Soil Mechanics Laboratory

This is the instructor’s legacy resource page for ENCE 3610L, Soil Mechanics Laboratory, at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Use subject to the terms and conditions of this site.

Syllabus (UTC students should use the syllabus on UTC Learn, this for reference only!)

Course Textbook and Other Free Resources

• Materials Testing, U.S. Army FM5-472
  • Materials Testing, Print Edition
• Report Writing Requirements
• Boring Video (when you see it, you’ll know why)
• Spears Lab Spreadsheet, it is very useful for calculations for many of the labs, but you have to know what you’re doing to use it
• Permeability Spreadsheet
• Canvas Version of the Course (under development)
• YouTube Channel for Soil Mechanics
• My Profile on Meet the Prof

Laboratory Course Material (for various lab experiments, Roman numerals refer to section in Materials Testing, DD- links to the reporting forms)

• RQD
  • Not in Materials Testing; can be found here.
  • Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics
• Water Content (III)
  • DD-1205
• Specific Gravity (IV)
  • DD-1208, Specific Gravity
• Gradation (Sieve and Hydrometer Analysis, V)
  • Soil Classification
  • DD-1206
  • DD-1207
  • DD-1794
• Atterberg (Liquid and Plastic Limits, VI)
  • DD-1209
• Proctor Compaction (VII)
  • Soil Compaction
  • DD-1210
  • DD-1211
• Sand Cone Test (VIII)
  • Field Exploration and Testing (see also Boring Video)
  • DD-1215, Sand Cone Test
• DCP
  • Not in Materials Testing; can be found in FM 5-430-00-2 /AFJPAM 32-8013, Vol II, Annex J
  • Description and Application of Dual Mass Cone Penetrometer
• CBR
  • CBR “R”-value Spreadsheet
  • DD-2463 (CBR Form)

Other Stuff

• Mathematical Resources (because everybody needs help in math)
• Blessed are the Merciful: I keep getting requests to “go light” on the grading. This is how I did it myself.
• My Thoughts on Sleeping in Class
• In Search of the Lost Movado.  Bar hopping has consequences.
• Who’s This Idiot? That’s Me!  It’s easy to get trapped in the system.
• When the Pathfinder Gets Lost: some students like to “follow the lead” of someone else to get the course work done. That can have negative results other than those described in the syllabus, just like this example
• Taking the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal: many of you will recognise the name of Saint-Venant from mechanics of materials, but here’s another side of his life and work.
• What’s Really Important When You Hit the Field
• The Two Promises I Made to Myself
• Lessons from the Cotter Bridge
• Mirroring Our Creator