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Unit of study_

CIVL5452: Foundation Engineering

2021 unit information

The objectives of this unit are to gain an understanding of the design process in foundation engineering, to understand the importance of site investigation and field testing, and to learn how to deal with uncertainty. To achieve these objectives students are asked to design foundations using real data. Students will develop the ability to interpret the results of a site investigation; to use laboratory and field data to design simple foundations; develop an appreciation of the interaction between the soil, foundation system and the supported structure. The syllabus is comprised of field testing, site characterisation, interpretation of field data, design of pile raft and surface footings, support of excavations, soil improvement, and geotechnical report writing.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Civil Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
CIVL6452
Assumed knowledge:
? 
[CIVL2410 OR CIVL9410] AND [CIVL3411 OR CIVL9411]. Students are assumed to have a good knowledge of fundamental soil mechanics, which is covered in the courses of soil mechanics (settlement, water flow, soil strength) and foundation engineering (soil models, stability analyses; slope stability; retaining walls; foundation capacity)

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. write a geotechnical report
  • LO2. interpret borehole log data to determine soil parameters and develop a geotechnical model
  • LO3. design foundations (shallow, piled, piled raft) and retaining wall systems
  • LO4. understand basic principles of soil mechanics, and the limitations of these theories
  • LO5. creatively apply theories of soil mechanics to foundation design; in particular, deal with parameter variability and uncertainty that arises with real problems.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

There are no availabilities for this year.
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.