At University of Nebraska-Lincoln
CIVE 334 Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
Soils are fundamental constituents of the earth, and structures are built on soils. This class deals with testing and identification of soils, flow through earth structures, stress distribution, consolidation and settlement, shear strength, earth pressure, slope stability, and shallow foundation problems. These topics are essential components for the design of earth structures. The knowledge acquired in this class can be used for the basic design and analysis of the earth structures. During this course, students will be trained to see the earth structures with the engineering point of view that is based on the critical way of thinking. This course is critical for students to have foundational knowledge about soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, and essential to understanding other advanced topics in the sub-discipline of geotechnical engineering. [Syllabus]
CIVE 434/834 Soil Mechanics II
CIVE 434/834 is intended to be a graduate-level Soil Mechanics course covering the application of the effective stress principle to the shear strength of soils. Primary topics include the development of continuum relationships for soils; solutions for stresses and displacements for an elastic continuum; solution of the consolidation equation for various initial and boundary conditions; understanding of the elasto-plastic behavior of soils; analysis of the slope stability; and fluid flow in soils and associated stress changes. The function of this course is to provide students with a broad understanding of these topics, with some treatments in depth. This broad understanding will prove useful in other courses, in students’ research and further reading of the literature, and in engineering practice. In addition, the knowledge acquired in this class can be used for the design and analysis of the geotechnical systems. During this course, students will be trained to see geo-materials with the engineering point of view. [Syllabus]
CIVE 436/836 Foundation Engineering
Introduction to the design of shallow foundations, mats and deep foundations. Emphasis is placed on bearing capacity analysis and settlement analysis. Foundation analysis based on soil lab tests and in-situ tests is presented. Geotechnical approach for design of combined footings and structural design of spread foundations and piles is discussed.
The goal of this course is to provide students with basic understanding of the behavior and design of foundations, shallow and deep. Classical theories of bearing capacity and settlement are explained for shallow foundations supported on granular and cohesive soils. Design and capacity analysis of deep foundations is presented for different types of deep foundations and different types of soil. As a part of supporting function of foundations in general, limits for total and differential settlement are discussed together with safety factors for design. Student successfully completing this class should be able to design any spread footing, pile or drilled shaft (geotechnical and structural design included). [Syllabus]
CIVE 898 Rock and Poromechanics
This course is a quantitative introduction to various mechanisms of rock deformation and fracture with application to geomechanical problems. First part of the course will discuss basic principles of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, which include theories of elasticity, finite deformations, viscoelasticity and failure mechanics, and borehole stresses. Fundamentals on the theory of Poroelasticity will be discussed next. Then we will talk about methods for obtaining parameters that are relevant for rock mechanics field application, ranging from laboratory tests to borehole logs. Last part of the course will discuss applications of rock mechanics and poromechanics in borehole stability, sand production, hydraulic fracturing and reservoir compaction/reservoir subsidence problems. In addition, students will review and present to the class a published paper relevant to their research topics. [Syllabus]
CIVE 898 Analytical & Numerical Methods on Multiphysical Coupling
This course introduces various analytical and numerical methods to investigate multi-physically coupled phenomena that pertain to energy-geotechnology, reservoir engineering, petroleum engineering, and a broad sub-discipline of civil engineering. For example, multi-physical phenomena, such as single/multi-phase fluid flow in porous media, hydro-mechanical coupling, thermo-mechanical coupling, hydro-chemical coupling, hydro-thermo-chemo-mechanical coupling, will be addressed using analytical solutions and multi-physical numerical simulation techniques. Upon the successful completion of this course, students are expected to apply these multi-physical coupling methods to their own research problems or other relevant topics. [Syllabus]