26 Best Books on Soil Mechanics

We have compiled a list of the Best Reference Books on Soil Mechanics, which are used by students of top universities, and colleges. This will help you choose the right book depending on if you are a beginner or an expert. Here is the complete list of Soil Mechanics Books with their authors, publishers, and an unbiased review of them as well as links to the Amazon website to directly purchase them. If permissible, you can also download the free PDF books on Soil Mechanics below.

1. Soil Mechanics

 
1."Critical State Soil Mechanics via Finite Elements" by A M Britto and M J Gunn
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2."Soil Behaviour and Critical State Soil Mechanics" by D M Wood
Book Review: This book focuses on conducting performance analysis using realistic models. It provides an overview of the fundamental aspects of simple plastic elastic models for soil behavior and demonstrates their application in numerical analysis. It focuses on the importance of understanding the numerical models that underpin numerical analyses, as they serve as the foundation for these analyses. The book also addresses the incorporation of geotechnical engineering calculations into the evaluation process.

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3."A Guide to Soil Mechanics" by M D Bolton
Book Review: This textbook focuses on all aspects of soil mechanics and foundation engineering. It serves as an excellent resource for civil engineers, as well as practicing engineers who may be unfamiliar with concepts such as plasticity, dilatancy, and critical states. The book includes case histories and provides clear explanations of various soil problems, shedding light on diverse soil-related issues. It features chapters that delve into the behavior of soil elements, offering valuable insights into soil test interpretation and analysis. A dedicated chapter is devoted to the design of structures involving soil.

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4."SOIL MECHANICS" by PALANIKUMAR
“Soil Mechanics” Book Review: This book provides an exploration of the fundamental principles and concepts underlying the engineering behavior of soils. It offers a detailed explanation of the principle of effective stress, highlighting its significance in understanding soil behavior and stability. The book also covers the calculation of stress and the influence of water flow on soil behavior, providing readers with valuable insights into these critical aspects. To facilitate self-study and self-assessment, the book includes numerous numerical solved examples and multiple-choice questions with answers. With its focus on undergraduate civil engineering students, it serves as an ideal textbook for courses such as “Soil Mechanics” and “Geotechnical Engineering”.

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5."Basic Soil Mechanics and Foundations" by Alam Singh
“Basic Soil Mechanics and Foundations” Book Review: This book provides an introduction to the field of soil mechanics. It covers a wide range of topics, including the foundations of soil, soil particles and structure, constituents of the phase system, consistency, plasticity and sensitivity, classification and identification, permeability, capillarity, effective stress, seepage, flownet, drainage, and stress distribution. The chapters initially focus on shear strength, slope stability, earth pressure, and retaining structures, consolidation, bearing capacity, and shallow foundations, pile foundations, well foundations, foundations on swelling soils, and machine foundations. Later sections of the book discusses the compaction and pavement design, soil stabilization and improvement, site investigation and sampling, soil testing, and objective testing. This book is ideal for students studying civil engineering.

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6."SOIL MECHANICS: SERIES IN SOIL ENGINEERING" by LAMBE T W
“Soil Mechanics: Series In Soil Engineering” Book Review: This book provides an introduction to the principles of soil mechanics and explores the behavior of soil under various conditions, including wet, dry, and transiently wet states. It covers important terms such as stress, strain, shear, loading, permeability, flow, and improvement, offering thorough explanations. The chapters discusses the detailed descriptions of topics such as the nature of soil, dry soil behavior, soil behavior with water (both non-flowing and steady flow conditions), and soil behavior with transient flow of water. This book is valuable for both students and professionals in engineering, as a deep understanding of soil mechanics is essential in many engineering fields.

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7."Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 2e" by P Purushothama Raj
“Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 2e” Book Review: This book is an ideal resource for beginners in the field of soil mechanics, providing a coverage of its principles. The initial chapters focus on essential topics such as soil formation and composition, soil properties, soil classification and identification, soil compaction, permeability and capillarity, seepage, stress distribution in soil, consolidation and settlement, and shear strength of soil. The subsequent chapters discusses subjects like lateral earth pressure, earth-retaining structures, slope stability, bearing capacity of soils, shallow foundations, pile foundations, ground investigation, soil improvement, embankment dams, dynamic loading of soil, environmental geotechnology, rock mechanics, and pavements. Each chapter concludes with numerous questions, exercises, examples, and practical applications related to the discussed topics. This book serves as a valuable reference for anyone seeking a solid understanding of soil mechanics.

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8."Soil Mechanics" by Nova
“Soil Mechanics” Book Review: The book offers a well-balanced approach, providing both theoretical foundations and practical insights. It introduces a range of valuable tools for planning geotechnical projects. Detailed discussions are presented on various topics, including the elementary concepts of soil, continuum representation of soil, stationary and transient seepage conditions, undrained conditions, average pressure, and methods of discretizing the continuum and integration procedures. The book also discusses mathematical models that describe and enhance the complexity of soil, as well as analyzes special cases in soil mechanics. Abundant examples, exercises, and numerical problems are included throughout. This book is suitable for students and practitioners in the fields of civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, and geology.

