determining foundation bearing resistance.
-Name which parameters within the RMR system are important to evaluating rock in tension such as when evaluating slope stability.
-Describe three design tools for rock cuts to prevent mass failure, minimize rockfall, and/or provide containment for rock that may fall.
-Explain how the level of confidence in soil/rock data is related to project design.
-Describe how the variability of subsurface conditions impacts interpretation of boring data by the designer and the contractor.

Target Audience:
District Geotechnical Staff, District and Central Office Bridge and Highway Designers, Construction and Maintenance Engineers.

Final Exam:
No



Continuing Education Credits


Miscellaneous
CEHs
Classes
After
 
CEUs
Classes
After
 
PDHs
Classes
After
 
PennDOT:
19.00
05/07/13
 

Awarding continuing education credits (PDH/CEU/CEH) to a training course or other training event does not imply or guarantee that the training course/event is approved by the Pennsylvania State Registration Board of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Land Surveyors.

According to Pennsylvania Act 25, “Credit determination for activities…shall be the responsibility of the licensee.  Continuing professional competency obtained by a licensee should maintain, improve or expand skills or knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure, including law and ethics applicable to the profession, or develop new and relevant skills and knowledge.”

For informational purposes only:1 CEU is equal to 10 hours of instruction
1 CEH is equal to 1 hour of instruction



Course Contact Information

                    For technical questions regarding this course, contact the following...
Name:
Virginia Lawson
Phone:
(717) 346-1375
Email:
vilawson@pa.gov

                    For general questions about the Training Calendar (such as those regarding schedules,
                    locations, instructors or registrations), see Contact Information in specific classes.
 
Created
Last Modified
By Daniel E Sanchez/PennDOT
On 05/07/13 At 09:52 AM
By Randall Shull/PennDOT
On 12/22/16 At 02:47 PM