Geotechnical Design Overview
Establishes the geotechnical basis of design that governs foundation and earthwork decisions for the project.
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Geotechnical Engineering · Soil properties, foundation selection, bearing, settlement, earth pressure and slope stability.
Deliverable: Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy.
Minimum tables, figures and equations for Geotechnical Design Overview
Tables — at least 7
- Table — trial sections or sizes considered, with the capacity of each and the selection decision
- Table — final selected geometry for every element: dimensions, thickness, grade, spacing, elevation
- Table — bearing capacity and footing or pile size at each location
- Table — ultimate limit state check summary: demand, capacity, ratio, pass or fail, governing clause
- Table — serviceability check summary: deflection, crack width, settlement, freeboard or velocity against its limit
- Table — factors of safety achieved against the factor required, per failure mode
- Table — settlement (immediate and consolidation) against the tolerable limit
Figures — at least 4
- Figure — free body diagram of each isolated element, fully labelled with loads, reactions, dimensions and axes
- Figure — shear and moment (or pressure and velocity) diagrams for each force-carrying element
- Figure — dimensioned section or plan of each designed element
- Figure — capacity versus demand plot, interaction diagram, or rating curve as applicable
Equations — at least 8
- Equation — equilibrium equations written out for each free body (sum of forces and sum of moments, or continuity and energy)
- Equation — the internal force relations V(x) and M(x), or the momentum/thrust relation, used to compute each element's demand
- Equation — the resulting demand at the critical section of each element, with numeric substitution
- Equation — the capacity expression for each element type, shown with full numeric substitution and units
- Equation — the sizing criterion that sets the final dimension (for example required area, depth or diameter)
- Equation — each limit state check written as demand over capacity with numbers substituted
- Equation — the factor of safety calculation for each failure mode checked
- Equation — sliding, overturning, bearing and global stability factors of safety
Number every table and figure (Table 4.x, Figure 4.x), caption it, and refer to it by number in your text. Number displayed equations and show the substitution with units. These counts are minimums — add whatever else your design needs.
Engineering documentation standard — required in every Chapter 4 subsection
These rules are graded on every subsection. Work that misses them is capped on technical accuracy, exhibits, codes and communication, whatever the quality of the prose.
Code and standard references
- Every requirement, factor, coefficient, limit and allowable you apply cites the governing document AND the exact section, article or sub-article number — e.g. ACI 318-19 §22.5.5.1, AISC 360-22 Chapter J, Section J3.6, AASHTO LRFD 10th Ed. Article 3.6.1.2.2, ASCE 7-22 §12.8.1, ASTM D2487, state DOT manual section, local stormwater manual chapter.
- Give the edition or year of every document the first time it appears, then use a consistent short form.
- Where a code equation is used, quote the equation number (e.g. Eq. 22.5.5.1) next to your displayed equation.
- Where you depart from a code provision, state the clause you are departing from and the engineering justification.
- List every code, standard and manual actually used in a Codes and Standards table at the start of the subsection.
Citations for statements
- Every statement of fact, value taken from elsewhere, material property, soil parameter, rainfall depth, unit cost or published method carries an in-text citation (APA) to its source.
- Field and lab data cite the report, boring log, gauge, survey file or test number and its date.
- Manufacturer data cites the product literature and revision date; software results cite the program, version and model file name.
- Uncited assertions are treated as assumptions and must appear in the assumptions table with a justification.
- Every in-text citation resolves to a full entry in the reference list.
Step-by-step calculations
- Structure every calculation the same way: (1) objective, (2) governing code clause, (3) equation in symbolic form with the equation number, (4) definition of each symbol, (5) numerical substitution, (6) result with units, (7) comparison against the limit and the pass/fail statement.
- Show the substitution line — never jump from the formula to the answer.
- Number displayed equations sequentially (Eq. 4.1, 4.2, …) and refer to them by number in the text.
- State the load or flow combination governing each calculation by name.
- Carry consistent significant figures and round only at the reported result; state the rounding convention once.
- Present repetitive element checks in a calculation table with one row per element and the same column order throughout.
Free body diagrams and figures
- Draw a separate free body diagram for each isolated element — no combined sketches standing in for several members.
- Dimension every FBD: span, depth, thickness, cover, eccentricity, embedment, slope, pipe diameter, wall height — with the dimension lines and values shown.
- Label every force, pressure, reaction and moment with its symbol, magnitude and units, and show the sign convention and coordinate axes.
- Show supports and boundary conditions explicitly (pin, roller, fixed, elastic, buoyant, hydrostatic).
- Accompany each FBD with its shear, moment, thrust, pressure or hydraulic grade diagram at the same scale reference.
- Number and caption every figure (Figure 4.x) and refer to it by number in the narrative; add a scale or north arrow to plans.
Units and notation
- Every number in text, tables, figures and equations carries its unit — no bare numbers.
