Introduction
This resource is primarily based on teaching material developed by the author over several years for courses offered by the University of Newcastle, Australia. It builds upon fundamentals of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering introduced elsewhere, and it assumes that the reader has some familiarity with basic soil mechanics concepts. The resource is focused on application of fundamental soil mechanics concepts to practical Geotechnical Engineering tasks, such as: interpretation of geotechnical investigation results, design of shallow foundations under serviceability and ultimate limit state conditions, and analysis and design of deep foundations. In addition to the above, the resource includes a brief introduction to Geoenvironmental Engineering, concentrating on the problem of soil and groundwater contamination, the description of relevant remediation techniques and the demonstration of simple methods for the design of remediation facilities.
The analytical and empirical state-of-practice and state-of-the-art methodologies covered in this resource conform (or have been adapted by the author) to the pertinent Australian Standards, which are extensively referenced in the text, whereas normative design concepts such as the Load and Resistance Factor Design are demonstrated, via their application in numerous worked examples.
In parallel, the use of numerical methods in Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering is introduced, by means of several example problems treated with the industry-standard finite element code PLAXIS. Emphasis is not put on linear and non-linear finite element theory or advanced numerical modelling techniques and soil constitutive models, but rather on the use of numerical methods to tackle fundamental Geotechnical (and Geoenvironmental) Engineering problems, and on key modeling issues encountered in everyday practice. The concept of using simpler, analytical methods to validate numerical analysis results and guide the development of more complex, real-world models is underlined.
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Disclaimer:
Although every effort has been made to interpret the cited references correctly, there is no warranty expressed or implied that the interpretation is correct, complete or accurate. The interpretation reflects the views and experience of the author, and where applicable this is clearly stated in the text. If there is a question of whether the interpretation has been correctly made, the reader should consult the appropriate reference before applying it in practice. There is also no warranty that every equation in the text has been correctly typeset. It is the reader’s responsibility to check the results of any equation that has been used. To catch equation errata the author, in addition to presenting the equation, has usually used the equation in an example. The author and the University of Newcastle, Australia are not liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The contents do not necessarily reflect policy of the University of Newcastle, Australia.
