Blog
Practical engineering resources with formulas, examples, assumptions, limitations, and clear internal links to related calculators.
8 min
How to Read a Proctor Curve: OMC, MDD, and Example
Read a Proctor moisture-density curve, identify OMC and MDD, check dry and wet sides, verify peak bracketing, and follow a worked dataset.
8 min
Standard vs Modified Proctor Test: Key Differences
Compare Standard and Modified Proctor tests by ASTM method, rammer, drop, layers, compactive effort, OMC, MDD, and field acceptance use.
11 min
Common Foundation Failure Modes
Foundation failure modes including bearing failure, settlement, sliding, overturning, uplift, scour, expansive soil movement, and construction defects.
11 min
Driven Piles vs. Drilled Shafts
Engineering comparison of driven piles and drilled shafts, including load transfer, applications, construction risks, testing, and limitations.
10 min
Eccentric Footing Loads, Kern Checks, and Partial Contact
How moments shift footing resultants, change corner pressure, and cause partial soil contact under uniaxial or biaxial loading.
12 min
Foundation Construction Inspection and Quality Control
Practical inspection and acceptance guide for shallow foundations, driven piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, and augered piles.
12 min
Foundation Design Workflow for Structural Engineers
A coordinated structural-geotechnical workflow from reactions and soil recommendations through footing pressure, settlement, strength, and construction documents.
11 min
Foundation Settlement: Total, Differential, and Angular Distortion
How immediate, consolidation, and secondary settlement affect foundations, and why differential movement often controls performance.
10 min
How Engineers Select a Foundation Type
A step-by-step foundation selection framework based on loads, ground conditions, settlement, groundwater, constructability, and project risk.
10 min
Mat and Raft Foundations: Applications and Limitations
When mat foundations are used, how they interact with soil, and why bearing pressure alone is not enough for design.
10 min
Micropiles and Helical Piles: Applications and Limitations
Practical comparison of micropiles and helical piles for underpinning, retrofit, uplift, restricted access, and new construction.
10 min
Spread Footings: Applications, Design Checks, and Limitations
Engineering guide to isolated spread footings, including bearing pressure, eccentricity, settlement, structural checks, and unsuitable conditions.
9 min
Strip, Combined, and Strap Footings
How continuous, combined, and strap footings distribute column and wall loads, with applications, pressure models, and design limitations.
11 min
Types of Foundations: Shallow and Deep Systems Explained
A practical guide to spread footings, strip footings, mats, driven piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, and other foundation systems.
9 min
Ultimate vs Allowable Bearing Capacity: Formula and Example
Compare ultimate, net ultimate, gross allowable, and net allowable bearing capacity with factor-of-safety formulas, settlement limits, and a worked footing example.
10 min
Undrained Shear Strength (Su): Meaning, Units, and Tests
Understand undrained shear strength Su for saturated clay, including units, total-stress use, unconfined compression, field vane and triaxial tests, and typical consistency ranges.
9 min
Axial Pile Capacity Example
Worked circular pile example combining average shaft resistance and toe resistance to calculate ultimate and allowable axial capacity.
9 min
Biaxial Footing Contact Pressure Example
Worked rectangular footing example calculating eccentricities, kern status, four corner pressures, and allowable-pressure utilization.
8 min
Elastic Foundation Settlement Example
Worked SI-unit example estimating immediate elastic settlement and evaluating the assumptions that control the result.
7 min
Percent Compaction Formula: Worked Field Density Example
Calculate percent compaction from wet density, moisture content, and Proctor MDD with a complete field dry-density and acceptance example.
8 min
Spread Footing Sizing Example
Worked service-load example for sizing and rounding a rectangular spread footing using allowable soil pressure.
11 min
Soil Compaction Testing: Field Density, Moisture, and Acceptance
A practical guide to field compaction testing, dry-density calculations, nuclear gauge and sand-cone methods, moisture control, test frequency, and acceptance decisions.
7 min
Field Density Testing Methods for Soil Compaction
Compare nuclear gauge, sand-cone, drive-cylinder, and replacement methods for field density testing, including limitations and selection factors.
11 min
Proctor Test Explained: OMC, MDD, Procedure, and Interpretation
A practical engineering guide to Standard and Modified Proctor testing, moisture-density curves, optimum moisture content, maximum dry density, and field compaction control.
7 min
Why Soil Fails Compaction and What to Check
Diagnose failed soil compaction tests by checking moisture, lift thickness, material variability, equipment, unstable support, and test validity.
11 min
Common Soil Mechanics Equations
Common soil mechanics equations with variables, assumptions, unit checks, and practical interpretation for stress, seepage, compaction, consolidation, strength, and earth pressure.
10 min
FE Civil Geotechnical Formulas
FE Civil geotechnical formulas organized by soil phase relationships, effective stress, compaction, seepage, consolidation, strength, earth pressure, and foundations.
10 min
How to Study Retaining Wall Problems
A repeatable PE Civil and FE Civil method for retaining-wall pressure diagrams, groundwater, surcharge, resultants, and stability checks.
11 min
PE Civil Geotechnical Study Guide
A specification-led PE Civil Geotechnical study plan covering topic weights, reference navigation, practice strategy, and the April 2027 exam change.
