How does Geotechnical engineering differ from soil Mechanics?
I am a professor of Civil Engineering and I teach both Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Soil Mechanics is the study of soil and it’s properties. We study the structure of soil, how to classify different soils, test their properties, and then we study how stresses and loads are transferred through soils. Stresses are created when we applied some sort of load on soil like from a building or a road. We study how and how much soil settles when a load is applied to it. Also, we determine how to calculate horizontal stresses that a soil creates when it is up against a retaining wall. How water travels through soil is also covered in soil mechanics. Geotechnical Engineering is the application of Soil Mechanics to the design of foundation systems, like shallow spread footings, pile foundations, caissons, and the design of retaining walls. A spread footing is typically a square or rectangular concrete pad that is typically about 3 feet deep that supports a column load from a buildin
