Soils in Construction

W.L. Schroeder, S.E. Dickenson and D.C. Warrington
Prentice Hall (2003)

This is a unique textbook. Most soil mechanics and foundations textbooks are aimed at design professionals or engineering students; Soils in Construction is aimed at the contractor and the construction management student. It presents soil mechanics concepts in an easy to understand fashion. It includes many worked examples and illustrations to make understanding of the basic concepts simple.

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Soils and Foundation Handbook 2004

Florida Department of Transportation (Click on the title above to download)

• Subsurface Investigation Procedures
• Subsurface Investigation Guidelines for Highways and Related Structures
• In-situ testing
• Laboratory Tests
• Materials Description, Classification and Logging
• Analysis and Design
• Presentation of Geotechnical Information
• Construction and Post-Construction Activities
• Determination of Design Skin Friction for Drilled Shafts Socketed in the Florida Limestone
• A complete list of ASTM and AASHTO Specifications for geotechnical work

Soils and Foundations Reference Manual

Naresh C. Samtani, PE, PhD and Edward A. Nowatzki, PE, PhD

FHWA-NHI–06-088
FHWA-NHI-06-089
December 2006

The objective of this manual is to present recommended methods for the safe, cost-effective design and construction of geotechnical features. Coordination between geotechnical specialists and project team members at all phases of a project is stressed. Readers are encouraged to develop an appreciation of geotechnical activities in all project phases that influence or are influenced by their work.

Soils and Geology Procedures for Foundation Design of Buildings and Other Structures (except Hydraulic Structures)

Army TM 5-818-1
October 1983

This manual presents guidance for selecting and designing foundations and associated features for buildings, retaining structures, and machinery. Foundations for hydraulic structures are not included. Foundation design differs considerably from design of other elements of a structure because of the interaction between the structure and the supporting medium (soil and/or rock).

Information contained herein is directed toward construction usually undertaken on military reservations, although it is sufficiently general to permit its use on a wide variety of construction projects.

This manual includes:

1. A brief summary of fundamental volumetric - gravimetric relationships.
2. Summaries of physical and engineering properties of soil and rock.
3. General descriptions of field and laboratory investigations useful for foundation selection and design.
4. Design procedures for construction aspects, such as excavated slopes and shoring.
5. Empirical design equations and simplified methods of analysis, including design charts, soil property-index correlations, and tabulated data.
6. Selected design examples to illustrate use of the analytical methods.

Since the user is assumed to have some familiarity with geotechnical engineering, design equations and procedures are presented with a minimum of theoretical background and no derivations. The topics of dewatering and groundwater control, pile foundations, and foundations on expansive soils are covered in greater depth in separate technical manuals and are only treated briefly in this manual.

Structure Design Guidelines for Load and Resistance Factor Design

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Florida Department of Transportation

The Structures Design Guidelines (SDG), sets forth the basic Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) design criteria that are exceptions to those included in the AASHTO/LRFD Bridge Design Specifications published in Customary U.S. Units by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), and hereinafter simply referred to as “LRFD.” These exceptions may be in the form of deletions from, additions to, or modifications of the LRFD specifications. AASHTO/LRFD and the Structures Design Guidelines (SDG) must always be used jointly and in concert with the FDOT’s Plans Preparation Manual (PPM) in order to properly prepare the contract plans and specifications for structural elements and/or systems that are included as part of the construction work in FDOT projects. Such elements and/or systems include, but are not necessarily limited to, bridges, overhead sign structures, earth retaining structures, and miscellaneous roadway appurtenances.