Geotechnical Engineering
What is Geotechnical Engineering?
Geotechnical engineering shares common interests with other disciplines such as structural engineering, engineering geology, material science, or petroleum engineering. Geotechnical engineering is a truly multi-disciplinary field offering training and research possibilities ranging from material testing and analytical methods to non linear numerical modeling of multiphysics problems.
Research
Research
NTNU's Geotechnical Engineering group has research activities in soil testing, soil modeling, numerical analyses, slope stability including progressive failure, analytical methods in geotechnical design, and geo-environmental engineering. For further information see also our list of past and ongoing PhD projects.
More specifically, our current and past activities include:
Soil modeling, numerical analyses and testing
- Development of soil models for clay, sand, and rock
- Development of numerical methods
- Material softening and regularization
- Progressive failure
- 2D and 3D numerical analyses
- Testing of soft clays and sand
- Testing of frozen materials
- Scaled model tests (1G)
Marine geotechnical engineering
- Concept development and verification studies
- Model tests on foundations and pipelines
- Laboratory tests on offshore samples
Structures and infrastructure
- Construction of roads, railways and airfields on soft ground
- Ground improvement (geotextiles, soil reinforcement, lime/cement columns)
- Mechanical properties of lightweight fill aggregates
- Aid in planning and design of geotechnical works
- Control and verification of building projects
Slides and geohazards
- Stability calculations and evaluations
- Stabilisation methods for protection towards new slides
- National database for previous slide activity
- Slide mechanisms in sensitive clays
- Instrumentation and geotechnical investigations
- Slide activity in an instrumented quick clay deposit
Geo-environmental engineering
- Remediation of contaminated soil
- Construction of waste deposit in the Netherlands
Teaching
Teaching
Courses taught by the Geotechnical Engineering group:
MSc courses
TBA4100 - Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology (7.5 ECTS) - Norwegian
TBA4105 - Geotechnics, Design Methods (7.5 ECTS) - Norwegian
TBA4110 - Geotechnics, Field and Laboratory Investigations (7.5 ECTS) - English
TBA4116 - Geotechnical Engineering, Advanced Course incl. FEM (7.5 ECTS) - English
TBA4510 - Geotechnical Engineering Project (7.5 ECTS) - Norwegian/ English
TBA4511 - Geotechnical Engineering Project at UNIS, Spitzbergen (15 ECTS) - N./ Engl.
TBA4900 - Geotechnical Engineering, Master Thesis (30 ECTS) - Norwegian/ English
TBA5100 - Theoretical Soil Mechanics (7.5 ECTS) - English
TBA5150 - Geohazards and Risk analysis (7.5 ECTS) - English
TBA5155 - Foundations and slopes (7.5 ECTS) - English
PhD courses
BA8304 - Soil modeling (10 ECTS) - English (next course Fall 2012)
BA8305 - Geodynamics (10 ECTS) - English (next course Fall 2011) - Program and details see here
Courses taught by the Geotechnical Engineering group jointly with other departments/ institutions:
MSc courses
TGB4210 - Rock and soil mechanics (7.5 ECTS) - English
CPE (Continuing Professional Education)
Computational Geotechnics (next course in Trondheim Fall 2012)
Computational Geotechnics (The Netherlands, Germany, Italy)
Links and resources
Useful links to resources, partners and research sites.
Links and resources
Useful links to resources, partners and research sites.
Research and Development partners in Norway
- International Centre for Geohazards
- NGI (Norges Geotekniske Institutt)
- NGU (Norges Geologiske Undersøkelser)
- SINTEF (Stiftelsen for Industriell og Teknisk Forskning ved NTH)
Conferences recently organized by NTNU's Geotechnical group
Professional bodies
- NGF: (Norsk Geotekniske Forening)
- ISSMGE: (The International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering)
Programs and Utilities
How to find us
How to find us
Parking: There is a parking lot (P25) between the Lerkendal building and the railway lines. Here you will find guest parking spaces (though there is a fee / meter).
Contact information
Group members
Our offices (map)
Visiting address
Høgskoleringen 7A
7034 Trondheim
NTNU
7491 Trondheim
Norway
Study programs
2-year International Masters program
(taught in English)
Geotechnics and Geohazards
5-year Integrated Masters program (Sivilingeniør)
Civil and Environmental Engineering
NUMGE 2010
the seventh in a series of conferences organized by the ERTC7 (Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering) was held in Trondheim. For conference related dowloads go to the NUMGE 2010 website.
Geotechnical Laboratory
The following information about our labs is available only in norwegian.
About the lab
Example - External commissions
Testing equipment in the lab
Testing equipment in the field
