几乎每个基础设施系统都在土质材料之中，之上或由其制成。在地下建造的设施包括隧道，深层基础和管道。高速公路的人行道和建筑物由土支撑，而水坝，堤坝和路堤则由土支撑。同样，使用同样的技能来管理和安全处置类似土壤的废物。为了设计这些设施，岩土工程师必须根据力学和数学原理进行分析。这些分析需要输入数据以量化地球材料的特性。这些信息通常是通过在实验室和现场测试中进行的实验以及随后对材料，系统和设计方法的建模获得的，从而以最小的成本提高了土壤的性能。
Almost every infrastructure system is in, on, or constructed from earthen materials. Facilities built in the earth include tunnels, deep foundations, and pipelines. Highway pavements and buildings are supported by earth while dams, levees, and embankments are constructed with it. Also, the same skills are used to manage and safely dispose of soil-like wastes. To design these facilities, geotechnical engineers must conduct analyses based on the principles of mechanics and mathematics. These analyses require input data to quantify the properties of the earth materials. This information is usually obtained from experimentation in laboratory and field tests and subsequent modeling of materials, systems, and design approaches to improve soil performance at minimum costs.