Master's Degree in Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations
PRESENTATION
The Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations at Structuralia aims at strengthening, increasing and consolidating the knowledge and skills of construction, geology and civil engineering professionals in the field of Geotechnical Engineering through a total of 9 modules.
Objectives
- The students who successfully complete the Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations will have knowledge and skills to perform specialized tasks and develop their professional career in the field of geotechnical engineering in civil engineering and construction companies, as well as in architecture firms. - Strengthen and increase the student’s knowledge of geotechnical engineering. - Provide solid theoretical and practical foundations for geotechnical engineering tasks. - Provide indispensable tools for further professional and/or academic development in geotechnical engineering. - Initiate students into numerical modeling and advanced constitutive models for soils and rocks in geotechnical engineering
Methodology
At Educa PHAROS, we use a highly practical methodology focused on the direct application of knowledge in the student’s professional environment, combining theoretical content with real-world case studies, digital tools, and the guidance of a specialized teaching team.
Program
- Soil - Concept and Formation
- Soil - Types of soil and sedimentary deposits
- Granular Soils - Gravels and Sands
- Cohesive Soils - Silts and Clays
- Cohesive Soils - Structure, Types and Properties of clays
- Basic Properties - Volume and Weight
- Basic Properties - Granular Soils
- Basic Properties - Cohesive Soils
- Unified Soil Classification System (USCs)
- AASHTO Soil Classification System
- The Rock Cycle. Plate Tectonics and Deformations of the Earth’s Crust.
- Igneous Rocks
- Sedimentary Rocks
- Metamorphic Rocks
- Rock, Rock Matrix and Rock Mass
- Properties of the Rock Matrix
- Properties of The Rock Mass. Discontinuities
- Geomechanical Classifications - RMR (ROCK MASS RATING)
- Geomechanical Classifications - The Q Index
- The GSI Index - Geological Strength Index
- Groundwater. Aquifer Types.
- Darcy's Law. Hydraulic Head and Hydraulic Gradient. Permeability.
- Mechanics and Theory of Fluid Flow in Porous Media.
- Flow Nets.
- The Method of Fragments.
- The Effective Stress Principle. Application in Soil and Rocks.
- Stress Distribution in the Ground.
- Hydraulic heave, uplift, internal erosion and piping.
- Filters. Concept, Use and Preliminary Design.
- Water Effects on the Rock Matrix and the Rock Mass.
- Introduction.
- The Magnitude of the Consolidation Settlement.
- The Evolution of the Consolidation Settlement.
- The Parabolic Isochrones Theory.
- Preloading and Mixed and Radial Consolidation
- Construction of Wells.
- Design of Wells. Analytical Solutions for Individual Wells.
- Design of Groups of Wells. Analytical Solutions for groupd of wells.
- Construction of Wellpoints.
- Design of Wellpoints.
- Preliminary Works
- Design and Planning of Ground Investigation
- Ground Investigation and Preliminary Research
- Drilling Techniques [2] and Sampling methods
- In Situ Testing for Soils and Rock Masses
- Identification and State Tests (I)
- Identification and State Tests (II)
- Resistance Tests (I)
- Resistance Tests (II)
- Interpretation of Triaxial Shear Tests
- Deformability Tests
- Interpretation of Oedometer Tests
- Compaction and Reuse Tests
- Rocks Tests (I)
- Rocks Tests (II)
- Introduction to Instrumentation and Monitoring
- Instrumentation Equipment I
- Instrumentation Equipment II
- Instrumentation Equipment III
- Real case studies
- The Stress Tensor. Total, Effective and Pore Stresses. Mohr’s Circle for Stresses.
- Strain Tensor. Mohr’s Circle for strains.
- Continuum mechanics. Definition of the mathematical problem..
- Elasticity Equations and Parameters.
- Main Elastic Solutions in Soil and Rock Mechanics.
- Introduction to Plasticity.
- Yield Criterion. Types of Plastic Behavior.
- Plastic Flow and Plastic Potential.
- Main Theorems and Postulates of the Theory of Plasticity.
- The Mohr-Coulomb Elastoplastic Model.
- Rheological Models.
- The Hardening Soil Model.
- The Hardening Soil Small Model.
- The Cam-Clay Model.
- The Hoek and Brown Constitutive Model.