- Use one unit system throughout (US customary or SI); if both appear, give the converted value in parentheses consistently.
- Check dimensional homogeneity of each equation and say so — the units of both sides must match.
- Provide a nomenclature table defining every symbol with its unit.
Checking and verification
- Every calculation is checked by an independent route — hand check against software, alternative method, order-of-magnitude estimate, or a published worked example — and the check is shown, not just claimed.
- Report demand-to-capacity ratios and factors of safety against the required values, with the source clause for each required value.
- Include a verification/checking table: item, method of check, expected, obtained, difference, accept or revise.
- Sanity-check every result (magnitude, direction, plausibility) and state the conclusion.
- Record who checked the work and on what date; flag anything still unverified as an open item.
- State limitations and the range over which the result is valid.
How to complete this section
Do this next: Read the Geotechnical Design Overview lecture and the worked example so you know what "Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy." has to contain.
Not sure how to start or how much depth is expected? Read the fully written model example for this deliverable first — it shows the structure, tables and level of justification your advisor grades against.
Geotechnical Design Office — what this workspace teaches
Soil properties, foundation selection, bearing, settlement, earth pressure and slope stability.
- Reading boring logs and building a design soil profile
- Soil classification, index properties and strength parameters
- Shallow foundation bearing capacity (Terzaghi, Meyerhof) and factors of safety
- Immediate, consolidation and secondary settlement
- Lateral earth pressure: at-rest, active, passive; Rankine and Coulomb
- Retaining wall stability: sliding, overturning, bearing, global
- Deep foundations: pile capacity, skin friction, end bearing, group effects
- Slope stability methods and required factors of safety
- Ground improvement and groundwater control
End-of-term milestones
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026 — Poster printed and ready. 36 in × 48 in poster finalized and printed one week before the November 24 showcase.
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 — Final document package uploaded for scoring. Chapters 4–5, calculation package, drawings and appendices uploaded in the app for advisor scoring.
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 — Poster presentation to faculty and industry. Wednesday poster session — printed 36 in × 48 in poster presented in person; industry reviewers score communication and impact.
- Wednesday, November 25, 2026 — Oral presentation and defense (scored). Scored oral presentation and defense held on Wednesday, November 25.
Geotechnical Design Overview
Establishes the geotechnical basis of design that governs foundation and earthwork decisions for the project.
Section B
Engineering story
A real project situation that frames this module
Week 4: geotechnical design overview is the item standing between the team and a reviewable subsurface interpretation and foundation recommendation. Establishes the geotechnical basis of design that governs foundation and earthwork decisions for the project. Review stalls on a single line: the team cannot show the record behind geotechnical basis-of-design.
The team treats selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads as a background assumption instead of an input that must be established and recorded. The result is settlement, bearing failure or slope instability below the finished grade, discovered only after the design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from has already been built on it.
Adjacent property owners, excavation crews and the geotechnical engineer of record carry the consequence. On this module specifically, the exposure runs through coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design, and the cost of correction rises every week the subsurface interpretation and foundation recommendation moves closer to issue.
Decisions the engineer must make
- What record establishes geotechnical basis-of-design, and is that record in the project data inventory?
- Does AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.), Sec. 10, govern here — and is that the edition adopted by the jurisdiction?
- What is the acceptance criterion for selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads, and was it written before the result was known?
- Is the documented procedure valid for the conditions this project actually presents?
- If the check fails, does the team revise the subsurface interpretation and foundation recommendation or raise a change request against the locked baseline?
Photo 1. Subsurface investigation: SPT samples and the boring log that every geotechnical number traces back to.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Section C
Why this matters
Professional
A licensed engineer defending geotechnical design overview cites AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.), Sec. 10, and shows the record behind each input. Your geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. is reviewed the same way — traceability is assessed before arithmetic.
Technical
Geotechnical basis-of-design controls the numbers this module hands forward. Selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads determines whether those numbers remain valid once conditions change.
Safety
The failure mode this module guards against is settlement, bearing failure or slope instability below the finished grade. It reaches people through site-specific seismic and groundwater considerations, which is why the safety check is recorded explicitly here rather than inferred from a passing strength or performance check.
Economic
The design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from is priced from this work. Quantities, unit costs and schedule float all trace to geotechnical basis-of-design; a late correction here is paid for as a change order, not a redline.
Environmental
Environmentally, this module fixes spoil handling, dewatering discharge and groundwater drawdown near the site. Choosing conservatively without justification is not free — the excess shows up as material, energy and land that the project consumes for no measurable gain.
Community
Bearing capacity must be checked against actual field-measured shear strength, not assumed values Neighbors whose structures, utilities and streets sit within the zone of influence live with that outcome long after the semester ends.
