Geotechnical Engineering is a branch of Civil Engineering related to study of soil mechanics, engineering properties of soils, behavior of soil under various loading conditions and implementing its principles for design of foundations, retaining walls, slope stability and soil improvement for construction of structures. Geotechnical Engineering is a vast field and a lot of research is done and many books has been published till date. Following are our recommendations for must-read Geotechnical Engineering books for professionals.
Advanced Soil Mechanics
This is one of the most authentic book of soil mechanics in recent times, we can say that the book is an authority in Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. From basic concepts of soil mechanics to advanced topics, the book covers all aspects in simple and easy to understand ways. The book has all characteristics to be the first book in soil mechanics to study. This book is being referred to as the most widely used textbook at undergraduate level. In my opinion, the book is not only for students but also for working professionals. A must-have book to be included in your collection, and to keep it at your office desk, if you are a Geotechnical Engineer.read more..
Principles of Foundation Engineering
The book was originally written to be taught at undergraduate level courses of foundation engineering and design. In early chapters, the book covers basic topics of soil mechanics, Geotechnical properties of soils and concepts of subsoil investigation. Main focus of the book is on design concept of various types of foundations and part II of the book is all about analysis of foundations. In this part, the author has discussed concepts of soil bearing capacity, shallow foundations, vertical stresses in soil, settlement, mat foundations, and piling. Lateral earth pressure is discussed in part III alongwith retaining walls, sheet pile walls, and braced cuts. In part IV, the last Part of book, soil improvement and modification techniques are discussed. read more..
The book is well written and covers all aspects of foundation design related to tall buildings (200 – 300 m high or around 40 floors). Starting from the characteristics of tall buildings, types of foundation usually provided for tall buildings are discussed. The book mainly focuses on the Geotechnical design of foundations and various design conditions for foundation design are discussed. The book provides a detailed design process and discusses ultimate stability, serviceability limit, ground movements, dynamic loading, and seismic events for foundation design. The book also discusses basement wall design and pile load testing. In the end, the author has discussed numerous case studies related to the book subject. read more..
Geotechnical Engineers Portable Handbook
If you are planning to appear in the Geotechnical PE exam, this is a must-have book in your collection. The book has very useful information in responding to many of the qualitative questions for which, finding answer from other sources is time-consuming. Instead of digging over the internet, or reading many books, it provides you with quick reference and saves time. It is the best available resource if you want an all-inclusive source for Geotechnical Engineering. The book provides you information regarding all day to day challenges of Geotechnical Engineering, however, it needs some improvement on advanced topics like deep foundations and some complex versions of retaining walls. The book is an excerpt from the author’s career, I believe the author has shared his keynotes, design methods, equations, and thumb rules from his life-time experience. It guides readers through the content to the right answer, be it a calculation formula or a value. read more..
Moving The Earth: The Workbook of Excavation
The book is no doubt a good resource for understanding earthworks. The book discusses the costing of earthmoving machines for a construction company for bidding purposes and costing during project execution. It provides very useful information related to various equipment including tractors, dozers. Excavators, loaders, trucks & hauling equipment, scrapers & graders, pile drivers, tunnel boring machines (TBM), etc. You will find useful formulas for the above-mentioned equipment to calculate their performance and efficiencies. The book discusses excavation in soft soil to rock, land clearing, structural excavation and shoring, trenching, piling, tunneling, blasting, aggregate processing, back-filling, compaction, and soil improvement techniques. The book is a complete reference and encyclopedia of earthworks involved in any kind of project. read more..
Slope Stability Analysis by the Limit Equilibrium Method: Fundamentals and Methods
Slope stability is one of the most studied topics of Geotechnical Engineering. Although a lot of literature is available on slope stability but in our opinion this book on slope stability analysis published by ASCE press is highly recommended. In part-I of the book, fundamentals of slope stability with basic concepts are discussed. In its second Part, methods of stability analysis are discussed. The book has nicely discussed, simplified methods for plane failure surface, stability charts, method of slices, and methods of three-dimensional analysis. At the end, the authors have discussed, preview of LEAME computer software for slope stability analysis. read more..
Forensic Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering
A very good and resourceful book for Geotechnical Engineers who deal with damage assessment due to Geotechnical failures. From damage assessment to the root cause analysis of damage, the book provides recommendations to the repair methods. From this book the reader can learn how to investigate damages due to settlement, lateral movements, seismic events, soil erosion, bearing capacity failure, cracking of foundations, groundwater movement, and due to the presence of expansive soil. The book explains the issues in well-mannered using pictures, illustrations, and case studies. The book also covers topics related to report writing for damage assessment and reducing potential liability. read more..
Geotechnical Engineering: Principles & Practices
The book is about fundamental concepts of Geotechnical Engineering. For beginners, like undergraduates students, the book offers the easiest way to understand basics of Geotechnical Engineering. Starting from introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, the book discusses engineering geology and soil exploration. The book has described soil composition and its classification in an easy to understand way. We can say that the book is good to keep in a Geotechnical Engineer’s collection. After discussing the basic concepts, the book discusses excavations, back-filling, grading, and ground water (one directional and multi directional flow). Keeping the text of book student friendly, the author has discussed very important topics of stresses in soils, compressibility, settlement, consolidation, soil strength and slope stability. The concluding chapters are related to advanced and more complex concepts like foundation design, lateral earth pressure and retaining walls. The book is highly recommended for undergraduate students and beginners in the field of Geotechnical Engineering. read more..
Soils in Construction
This is a highly recommended book for Geotechnical Engineering professionals as it focuses on topics related to construction applications. In early chapters, the book covers basic principles of soil mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Basic soil mechanics topics include physical properties of soil, its index properties, soil classification, stress analysis, and its engineering properties.
The real strength of this book is the second part, in which authors have discussed topics related to field applications of Geotechnical Engineering. The book discusses earthwork in terms of a construction contract, interpretation of soil reports, construction of embankments, de-watering, excavations, construction of various types of foundations, and road construction. In my opinion, this is one of the books which discusses practical aspects of Geotechnical Engineering convincingly. In addition to the above topics, the book also provides information on laboratory testing of soils and pile hammer specifications. read more..
Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils
Although the book is not directly related to Geotechnical Engineering, we recommend this book to our readers because of its rich content related to soil sciences. This book is a very good resource in understanding of basic properties of soil around us. The book discusses the formation of soils from parent materials, its classification, structure, and physical properties. The book provides very useful content about the behavior of soil with water, hydrologic cycle, soil aeration, and temperature. As the book is more related to soil science and agriculture, it provides a lot of knowledge about soil chemical, physical properties, and organisms present in soils. It discusses organic maters in soils and its nutrient management. The ending chapters are about soil erosion, its control, and chemical pollution. read more..
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