Geotechnikai

Geotechnikai, or geotechnical engineering, is a branch of civil engineering that studies earth materials—soils and rocks—and their interaction with structures. It aims to understand the properties and behavior of these materials under loads, groundwater, and environmental changes to ensure safe, economical design and construction of foundations, earthworks, and related systems.

Practices include site investigations (drilling, sampling, field tests such as SPT or CPT), laboratory testing (grain size analysis, Atterberg limits, shear strength, consolidation, permeability), and interpretation to estimate settlement, bearing capacity, slope stability, and seismic response. Engineers use this data to select foundations, assess excavation support, and plan drainage and stabilization measures.

Typical applications cover shallow and deep foundations, retaining walls, basements, tunnels, embankments, dams, and slope stabilization projects. Ground-improvement techniques such as compaction, soil stabilization, drainage, jet grouting, or vibro-replacement are used when native soils require enhancement.

Geotechnical safety also involves monitoring and risk management. Potential issues include excessive settlements, landslides, liquefaction during earthquakes, and piping buildup. Instrumentation—piezometers, inclinometers, settlement monuments—tracks performance during and after construction to ensure compliance with design predictions.

Geotechnikai practice follows national and international standards and codes, including Eurocode 7 and various ASTM and ISO guidelines. Professionals in the field work in teams with structural engineers and geologists to integrate subsurface information into reliable, resilient infrastructure design. Education typically leads from civil or geological engineering with specialization in soil mechanics.