Monday, May 7, 2012

Foundation Engineering: Soil and Rock Definition

Engineers always use terms soil and rock in implicating a clear distinction of two different kinds of foundation materials.

ROCK - is a natural aggregate of mineral grains connected by strong and permanent cohesive forces

SOIL -  is a natural aggregate of mineral grains that can either be with or without organic constituents and can be separated by gentle mechanical means such as agitation in water or strong winds

However, on actual site condition, one can never sharply distinguish rocks from soil because they usually come together. Even the strongest and most rigid rocks may be weaken by natural processes such as weathering and some highly saturated soil may exhibit strengths that is comparable to those of weathered rock.

No comments:

Post a Comment