THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Civil

Undergraduate Course: Foundation Engineering 4 (CIVE10004)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryFoundation Engineering 4 builds on content learnt during Geotechnical Engineering 3 to explore the design of foundation systems according to Eurocode 7 design rules. The course comprises three major learning components: an introduction to ground investigation; the theory and design of deep (piled) foundations (including the alpha method, lateral capacity and group capacity calculations); and the design of shallow foundations (building around the "triple-N" equation approach). Each component is supported through tutorial questions, which also incorporate case study calculations from recent ground investigation or foundation design examples. Note that the course no longer comprises a supporting coursework.
Course description Course components:

Weeks 1-3: Ground Investigations
- Desk study, field reconnaissance, building a conceptual ground model
- Planning approaches for the Geotechnical Investigation, Soil sampling methods (trial pits, boreholes, samplers)
- Determining ground properties from in situ test methods: SPT; CPT; shear vane; pressuremeter; rising/falling head

Weeks 4-6: Deep foundations
- Capacities of single piles and pile groups in homogeneous cohesive and non-cohesive soil
- Settlement calculations for single piles and pile groups in homogeneous soils
- Capacity calculations for single piles and pile groups in stratified soils
- Settlement calculations for single piles and pile groups in stratified soils

Week 7: Eurocode design for geotechnical structures
- Introduction to Eurocode 7 and the ultimate and serviceability limit states
- Design of single piles and pile groups to Eurocode 7 (ULS and SLS)

Weeks 8-10: Shallow foundation design
- Design of spread foundations to Eurocode 7 for vertical and horizontal drained and undrained capacity
- Implicit calculations for spread foundation vertical settlement
- Empirical calculations for spread foundation vertical settlement (SPT, CPT and pressuremeter)

Week 11: Revision
- Past exam questions
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Geotechnical Engineering 3 (CIVE09016)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 64 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback Formative (mid-semester) and end-of-course.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. plan and undertake a ground investigation;
  2. demonstrate an ability to design deep foundations;
  3. demonstrate an ability to design shallow foundations.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsGround Investigation,Foundation Design
Contacts
Course organiserDr Christopher Beckett
Tel: (0131 6)51 7119
Email: Christopher.Beckett@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Wendy McCartan
Tel:
Email: wmccart2@ed.ac.uk
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