School: Engineering

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
  • Unit Code

    ENS6148
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    A/Prof Sanjay Kumar SHUKLA

Description

This unit provides an introduction to the properties of soils, estimation of their behaviour under applied loads, and the design of foundation elements used for various types of construction. The unit includes laboratory testing of various soil types and also provides the basic knowledge required to design pavements, retaining walls, building foundations and excavations.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded ENS5242

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe and evaluate the properties of soils that affect their ability to support themselves and any imposed loads.
  2. Design simple foundation elements for varying soil conditions.
  3. Evaluate new developments in geosynthetics and earth anchors.
  4. Identify the types of soils that can occur at construction sites.
  5. Research some of the latest technological developments in soil mechanics and foundation engineering.
  6. Specify appropriate excavation and retaining methods for soils.

Unit Content

  1. Analysis and design of earth anchors.
  2. Basic description of soils, clay minerals, soil phases, and soil problems in civil engineering; index properties and soil classification.
  3. Consolidation and compressibility of soils.
  4. Deep foundations, piles, drilled piers, well foundations.
  5. Effective stress principle, ground water fluctuations, soil capillarity; soil permeability, fluid flow through soils, granular filter design.
  6. Geosynthetics and their applications.
  7. Lateral earth pressure, retaining structures.
  8. Shallow foundations, load-bearing capacity theories, raft foundation.
  9. Shear strength of soils.
  10. Site investigation; excavation techniques.
  11. Slopes and embankments.
  12. Soil compaction, ground improvement techniques, stresses in soil mass.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 113 x 2 hour labNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 2 hour lectureNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 1 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseQuizzes and tutorial exercises20%
Laboratory WorkLaboratory performance and reports20%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseQuizzes and tutorial exercises20%
ExerciseVirtual laboratory activities20%
Assignment ^Summative assessment of unit content60%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

ENS6148|1|1

School: Engineering

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
  • Unit Code

    ENS6148
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    A/Prof Sanjay Kumar SHUKLA

Description

This unit provides an introduction to the properties of soils, estimation of their behaviour under applied loads, and the design of foundation elements used for various types of construction. The unit includes laboratory testing of various soil types and also provides the basic knowledge required to design pavements, retaining walls, building foundations and excavations.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded ENS5242

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe and evaluate the properties of soils that affect their ability to support themselves and any imposed loads.
  2. Design simple foundation elements for varying soil conditions.
  3. Evaluate new developments in geosynthetics and earth anchors.
  4. Identify the types of soils that can occur at construction sites.
  5. Research some of the latest technological developments in soil mechanics and foundation engineering.
  6. Specify appropriate excavation and retaining methods for soils.

Unit Content

  1. Analysis and design of earth anchors.
  2. Basic description of soils, clay minerals, soil phases, and soil problems in civil engineering; index properties and soil classification.
  3. Consolidation and compressibility of soils.
  4. Deep foundations, piles, drilled piers, well foundations.
  5. Effective stress principle, ground water fluctuations, soil capillarity; soil permeability, fluid flow through soils, granular filter design.
  6. Geosynthetics and their applications.
  7. Lateral earth pressure, retaining structures.
  8. Shallow foundations, load-bearing capacity theories, raft foundation.
  9. Shear strength of soils.
  10. Site investigation; excavation techniques.
  11. Slopes and embankments.
  12. Soil compaction, ground improvement techniques, stresses in soil mass.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 113 x 2 hour labNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 2 hour lectureNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 113 x 1 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseQuizzes and tutorial exercises20%
Laboratory WorkLaboratory performance and reports20%
Examination ^End of semester examination60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
ExerciseQuizzes and tutorial exercises20%
ExerciseVirtual laboratory activities20%
Assignment ^Summative assessment of unit content60%

^ Mandatory to Pass


Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

ENS6148|1|2