- The Barton-Choubey Constitutive Model for Joints and Discontinuities.
- Viscosity, Viscoelasticity and Viscoplasticity.
- Extension of Rheological Models.
- Viscoelastic Constitutive Models.
- Classical earth pressures theory. Coulomb
- Classical earth pressures theory. Rankine, Terzaghi
- Classical earth pressure theory. Lateral earth pressures coefficient
- Classical earth pressures theory. Winkler spring model
- Other calculation methods. Numerical models and equivalent fluid theory
- Theory. Seismic considerations
- Rigid walls. Gravity walls
- Rigid walls. Reinforced concrete walls
- Rigid walls. Rock walls
- Rigid walls. Masonry walls and segmental retaining walls
- Flexible walls. Gabion walls and crib walls
- Flexible walls. mechanically stabilized earth wall
- Flexible walls. Diaphragm walls
- Flexible walls. Pile walls
- Anchors
- Flexible walls. sheet pile walls, king post walls, trenches
- Other design considerations. construction procedures
- Other design considerations. ground movement and monitoring
- Other design considerations. problematic grounds
- Other design considerations. Design sections and groundwater flow diagram
- Landslides classification
- Geotechnical concepts to address a slope stability problem
- Slope stability in soils
- Slope stability in rock masses
- Rock slope stability based on geomechanical indices
- Soil slope stability analysis by classic methods
- Soil slope stability analysis using charts
- The method of slices
- Corrective measures for soil slope stability
- Finite element analysis of soil slopes
- The stereographic projection
- Planar failure kinematic analysis
- Wedge failure kinematic analysis
- Toppling kinematic analysis
- Slope kinematic analyses in a rock mass
- Planar failure safety factor calculation
- Wedge failure safety factor calculation
- Toppling safety factor calculation
- Corrective measures for rock slope stability
- Finite element analysis of rock slopes
- Introduction and determinants
- Distribution of stresses below rigid foundations
- Verification of failure modes for ULS
- Verification of bearing capacity
- Correction factors
- Bearing capacity in non-homogenous soils
- Bearing capacity from in situ test
- Bearing capacity in particular soils
- Bearing capacity in rock (I)
- Bearing capacity in rock (II)
- Definitions and concepts
- Stress distribution in the ground
- Settlements in granular soils
- Settlements in cohesive soils
- Other methods and other deformations
- Rafts
- Short rigid piers
- Machine foundations
- Foundation in earthquake-prone area and dynamic parameters
- Shallow foundations in maritime and offshore sectors
- Types of deep foundations. Terms. General rules of a deep foundation design
- Bearing capacity of a pile in soils. Basic formulation
- End bearing capacity in granular soils through analytical solutions
- End bearing capacity in cohesive soils through analytical solutions
- End bearing capacity in soils. In situ tests
- Skin friction capacity in granular soils through analytical solutions
- Skin friction capacity in cohesive soils through analytical solutions
- Skin friction capacity in granular and cohesive soils through in situ test
- Bearing capacity of a pile rocks
- Bearing capacity of a group of pile
- Safety coefficient. single pile and group of piles effect
- Structural strength
- Settlements in deep foundations
- Uplift load
- Dynamic formule for pile driving
- Verifying safety against ground failure owing to horizontal pull or pressure
- Negative Friction in Piles
- Load test in piles
- Choosing the type of pile
- Micro-piles
- Introduction to Numerical Modeling.
- The Finite Element Method.
- Numerical Modelling in Geotechnics.
- Introduction to Plaxis 2D. Basic Concepts.
- Plaxis 2D. Organization and Structure. User Interface.
- Definition of Ground Geometry and Structure.
- Geometrical Elements, Loads and Movements Imposed on Plaxis 2D.
- Soil behavior and constitutive models
- Structural and hydraulic elements in Plaxis 2D
- Definition of the mesh of finite elements
- Definition of Calculation Phases.
- Plaxis 2D calculation types
- Water in Plaxis 2D.
- Calculation Scheme and Control Parameters.
- Result visualization and Analysis.
- Study of a superficial Foundation.
- Analysis of a slope´s stability
- A modelling case. an excavation between retainign walls
- Embankment construction and consolidation
- Modelling of a tunnel. Builder/wizard tunnel
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