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9."Design Aids In Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by Shenbaga R Kaniraj
“Design Aids In Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book is a valuable resource for students studying civil and geotechnical engineering, as well as for designers and teachers in the field. It is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on the fundamental principles of soil mechanics and explains the engineering properties of soils. The second section addresses common problems encountered in civil engineering practice. Each procedure is explained in detail, and the book includes numerous examples and problems to aid in comprehension. Additionally, the book demonstrates how soil mechanics is applied in different areas of engineering.

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10."Theoretical Soil Mechanics" by Karl Terzaghi
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11."Principles of Soil Mechanics" by R F Scott
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12."Soil Mechanics: Principles and Practice" by Graham
Book Review: This book provides an overview of the principles governing soil behavior and their practical applications, making it an invaluable textbook for civil engineering and related courses. The book features a dedicated chapter on geotechnical eurocodes, ensuring relevance to current industry standards. Numerous examples are included throughout the book to explain state design principles, and a series of case studies further illustrate important challenges and their corresponding solutions. Visual aids, such as diagrams, are employed to enhance the understanding of soil mechanics concepts.

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2. Advanced Soil Mechanics

 
1."Advanced Soil Mechanics" by Braja M Das
“Advanced Soil Mechanics” Book Review: This book is designed for postgraduate students studying geology, but it can also be a useful reference for agriculturalists and environmentalists. It covers various important topics related to soil mechanics. It explains the use of SI units, discusses concepts like preconsolidation pressure and shear strength, and reviews advanced soil mechanics. The book also explores the overconsolidation ratio of clay soils and calculates stress in a three-layered system. It includes information on precompression with sand grains and covers the topic of elastic settlement of shallow foundations. To aid understanding, the book includes figures, theories, and real-life examples.

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2."Advanced Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering" by Prasad
“Advanced Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering” Book Review: This book is aimed at undergraduate students studying Civil engineering, but it can also serve as a useful reference for engineers and environmentalists. It focuses on the design of structures that can withstand earthquakes. It covers various topics including soil-retaining structures, the basic principles of vibrations, and practical aspects of soil investigation. The book also reviews concepts like blast loading and the dynamic stability of elastic systems. It explores subjects such as soil dynamics, the dynamics of beams on elastic foundations, and earthquake engineering. To aid understanding, the book includes figures, theories, and real-life examples.

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3."Agricultural Soil Mechanics (Advanced Series in Agricultural Sciences)" by A J Koolen and H Kuipers
“Agricultural Soil Mechanics (Advanced Series in Agricultural Sciences)” Book Review:
This book is aimed at postgraduate students studying geology, but it can also be a valuable reference for agriculturalists and environmentalists. It focuses on soil mechanics problems in both civil engineering and farming operations. The book explores the different properties of soils, such as weak mud and dry soil. It also examines soil tillage techniques used in farming. Topics covered include soil dynamics, as well as the use of wheels and tyres in agricultural practices. The book includes numerous figures and theories to enhance understanding, along with real-life examples to illustrate practical applications.

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4."Advanced Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Engineering" by Charles Wang Wai Ng and Bruce Menzies
“Advanced Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Engineering” Book Review: This book is aimed at postgraduate students studying geology, but it can also be a valuable reference for agriculturalists and environmentalists. It focuses on the engineering and mechanics of unsaturated soils. The book explores the basic principles of field testing and research related to hazardous geomaterials. It covers important topics such as soil-water characteristic curves, accurate measurement of total volume changes, anisotropic soil stiffness, and the behavior of unsaturated soils. The book includes numerous figures and theories to enhance understanding, along with real-life examples to illustrate practical applications.

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5."Advanced Geotechnical Analyses: Developments in Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by P K Banerjee and R Butterfield
“Advanced Geotechnical Analyses: Developments in Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book is intended for postgraduate students studying geology, but it can also be a helpful reference for agriculturalists and environmentalists. It focuses on the latest developments in soil mechanics and foundation engineering. The book explores advanced concepts of geotechnical analysis and applies advanced engineering mechanics principles to solve complex problems in geological engineering. It also discusses these theories in the context of developing future techniques. The book includes numerous figures and theories to enhance understanding, along with real-life examples to provide practical applications.

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6."Experimental Soil Mechanics" by Jean-Pierre Bardet
“Experimental Soil Mechanics” Book Review: This book is designed for postgraduate students studying geology, but it can also serve as a helpful reference for agriculturalists and environmentalists. It delves into the topic of soil testing in great detail, covering the fundamental principles of soil mechanics. The book explores various data processing techniques and laboratory experiments related to soil. It also discusses the theoretical concepts associated with different types of soils, which are essential for interpreting practical results. To aid comprehension, the book includes numerous figures and theories, as well as real-life examples to illustrate the applications of soil testing.

