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

He left school at 15 to work in a local soil mechanics laboratory, attending day-release courses in mechanical and structural engineering.

From BBC

“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

The courses focused on geotechnical engineering, pavement design, soil mechanics, and foundation analysis and design.

From Washington Times

“Berlin’s swampy ground was seen as a potential hindrance for such a massive structure, so the engineers of the German Society for Soil Mechanics were commissioned to check the extent to which it would have to be reinforced,” says Micha Richter, a Berlin architect and leading member of Berlin Underworlds, an association that holds tours of historic sites across – and mainly underneath – the city.

From The Guardian

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