Section D
Learning objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
- 1.Explain geotechnical basis-of-design, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 2.Evaluate selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 3.Interpret coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 4.Apply factor of safety framework vs, using this project's own conditions rather than a textbook case.
- 5.Apply AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.), Sec. 10, and cite the section that governs your acceptance decision.
- 6.Produce geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. at a standard the geotechnical reviewer for the owner would accept without a second revision cycle.
Section E
Instructional content
Full lecture notes with figures and governing equations
Reading geotechnical design overview as a practising engineer
Establishes the geotechnical basis of design that governs foundation and earthwork decisions for the project. That single sentence hides the substance of the module: geotechnical basis-of-design, and selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads. Both must be established from project evidence before anything downstream is credible.
In geotechnical engineering, this work is the input to the subsurface interpretation and foundation recommendation. Coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design — which is why this page asks you to record the source of every quantity, not just its value. The design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from depends on it.
- Geotechnical basis-of-design: subsurface model, design parameters, and applicable standards
- Selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads
- Coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design
- Factor of safety framework vs. LRFD resistance factor framework
- Site-specific seismic and groundwater considerations
Photo 1. Reading geotechnical design overview as a practising engineer in practice — Subsurface investigation: SPT samples and the boring log that every geotechnical number traces back to.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Decision logic: the procedure that replaces a closed-form solution
Geotechnical Design Overview is governed by a documented procedure rather than a single expression, so the decision logic is the deliverable: what you accept, what you reject, and on what evidence. Geotechnical basis-of-design.
Write the acceptance criterion before you look at the result. Selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads — recording the criterion afterwards lets it be shaped to fit the number you happened to get.
Photo 2. Decision logic: the procedure that replaces a closed-form solution in practice — Subsurface investigation: SPT samples and the boring log that every geotechnical number traces back to.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Constraints, adopted standards and the safety case for geotechnical design overview
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.), Sec. 10, governs this module: Foundation LRFD framework and resistance factors NAVFAC DM-7 (DM-7.1/7.2), General, adds the second constraint: Classical geotechnical design reference for parameters and methods
The safety case is explicit here. The failure mode is settlement, bearing failure or slope instability below the finished grade; the people exposed are adjacent property owners, excavation crews and the geotechnical engineer of record; the control that prevents it is site-specific seismic and groundwater considerations together with an independent check by someone who did not perform the work.
- Controlling criterion for this module: geotechnical basis-of-design.
- Adopted reference: AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.) — cite Sec. 10 by number.
- Failure mode guarded: settlement, bearing failure or slope instability below the finished grade.
- Evidence produced: Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy..
Photo 3. Constraints, adopted standards and the safety case for geotechnical design overview in practice — Subsurface investigation: SPT samples and the boring log that every geotechnical number traces back to.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Where this method stops being valid
Every method has a domain of validity. State the range of geometry, loading, material behaviour or flow regime over which your approach holds, and state what you would do instead beyond it.
For this project, the boundary you are most likely to push is site-specific seismic and groundwater considerations. If you cross it, say so in writing, bound the error, and carry the limitation into your results chapter. A disclosed limitation is professional practice; a silent extrapolation is not.
Photo 4. Where this method stops being valid in practice — Subsurface investigation: SPT samples and the boring log that every geotechnical number traces back to.
Capstone Studio instructional photograph
Section F
Engineering workflow
Steps
- 1. Assemble the inputs this module needs — geotechnical basis-of-design; selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural… — each with a unit and a source record.
- 2. Confirm AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.) is the adopted edition and locate Sec. 10.
- 3. State the assumptions and the acceptance criterion for geotechnical basis-of-design.
- 4. Execute the documented procedure, recording each judgement and the evidence behind it.
- 5. Test the result against coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design.
- 6. Audit units and run an order-of-magnitude check by hand before the number leaves your desk.
- 7. Obtain an independent check from a teammate who did not perform the work, and record their name and date.
- 8. Assemble geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. and submit it to the geotechnical reviewer for the owner for review.
Decision points
- Is every input behind geotechnical basis-of-design traceable? If not — stop and collect the record.
- Does the result satisfy selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads? If not — revise the work, never the criterion.
- Would the correction change the design of record that drawings, quantities and cost are generated from? If yes — raise a change-control request before proceeding.
Quality checklist
- Documented: geotechnical basis-of-design
- Documented: selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads
- Documented: coordination between the geotechnical report and structural foundation design
- AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Sec. 10 cited by section number
- Procedure steps recorded in order with evidence
- Acceptance criterion recorded before the result
- Independent check signed and dated
- Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. attached and named per the course convention
Section H
Interactive visualization
Geotechnical Design Overview — step-through
Advance one frame at a time. Each frame adds one engineering decision to the previous state.
Step 1 of 6
Start from the confirmed inputs: geometry, materials, loads or flows, each with a source.
