soil mechanics

American  

noun

1. the branch of civil engineering that deals with the mechanical behavior of soil and similar materials when they are compressed or sheared or when liquids flow through them.

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soil mechanics British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the study of the physical properties of soil, esp those properties that affect its ability to bear weight, such as water content, density, strength, etc

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Example Sentences

“The conditions for sea transportation in the area is getting more tricky,” says Sven Knutsson, professor of soil mechanics at Lulea University of Technology.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2017

Pioneering the application of soil mechanics principles to the design of earth-moving equipment, he became aware in his 50s of the problems that deep-sea trawling was causing to seabed pipelines and cables.

From The Guardian • Jan. 18, 2013

It is dismaying that The New York Times devotes space to a well-known, simple application of soil mechanics while largely ignoring significant engineering developments.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2012

Consultants from a variety of disciplines, from architecture to soil mechanics, concluded that halfway measures would no longer do; a major rebuilding had to be undertaken.

From Time Magazine Archive

She had not tillers of the soil, mechanics or skilled merchants.

From The Colored Regulars in the United States Army by Steward, T. G. (Theophilus Gould)