Abstract: The interaction action between structures and supporting soil media is of fundamental importance in foundation design and it has always attracted the attention of both researchers and engineers. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in this field, highlighting the key areas of development, including the modelling of the soil media and various analytical as well as numerical approaches in analysing the interaction action between the foundation and soil. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract: Quite often, foundation engineers encounter a thick layer of collapsible soil. This type of soil possesses considerable strength, which is largely lost when the soil becomes wet. Excessive settlement and lateral deformation accompany this significant loss in strength. As an alternative to conventional deep foundations, stone columns encapsulated in geofabric reinforcement may be used to transmit foundation loads to suitable bearing strata below the collapsible soil layer. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the performance of stone columns encapsulated in geofabric installed in a collapsible soil layer and subjected to inundation. The carrying capacity of the columns and their settlement characteristics were investigated. Columns made of sand were tested with different lengths, degrees of inundation and different strengths of geofabric. Based on the results of the present experimental investigation, it can be reported that unreinforced sand columns in collapsible soil did not contribute s...

Abstract: Preface Acknowledgments Symbols and Notations Chapter

Abstract: Design practice in offshore geotechnical engineering grew out of onshore practice, but the two application areas have tended to diverge over the last 30 years, driven partly by the scale of the foundation elements used offshore, and partly by fundamental differences in construction (or installation) techniques. Groups of many moderate-sized piles are replaced by a few very large diameter piles; excavation of shallow soft sediments is replaced by the use of deep skirts, transferring the effective foundation depth to the level of the skirt tips, or by forcing footings to penetrate several diameters into the seabed; underwater installation has allowed the use of 'suction' (or under-pressure) to aid installation of skirted foundations and caissons. Emphasis in design is focused more on capacity, paying particular attention to the effects of cyclic loading but generally with less concern on deformations compared with onshore design. These differences have led to the development of separate design codes for offshore structures, which are in most cases more prescriptive than onshore codes but are also more sophisticated in key areas. The paper describes design principles for foundation and anchoring systems ranging from shallow footings to piles and caissons, highlighting differences between onshore and offshore practice and also the link (or gap) between research and practice.

Abstract: Created as a comprehensive tool for designing and engineering foundations, the Foundation Engineering Handbook is a complete resource with engineering data, procedures and calculations necessary to comply with international building codes. Divided into four parts, the wide ranging topics include: 1. Geotechnical Engineering featuring Subsurface Exploration, Laboratory Testing and Soil Mechanics; 2. Foundation Design detailing Shallow and Deep Foundations, Bearing Capacity of Foundations, Settlement of Foundations, Consolidation, Foundations on Expansive Soil, Slope Stability, Retaining Walls, Foundation Deterioration and Cracking, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering for Soils and Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering for Foundations and Retaining Walls; 3. Foundation Construction incorporating Grading and Other Soil Improvement Methods, Foundation Excavation, Underpinning and Field Load Tests, and Geosynthetics and Instrumentation; and 4. International Building Codes including International Building Code Regulations for Soil and International Building Codes Regulations for Foundations.

Abstract: Foundation systems with geotextile encased columns (GEC) are used for soil improvement and primarily for road embankment foundations in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands since almost 10 years (Raithel et al, 2004), but latterly they are also used in dike construction. In this paper the essential main features of the calculation of the bearing and deformation behaviour are described. Further the know-how gained by using the different installation methods and measurement results of the foundation system ‘geotextile encased columns’ are discussed. Also a comparison of the gained settlement reduction between encased and non-encased columns (i.e. granualar piles) will be shown. Bearing System GEC and calculation model Bearing System GEC With the foundation system GEC gravel-sand-columns are installed into a bearing layer to relieve the load on the soft soils. Different installation methods are thereby used. Due to the geotextile casing in combination with the surrounding soft soils the column has a radial support, whereas the casing is strained by ring tensile forces (Raithel et al, 2004). Due to the supporting effects of the casing, a special range of application, in opposite to conventional column foundations (i.e. granualar piles), is in very soft soils (cu < 15 kN/m²) like peat or very soft silt/clay as well as sludge. As opposed to conventional stone column foundations, geotextile encased sand or gravel columns can be used as a ground improvement method for very soft soils. By a non -encased column, the horizontal support of the soft soil must be equal to the horizontal pressure in the column. By a GEC, the horizontal support of the soft soil can be much lower, due to the radial supporting effect of the geotextile casing. The horizontal support depends also on the vertical pressure over the soft soil, which can be much smaller. As a result a stress concentration on the column head and a lower vertical pressure over the soft soil and therefore a large settlement reduction is o btained. To withstand the high ring tension forces, the geotextile casings are manufactured seamlessly. The columns act simultaneously as ve rtical drains, but the main effect is the load transfer to a deeper bearing layer. The GEC are arranged in a regular column grid. Based on the unit cell concept, a single column in a virtual infinite

Abstract: This paper describes the foundation design process adopted for two high-rise buildings in Dubai, the Emirates Twin Towers. The foundation system for each of the towers was a piled raft, founded on ...

Abstract: Conventional pile materials such as steel, concrete, and timber are prone to deterioration for many reasons. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) concrete composites represent an alternative construction material for deep foundations that can eliminate many of the performance disadvantages of traditional piling materials. However, FRP composites present several difficulties related to constructability, and the lack of design tools for their implementation as a foundation element. This paper describes the results of an experimental study on frictional FRP/dense sand interface characteristics and the constructability of FRP–concrete composite piles. An innovative toe driving technique is developed to install the empty FRP shells in the soil and self-consolidating concrete is subsequently cast in them. The experimental program involves interface shear tests on small FRP samples and uplift load tests on large-scale model piles. Two different FRP pile materials with different roughness and a reference steel pile are...