Section I
Applicable codes and standards
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design
9th Ed. · Sec. 10
Adopted design/analysis reference governing this module.
Relevance: Foundation LRFD framework and resistance factors
Reference the section number and edition in your calculation package. Do not reproduce code text.
NAVFAC DM-7
DM-7.1/7.2 · General
Adopted design/analysis reference governing this module.
Relevance: Classical geotechnical design reference for parameters and methods
Reference the section number and edition in your calculation package. Do not reproduce code text.
Section J
Worked examples
Full engineering solution format
Section K
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Treating geotechnical basis-of-design as a given instead of establishing it from a project record.
- Producing geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. without showing how selection of foundation type driven by soil profile and structural loads was satisfied.
- Recording the outcome of this module without recording the judgement and evidence that produced it.
- Missing site-specific seismic and groundwater considerations, which is exactly the path to settlement, bearing failure or slope instability below the finished grade.
- Designing to the average condition when the governing condition is the controlling one.
- Freezing a design before the constructability and access review that would have changed it.
- Ignoring constructability: a design that cannot be built safely is not a completed design.
- Omitting the safety check because the strength check passed.
- Referencing figures, tables, or sources that never appear in the reference list.
Section L
Industry case study
Transcona Grain Elevator Bearing Failure (Winnipeg, 1913)
Reinforced concrete grain elevator on a clay foundation
Official findings
- Investigation found the applied bearing pressure exceeded the undrained shear strength of the underlying clay, causing a bearing capacity failure and the structure to tilt intact
Field observations
- The controlling assumption was documented nowhere in the design record.
- No independent check existed at the stage where the error entered the work.
Engineering interpretation
- Interpretation below is student analysis for instructional purposes, not an official finding.
- Map the failure to a step in your own workflow and state where your process would have caught it.
Lessons learned
- Bearing capacity must be checked against actual field-measured shear strength, not assumed values
Source: Summarize the published investigation; cite it in your reference list. Do not reproduce copyrighted report text.
Section M
FE Civil exam connection
Handbook FE Reference Handbook — geotechnical engineering section (record the section number from your handbook edition).
Exam topics
Handbook formulas
Weak results here feed your FE Civil Academy weak-area queue for targeted practice.
Question 1 of 2
Score: 0/2In geotechnical design overview, which item must be established BEFORE the analysis is run?
Section N
Apply it to your project — Geotechnical Design Overview
Complete this using your own capstone project data. Every field is saved to your project record and routed to your advisor with this module's submission.
Inputs and sources
Every value needs a traceable source.
| Quantity | Value | Unit | Source / record |
|---|
Assumptions and consequences
| Assumption | Basis | Consequence if wrong |
|---|
Self-check before submission
Section O
Design challenge
Consulting challenge — Geotechnical Design Overview
Your firm has been retained to deliver the geotechnical design overview scope for a municipal client on a compressed schedule. Produce the technical position your firm would defend at a public meeting.
Client request: The client wants a defensible recommendation, the basis of design, and an honest statement of what remains unresolved.
Constraints
- Adopted local code edition governs; no exceptions without written variance.
- Budget and schedule are fixed; scope changes require change control.
- Public safety and accessibility requirements are non-negotiable.
Deliverables
- One-page basis of design
- Supporting calculation extract
- Risk and limitation statement
Evaluation
- Technical correctness
- Standard compliance
- Clarity of engineering judgment
- Honest treatment of uncertainty
Section P
Documentation workspace
Write the report section for this module in the academic editor
Section Q
File uploads
Accepted: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, PNG, JPG, ZIP, GeoStudio
No files uploaded yet.
Section R
Deliverable and advisor review
Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy.
Submissions route to your assigned faculty advisor and are scored independently by faculty and administrator rubrics.
Reflection
What was the hardest engineering judgment in this module, and how did you resolve it?
Section S
ABET outcome mapping
Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. with advisor review and dual scoring.
Assessment: Faculty rubric score and administrator rubric score on this module's submission.
Rubric: Engineering design · Target: 70% of students at or above 'meets expectations'.
Geotechnical basis-of-design memo identifying subsurface model and foundation strategy. with advisor review and dual scoring.
Assessment: Faculty rubric score and administrator rubric score on this module's submission.
Rubric: Engineering design · Target: 70% of students at or above 'meets expectations'.
Section T
References and further study
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design (9th Ed.)
Adopted reference — cite section numbers, do not reproduce text.
NAVFAC DM-7 (DM-7.1/7.2)
Adopted reference — cite section numbers, do not reproduce text.
Geotechnical Design Overview — instructor design procedure
Course template for the calculation package format expected in the final report appendix.
NCEES FE Reference Handbook
Locate the equations used here and note the handbook section for exam recall.
Advisor meeting agenda item
Bring the unresolved decision from this module to your next weekly advisor meeting.