Ground engineering is one of the specialisations within civil engineering that involves investigating and understanding what lies beneath the earth's surface.
It is an understanding of soil and rock mechanics, together with many of the engineering aspects of geology, geophysics, hydrogeology, hydrology and related sciences, to find solutions for ground related problems.
Geotechnical engineers design and build foundations, excavations and slopes. They are vital in creating:
- Foundations for all types of structures including buildings, tower blocks, bridges, oil platforms, shopping malls, oil platforms and public art such as the Angel of the North in Gateshead
- Deep basements beneath buildings
- Underground structures including tunnels, metro stations, subways
- Large earthworks such as dams, rail and road embankments, flood defences and noise bunds
- Caverns for hydro-power and storage of hazardous waste
- Encapsulation of landfills to prevent contaminated groundwater from escaping
- Retaining walls of different types
- Stable slopes on hillsides, mining spoil, creation of land for development
- Pavements for roads, runways and railway 'permanent way'
What problems get solved?
Geotechnical professionals are present throughout all phases of the creation of major structures:
- Project conception and potential constraints from the ground
- Investigation of the ground to determine the main hazards and the engineering properties of soils and rocks
- Design of underground structural elements in collaboration with the architect and structural engineer
- Production of specifications
- Construction of civil engineering elements, such as excavation, slopes and slope support, retaining walls, piles and other foundations
- Excavations and large earthworks
- Site testing and monitoring
- Research and learning
- Resolution of disputes by experts
What are the main technical issues?
The ground is very variable. So ground engineers must be able to deal with and manage uncertainty in relation to the behaviour of the ground. Geotechnical engineers therefore need to be familiar with:
- Engineering geology - formation and origin of natural soils and how this influences their engineering behaviour
- Geomorphology - formation of the earth's surface
- Soil mechanics - behaviour of soil particles
- Rock mechanics - behaviour of jointed rock masses
- Hydrogeology - flow of groundwater through soil and rock
They must also be aware of structural engineering, archaeology, geo-environmental process and environmental legislation.
If you would like to find out more about ground engineering, visit ICE's library at One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA. It's the world's largest library on civil engineering. Opening hours are Monday 10.30-17.30; Tuesday-Friday 9.15-17.30.