CIV5147 Advanced geomechanics
Faculty of Engineering
CIV5147 Advanced geomechanics is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 3 other tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before CIV5147
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After CIV5147
No unit lists CIV5147 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be currently enrolled in a master’s course in engineering or related STEM and in a related discipline. The unit assumes that you have the necessary foundational knowledge.
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This unit covers all aspects of geomechanics at intermediate and advanced levels including consolidation theory of soils, estimation of consolidation and creep settlements for different types of soils, advanced topics on shear strength of soils under various drainage conditions, stress-paths and laboratory triaxial tests, determination of drained and undrained shear strength parameters, critical state mechanics and various failure criteria, soil and rock slope analysis, earth pressure theory and design of retaining walls. Applications to practical problems are key aspects of the learning covered.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Assignment 1WrittenThreshold hurdle15%
- Assignment 2WrittenThreshold hurdle15%
- Assignment 3WrittenThreshold hurdle20%
- Final assessmentExaminationThreshold hurdle50%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Determine soil consolidation time and associated settlements.
- 2
Appraise the shear strength of soils and rocks.
- 3
Analyse advanced soil strength testing and stress paths results considering drained and undrained behaviour.
- 4
Draw on various soil models to analyse soil/rock behaviour.
- 5
Analyse stability of soil and rock slopes.
- 6
Draw on earth pressure theories to design basic retaining walls.
- 7
Communicate professional decisions to specialist and/or non-specialist audiences.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops24 hours
- Practical activities24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Learning in the unit is mainly through lectures, practice classes and online learning. Online learning resources are recorded and are available in advance of each class. Students are expected to have reviewed those online materials along with other resources on Moodle before coming to class. During the lectures, students will have an opportunity to ask questions related to the online recording resources if concepts need clarification. Students are expected to come to class prepared to engage constructively in a range of activities in class, including the application of those online concepts to solve specific engineering problems. The main learning approach is “Problem-based learning” which requires students to be involved with the classroom projects and proactive learners.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
There are no prescribed texts for this unit. Students will be informed of recommended readings in the lecture notes, which will be available via the Unit Moodle site.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Malek Bouazza
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Malek Bouazza
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for CIV5147?
CIV5147 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is CIV5147 offered?
In 2025, CIV5147 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is CIV5147?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does CIV5147 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 3 other tasks.