Abstract: Rocks available for the foundations of civil engineering structures are often jointed and behave anisotropically. This paper presents a method to estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of non-Hoek-Brown rock masses. The method makes use of the mapping of joints in the field and simple laboratory tests on intact specimens of rock. Charts can be used to simplify computations in the field. The method uses Bell's approach of computing bearing capacity, in which the ultimate bearing capacity is determined as the major principal stress at failure under a confining pressure acting on the mass beneath a smooth foundation. A simple parabolic equation is used to define the strength criterion. The uniaxial compressive strength of the jointed rock mass, which is an input parameter to the strength criterion, is determined using the joint factor concept.

Abstract: A thermodynamic formulation of jammed matter is reviewed. Experiments and simulations of compressed emulsions and granular materials are then used to provide a foundation for the thermodynamics.

Abstract: Part 1 of this series provided the foundation for understanding the nature of densely sintered alumina- and zirconia-based restorations, provided guidelines for case selection, and addressed framework design considerations. This article discusses guidelines for lamination of the densely sintered alumina- and zirconia-based restorations and proper try-in, and examines options for conventional and adhesive luting procedures.

Abstract: Based on research studies currently being carried out at Dalian University of Technology, some important aspects for the earthquake safety assessment of concrete dams are reviewed and discussed. First, the rate-dependent behavior of concrete subjected to earthquake loading is examined, emphasizing the properties of concrete under cyclic and biaxial loading conditions. Second, a modified four-parameter Hsieh-Ting-Chen viscoplastic consistency model is developed to simulate the rate-dependent behavior of concrete. The earthquake response of a 278m high arch dam is analyzed, and the results show that the strain-rate effects become noticeable in the inelastic range. Third, a more accurate non-smooth Newton algorithm for the solution of three-dimensional frictional contact problems is developed to study the joint opening effects of arch dams during strong earthquakes. Such effects on two nearly 300m high arch dams have been studied. It was found that the canyon shape has great influence on the magnitude and distribution of the joint opening along the dam axis. Fourth, the scaled boundary finite element method presented by Song and Wolf is employed to study the dam-reservoir-foundation interaction effects of concrete dams. Particular emphases were placed on the variation of foundation stiffness and the anisotropic behavior of the foundation material on the dynamic response of concrete dams. Finally, nonlinear modeling of concrete to study the damage evolution of concrete dams during strong earthquakes is discussed. An elastic-damage mechanics approach for damage prediction of concrete gravity dams is described as an example. These findings are helpful in understanding the dynamic behavior of concrete dams and promoting the improvement of seismic safety assessment methods.

Abstract: Settlement is one of the major concerns in roadway embankment construction in areas where soft soil deposits constitute the major portion of subsurface soil. A pile foundation system is an effective way to support an embankment in order to minimize total settlement. In recent years, geosynthetic reinforcement has been successfully incorporated with pile foundations to improve settlement performance. Referred to as Load Transfer Platform (LTP), or Geosynthetic Reinforced Platform (GRP), the system combines vertical piles and horizontal geosynthetics to form a relatively stiff platform that transfers embankment load to a deeper, competent bearing layer. The geosynthetic layers serve as the tensioned platform that bridges over the piles and reduces the differential settlement at top of the platform, which in turn reduces the differential settlement of the embankment. After a brief discussion of the system mechanism, this paper focuses on a case study of a roadway embankment supported by a geogrid-reinforced platform and precast concrete piles in Colon City, Republic of Panama. The embankment, a MSE (Mechanically Stabilized Earth) retaining wall with a maximum height of 3.2 meters, was built on a 1.0-meter thick geogrid reinforced crushed stone LTP, which is supported by 30 cm diameter precast piles. Piles penetrate through 6 meters of organic clay to a very dense sandy silt bearing layer, 10 meters below the existing ground surface. Due to the complexity of the system a numerical method was used to model the system and evaluate settlement behavior. This paper presents a detailed discussion of the project information, the design methodology and the numerical modeling. In addition, field instrumentation is also presented in comparison with the design and analysis.

Abstract: This paper compares the costs of using concrete foundations against steel monopile foundations for offshore wind turbines, and argues that concrete foundations will be cheaper. Most offshore windfarms have steel monopile foundations, but in Denmark concrete gravity foundations have been used with success. Two projects have tendered for steel monopiles and for concrete foundations and have implemented the concrete foundations that proved cheaper. No project has tendered for both foundation concepts and chosen steel monopiles.Nysted Offshore Windfarm with concrete foundations has the cheapest foundations of any offshore windfarm so far. A conceptual foundation study carried out for the London Array West Offshore Windfarm indicates that the same method and very low-cost foundations as for Nysted can be used. Optimised design of light-weight concrete constructions is the key to low-cost installation. Cheap manufacture can be carried out near the site or at even lower cost in Eastern Europa from where it can b...

Abstract: A fabricated concrete foundation wall is provided with a plurality of insulation panels and reinforcing ribs to improve strength and reduce the density of the wall panel. The foundation wall panels are easily placed and interconnected together to quickly provide a foundation adapted to support the main walls of a home, for example. The foundation panels in one embodiment generally include a facewall that may have at least one carbon fiber band positioned horizontally therethrough to provide additional stiffness.