Course detail

Earth Structures

FAST-NFA015Acad. year: 2025/2026

- Types of earth structures - cuttings, embankments, traffic bodies, dams, landfills.
- Properties of natural, waste, lightweight geomaterials.
- Compaction and stabilization of soils.
- General principles of design of earth structures (ultimate and servisibility limit states).
- Improvement, reinforcement of soils (Preloading, Vacuum consolidation, Vertical drains, Deep dynamic compaction, Vibro compaction, Stone columns, Deep soil mixing, Geosynthetics).

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Lumír Miča, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Geotechnics (GTN)

Entry knowledge

Essentials of material behaviour (theory of Elasticity and Plasticity), classification of soils, Mechanical properties of soils, Effective stress.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Aims

Aim of this subject is to introduce theoretical and technological issues of earth structures with special emphasis on traffic structures. Theoretical part of the subject introduces basic theoretical principles, design procedures of earth structures (stability, deformation, ground improvement) and their analysis.
Technological part is dedicated to the issues connected with execution of the earth structures. It discusses construction requirements, ground improvement techniques and others.
Students will continuously verify gained knowledge on Seminars by manual calculations as well as by calculations supported by specialized software.

The student acquires the theoretical and practical knowledge of the target setting. The output from theoretical point view is designing of the selected earth structures (earth reinforcement soil, gabions etc.) or improvement of subsoil by stone columns, deep soil mixing or designing of PVD for consolidation. The practical output are main principles for construction these types of structures.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

MIČA, L.: Zemní konstrukce se zaměřením na dopravní stavby, 2022 (CS)
 Moseley, M. P. : Ground improvement, 2004 (EN)
VANÍČEK, I., VANÍČEK, M. : Earth Structures - In Transport, Water and Environmental Engineering, 2008 (EN)
ZÁRUBA, Q., MENCL, V. : Sesuvy a zabezpečovaní svahů, 1978 (CS)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPC-SIK Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Lumír Miča, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  • 1. Introduction of Earth structures.
  • 2. Mechanical properties and specifics of soil/rock material, secondary materials, light weight fills.
  • 3. Mechanical properties and specifics of soil/rock material, secondary materials, light weight fills (contin.).
  • 4. General principles of designing earth structures – settlements and stability analysis.
  • 5. Ground improvement – Preloading, Vacuum Consolidation, Vertical drains.
  • 6. Ground improvement – Deep Compaction, Vibroflotation.
  • 7. Ground improvement – Deep Soil Mixing.
  • 8. Ground improvement – Stone Columns.
  • 9. Geosynthetics – properties; separation, filtration, drainage and erosion function.
  • 10. Geosynthetics – reinforcement function.
  • 11. Nail structure.
  • 12. Gabions.
  • 13. Monitoring of Earth structures.

Exercise

13 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Lumír Miča, Ph.D.
Ing. Juraj Chalmovský, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  • 1. Determination of strength parameters of geomaterials.
  • 2. Determination of stifness and technological parameters of geomaterials.
  • 3. Design of embankment (settlement analysis).
  • 4. Design of embankment with using software (stability analysis).
  • 5. Design of prefabricate vertical drains.
  • 6. Design of mechanically stabilized earth wall.
  • 7. Credits.