10 min
Slope Stability Concepts for PE Civil
PE Civil slope-stability concepts covering failure mechanisms, strength selection, pore pressure, infinite slopes, limit equilibrium, sensitivity, and result interpretation.
5 min
CBR Test Explained
CBR test explained for pavement subgrade and base support evaluation.
5 min
Concrete Volume Calculation
Concrete volume calculation explained for slabs, footings, and rectangular placements.
5 min
Culvert Sizing Basics
Culvert sizing basics, including inlet control, outlet control, slope, tailwater, and debris.
5 min
How to Estimate Concrete for a Slab
How to estimate concrete for a slab with thickness, waste factor, and field tolerance checks.
5 min
Manning's Equation Explained
Manning's equation explained for open channel flow, velocity, discharge, roughness, and slope.
5 min
Open Channel Flow Basics
Open channel flow basics for civil drainage design and field review.
5 min
Roadway Subgrade Explained
Roadway subgrade explained for pavement support, moisture sensitivity, compaction, and stabilization.
5 min
Stormwater Drainage Basics
Stormwater drainage basics for site grading, runoff, conveyance, and erosion control.
5 min
Active, Passive, and At-Rest Earth Pressure
Active, passive, and at-rest earth pressure explained for retaining walls and braced excavations.
5 min
Cohesion and Friction Angle Explained
Cohesion and friction angle explained as soil strength parameters for geotechnical calculations.
5 min
Expansive Clay Soil Explained
Expansive clay soil explained, including shrink-swell behavior, moisture changes, and foundation implications.
5 min
Factor of Safety in Slope Stability
Factor of safety in slope stability explained with interpretation, uncertainty, and practical use.
5 min
How Drainage Affects Retaining Walls
How drainage affects retaining walls and why water pressure often controls wall distress.
5 min
How to Read a Geotechnical Report
How to read a geotechnical report, including borings, lab data, groundwater, recommendations, and limitations.
5 min
Soil Unit Weight Explained
Soil unit weight explained for geotechnical calculations, including total, dry, saturated, and effective unit weight.
5 min
Terzaghi Bearing Capacity Explained
Terzaghi bearing capacity equation explained with terms, assumptions, and practical limitations.
5 min
USCS Soil Classification Explained
USCS soil classification explained with coarse/fine fractions, plasticity, and engineering interpretation.
5 min
What Is an Infinite Slope Model?
Infinite slope model explained for shallow planar slope stability screening.
5 min
What Is Bearing Capacity?
Bearing capacity explained for shallow foundations, including ultimate capacity, allowable pressure, settlement, and field checks.
5 min
What Is Plasticity Index?
Plasticity index explained for soil classification, clay behavior, and geotechnical interpretation.
5 min
Why Retaining Walls Fail
Why retaining walls fail, including drainage, surcharge, sliding, overturning, bearing, and construction issues.
5 min
Do You Need a Soil Report Before Building?
When a soil report is needed before building and what information it provides.
5 min
How Poor Drainage Damages Foundations
How poor drainage damages foundations through soil softening, erosion, expansive clay movement, and wall pressure.
5 min
How to Tell If a Slope Is Moving
How to recognize possible slope movement using cracks, scarps, bulging, seepage, and tilted features.
5 min
Should You Buy a House With Foundation Repairs?
How to think about buying a house with foundation repairs, including documentation, cause, and performance.
5 min
Signs of Expansive Clay Around Your Home
Signs of expansive clay around a home, including seasonal movement, cracks, and drainage clues.
5 min
What Causes Basement Wall Bowing?
Basement wall bowing explained, including lateral earth pressure, water pressure, expansive soil, and surcharge.
5 min
What Does a Geotechnical Engineer Do?
What a geotechnical engineer does for foundations, slopes, retaining walls, pavements, and site development.
5 min
When Should You Worry About Retaining Wall Cracks?
Retaining wall crack warning signs explained for homeowners and contractors.
5 min
Why Is My Foundation Cracking?
Foundation cracks explained for homeowners, including soil movement, drainage, settlement, and when to seek evaluation.
5 min
Why Soil Erosion Happens in Backyards
Backyard soil erosion explained with runoff, slope, vegetation, concentration of flow, and soil type.
5 min
Bearing Capacity Calculation Example
Worked bearing capacity example showing terms, units, allowable pressure, and interpretation.
5 min
Concrete Slab Volume Example
Worked concrete slab volume example with thickness conversion and waste factor.
5 min
Factor of Safety Example
Worked factor of safety example showing resistance-demand interpretation.
5 min
Infinite Slope Stability Example
Worked infinite slope stability example with slope angle, soil thickness, cohesion, friction, and pore pressure.
5 min
Manning's Equation Example
Worked Manning equation example calculating channel velocity and discharge.
5 min
Retaining Wall Active Pressure Example
Worked active earth pressure example using Rankine Ka, triangular soil pressure, and surcharge pressure.
5 min
Settlement Calculation Example
Worked settlement calculation example explaining stress increase, compressible layer thickness, and serviceability.
5 min
Soil Classification Example
Worked USCS soil classification example using gradation and Atterberg limits.
5 min
Surcharge Load on Retaining Wall Example
Worked surcharge load example for retaining wall lateral pressure.
5 min
Unit Weight Conversion Example
Worked unit weight conversion example between pcf and kN/m3.