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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research was to introduce unsaturated soil mechanics to the
undergraduate geotechnical engineering course in a concise and easy to understand
manner. Also, it was essential to develop unsaturated soil mechanics teaching material
that merges smoothly into current undergraduate curriculum and with sufficient
flexibility for broad adaptation by faculty. The learning material consists of three lecture
modules and a laboratory module.
The lecture modules introduced soil mechanics for the general 3-phase medium
condition with the saturated soil as a special case. The three lecture modules that were
developed are (1) the stress state variables for unsaturated soils, (2) soil-water
characteristic curves, and (3) axis translation. A PowerPoint presentation was created to
present each module in an easy to understand manner so that the students will enjoy the
learning material.
Along with the lecture modules, a laboratory module was developed that
reinforced the key aspects and concepts for unsaturated soil behavior. A laboratory
manual was created for the Tempe Pressure Cell and Fredlund SWC-150 device (one-
dimensional oedometer pressure plate device) in order to give the instructor and
institution a choice of which testing equipment best fits their program. Along with the
laboratory manuals, an analysis guide was created to help students with constructing
SWCCs from their laboratory.
A soil type recommendation was also researched for use in the laboratory module.
The soil ensured acceptably short equilibrium times along with a wide range or suction
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