ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics is a concise, practical guide to the key concepts and latest developments in the field of soil mechanics. It explores the physical properties of soils and the behaviour of soil masses subjected to loads, as well as soil phases, classification and characteristics, stresses and fluid flow, consolidation, compressibility and compaction, shear strength, lateral earth pressure, slope stability and bearing capacity. These core principles can be applied to soil-like materials, such as coal ashes and mine tailings, and are explored using real-life scenarios and worked examples. Key features include real-life case studies and worked examples, easily digestible topic summaries, over 100 explanatory diagrams, and suggestions for further reading.

Revised and updated, this new edition features

• a new chapter covering a range of special topics, including expansive soil, thermal and electrical properties of soil, reinforced soil and soil liquefaction


• updates to existing chapters include sustainability considerations, some advanced topics, and recent developments in soil mechanics


• updated and additional multiple-choice questions, and numerical/conceptual problems.

ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics provides broad coverage of soil mechanics in a concise and accessible format, and is ideal for students, practising engineers and other related professionals who require a concise introduction to this subject. Together, ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics and ICE Core Concepts: Geotechnical Engineering provide a comprehensive introduction to geotechnical engineering.

Dr Sanjay Kumar Shukla is a world-renowned expert in Civil (Geotechnical) Engineering. He serves as the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Engineering and is the Founding Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Research Group Leader at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.