How Dense Are You?
Rich soil sample.Copyright Western Australian State Government http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolbox6/hort6/html/resources/depot/hort_file/soil_struct/soil_struct.html
Students learn about geotechnical engineers and their use of physical properties, such as soil density, to determine the ability of various soils to offer support to foundations. In an associated activity, students determine the bulk densities of soil samples, and assess their suitability to support foundations.
Geotechnical engineers are responsible for identifying soil constituents and their characteristics. This information is vital due to the existence of problematic, expansive soils, which can be linked to most of the foundation failures that occur in homes, on roads and in other structures. To avoid these problems, geotechnical engineers commonly use bulk density testing to assess if soil make-up is appropriate to support a stable foundation, or if it needs to be adjusted. Thanks to geotechnical engineers, we avoid many of these problems, and have experts to resolve foundational failures when they arise!
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Relate the physical properties of soils to foundation failures in streets, homes and other structures.
- Describe how soil constituents affect the foundations of all structures.