Lecturer: Ester Cantù   Carlo Giovanni Lai  

Course name: Reinforced concrete structures, foundation systems and earth-retaining walls
Course code: 503153
Degree course: Ingegneria Civile
Disciplinary field of science: ICAR/09
L'insegnamento è caratterizzante per: Ingegneria Civile
University credits: CFU 12
Course website: http://www.unipv.it/webgeotk/fondazioni.html

Specific course objectives

REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES



FOUNDATION SYSTEMS AND EARTH-RETAINING STRUCTURES
Aim of this section is the application of the principles of geotechnical and structural engineering to the design and analysis of foundations and earth-retaining structures. The section will comprise lecturing hours dedicated to the illustration of the theoretical topics and hours of tutoring dedicated to problem-solving of foundations engineering and/or deepening some of the themes treated during the lectures. The course subdivision in didactic modules with lecturing hours (L) and tutoring hours (E) is illustrated in the following.

Course programme

REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

FOUNDATION SYSTEMS AND EARTH-RETAINING STRUCTURES

First didactic module (10L+3E)
Review of general concepts of soil mechanics. Principle of effective stress, geostatic stresses. Normally-consolidated and overconsolidated soils. Drained and undrained stress-paths. Shear strength of coarse and fine-grained soils. Seepage and steady state flow in porous media. Darcy law. Hydrodynamic pressure and critical hydraulic gradient. Siphoning and assessment of safety conditions of an excavation. Shear strength and deformability parameters under drained and undrained conditions. Geotechnical characterization by means of field and laboratory testing.

Second didactic module (12L+5E)
Shallow foundations. Typologies and classification of shallow foundations (plinths, strip foundations, plates and foundation grids). General design criteria. Bearing capacity of shallow foundations for coarse and fine-grained soils. Italian building code (D.M. 14/01/2008) and brief account of Eurocode 7. Computation of settlements of shallow foundations for coarse and fine-grained soils. Deformations induced by the superstructure and related effects. Allowable limits of distorsions. Structural assessment. Soil-structure interaction under static conditions (Winkler method). Soil/foundation/structure interaction.

Third didactic module (10L+4E)
Deep foundations. Typologies and classification of piled-foundations. Drilled and bored piles. Static formulas for the computation of the bearing capacity of single pile subjected to axial loading (tip and shaft resistances). Negative skin friction. Settlements of deep foundations. Interaction and group effects under static conditions. Piles subjected to horizontal loading. Italian building code (D.M. 14/01/2008) and Eurocode 7. Experimental loading tests.

Fourth didactic module (6L+2E)
Earth-retaining structures. Classification of earth-retaining structures. Review on the calculation of active and passive earth pressures according to classical Coulomb and Rankine theories. Influence of displacement and friction on the earth pressure regimes. Effects of hydrostatic water pressures and live loads. Drainage systems. Seismic earth pressure. Mononobe-Okabe and Wood theories. Stability analysis under drained and undrained conditions. Static assessment of gravity earth-retaining structures. Flexible walls. Anchored and cantilever diaphragm walls. Simplified methods of analysis using the notion of "Equivalent beam". Rowe's theory. Italian building code (D.M. 14/01/2008) and brief account of Eurocode 7. Guide to the use of commercial computer programs.

Course entry requirements

For the section "Reinforced concrete structures":

For the section "Foundation systems and earth-retaining structures":
Fundamentals of the courses of Soil Mechanics, Structural Design and Hydraulics.

Course structure and teaching

Lectures (hours/year in lecture theatre): 68
Practical class (hours/year in lecture theatre): 44
Practicals / Workshops (hours/year in lecture theatre): 0

Suggested reading materials

Lancellotta, R. and Calavera, J. (1999). Fondazioni. McGraw-Hill, 611 pp.

Viggiani, C. (1999). Fondazioni. Hevelius, 568 pp.

Salgado, R. (2006). The Engineering of Foundations. McGraw-Hill, 928 pp.

Reese, L. C., Isenhower, W.M., Wang, S.T. (2005). Analysis and Design of Shallow and Deep Foundations. Wiley, 608 pp.

Fleming, K., Weltman, A.J., Randolph, M.F., Elson, K. (2008). Piling Engineering. Vol. 1, Third Edit. Taylor & Francis, 392 pp.

Bowles, J.E. (2001). Foundation Analysis and Design. McGraw-Hill, 1175 pp.

Reese L.C., Van Impe, W.F. (2001). Single Piles and Pile Groups under Lateral Loading. Vol 1. Taylor & Francis, 463 pp.

Fang, H.-Y. (1990). Foundation Engineering Handbook. Springer-Verlag, New York, Second Edit., 923 pp.

Testing and exams

REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES


FOUNDATION SYSTEMS AND EARTH-RETAINING STRUCTURES
Three assignments will be given during the course. They will contribute for about 40% of the final course grade.
The final examination consists of a three hour written assessment. The test will include both theoretical questions and practical problems.