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3. Geology and Soil Mechanics

 
1."Textbook of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by Murthy V N S
“Textbook of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book offers an introduction to soil mechanics and foundation engineering, covering a wide range of topics. It provides detailed discussions on the formation and structure of soils, the relationships between soil phases, the index properties of soils, soil permeability, seepage phenomena, effective stress and pore water pressures, capillary rise of water in soil, and more. The book also explores important concepts such as compressibility, consolidation, shear strength, soil improvement techniques, lateral earth pressure, design of sheet pile walls, slope stability analysis, soil exploration methods, and various other relevant subjects.

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2."Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by Modi P N
“Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book offers an extensive exploration of soil mechanics and foundation engineering. It discusses a wide range of topics including particle size analysis, plasticity characteristics of soil, soil classification, clay mineralogy, soil structure, capillary water, permeability, seepage analysis, and the principle of effective stress. The book covers important subjects such as drainage, dewatering of wells, site investigation techniques, slope stability analysis, earth pressure theories, design of retaining walls and bulkheads, braced cuts and cofferdams, as well as the construction of shafts, tunnels, and underground conduits.

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3."Soil Mechanics" by Garg S K
“Soil Mechanics” Book Review: This book offers a thorough exploration of soil mechanics, covering various properties and behaviors of different soil types and deposits. It extensively discusses the design aspects related to structures such as buildings, bridges, roads, and machines. The book provides coverage of stable shape design for earthen embankments and discusses the detailed description of soil reinforcements and geotextiles. It includes numerous real-world examples accompanied by detailed explanations, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the subject matter.

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4."Textbook of Soil Mechanics" by Bharat Singh
“Textbook of Soil Mechanics” Book Review: This book offers an introduction to soil mechanics, covering essential topics such as the plasticity characteristics of soil, soil classification, clay mineralogy, and soil structure. It provides in-depth discussions on dewatering of wells, site investigation, seepage analysis, stability of slopes, earth pressure, and other related subjects. The book includes numerous real-world examples to enhance the reader’s understanding of the concepts presented. Designed with a focus on students, teachers, and professionals in various scientific and technological fields, particularly geotechnical engineering, it serves as a valuable resource for gaining knowledge in soil mechanics.

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5."Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by V N S Murthy
“Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book offers an extensive overview of geotechnical engineering, discussing the principles and practices of soil mechanics and foundation engineering. It covers a wide range of topics, including a brief historical development of the field, soil formation and characterization, rock classification, types of soils, soil particle size and shape, composition of clay minerals, structure of clay minerals, clay particle-water relations, soil mass structure, soil phase relationships, index properties, and classification. The book provides a detailed exploration of these subjects to equip readers with an understanding of geotechnical engineering.

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6."Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering" by Hasmukh P Oza and Gautaam H Oza
“Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering” Book Review: This book offers an introduction to soil mechanics and foundation engineering, providing a fundamental overview of the subject. It discusses the basics of soil and foundation designs, covering a range of topics such as nonlinear finite element analysis of plain footing, the development of a novel numerical indicator for assessing soil detachability and liquefaction potentials in erosion-prone areas, experimental investigation of soil-pile interaction under harmonic load, and more. The book explores the evaluation of road failure along an erosion-prone highway in Ogun state, southwestern Nigeria, using integrated methods. With its diverse range of topics and practical examples, this book serves as a valuable resource for understanding soil mechanics and foundation engineering.

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7."Soil Mechanics and Foundations" by Muni Budhu
“Soil Mechanics and Foundations” Book Review: This book offers a thorough and inclusive exploration of soil mechanics and foundations. It aims to simplify complex concepts related to soil mechanics and foundations, making them more accessible and understandable. By presenting the basic concepts and fundamental principles in the context of basic mechanics, physics, and mathematics. The book covers a wide range of topics, including an introduction to soil mechanics and foundations, the geological characteristics of soils and soil investigation, physical soil parameters, one-dimensional flow of water through soils, stresses, strains, and elastic deformations of soils, one-dimensional consolidation settlement of fine-grained soils, shear strength of soils, and more. This book serves as an invaluable resource for gaining a solid understanding of soil mechanics and foundations.

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8."Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering: Proceedings of the Twelfth Asian Regional Conference" by Chun Fai Leung and Yean Khow Chow
“Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering: Proceedings of the Twelfth Asian Regional Conference” Book Review: This book offers a in-depth exploration of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. It discusses the latest advancements and practical insights in design and construction practices. The book covers the theoretical progress in various fields of geotechnical engineering, including soil dynamics, earthquake engineering, major infrastructure projects such as mass rapid transit, high-speed railways, and dams, as well as soil reinforcement techniques. With its focus on relevant topics essential for researchers and practicing engineers, this book serves as a valuable resource to stay updated on the current knowledge and know-how in the field of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering.

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We have put a lot of effort into researching the best books on Soil Mechanics and came out with a recommended list and their reviews. If any more book needs to be added to this list, please email us. We are working on free pdf downloads for books on Soil Mechanics and will publish the download link here. Fill out this Soil Mechanics books pdf download" request form for download notification.

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