Physical Models


Book Description

Physical models have been, and continue to be used by engineers when faced with unprecedented challenges, when engineering science has been non-existent or inadequate, and in any other situation when the engineer has needed to raise their confidence in a design proposal to a sufficient level to begin construction. For this reason, models have mostly been used by designers and constructors of highly innovative projects, when previous experience has not been available. The book covers the history of using of physical models in the design and development of civil and building engineering projects including bridges in the mid-18th century, William Fairbairn?s Britannia bridge in the 1840s, the masonry Aswan Dam in the 1890s, concrete dams in the 1920s, thin concrete shell roofs and the dynamic behaviour of tall buildings in earthquakes from the 1930s, tidal flow in estuaries and the acoustics of concert halls from the 1950s, and cable-net and membrane structures in the 1960s. Traditionally, progress in engineering has been attributed to the creation and use of engineering science, the understanding materials properties and the development of new construction methods. The book argues that the use of reduced scale models have played an equally important part in the development of civil and building engineering. However, like the history of engineering design itself, this crucial contribution has not been widely reported or celebrated. The book concludes with reviews of the current use of physical models alongside computer models, for example, in boundary layer wind tunnels, room acoustics, seismic engineering, hydrology, and air flow in buildings.




Centrifuges in Soil Mechanics


Book Description

This book contains technical papers, presented in a discussion session at the XI International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering held in San Francisco in 1985, on the role of centrifuge in geotechnical testing, with descriptions of test facilities.




Geotechnical Centrifuge Technology


Book Description

This book provides a thorough review of this powerful and sophisticated technique for modelling soil structure interactions. It has been written by an international team of authors.




Centrifuge Modelling for Civil Engineers


Book Description

Solve Complex Ground and Foundation Problems Presenting more than 25 years of teaching and working experience in a wide variety of centrifuge testing, the author of Centrifuge Modelling for Civil Engineers fills a need for information about this field. This text covers all aspects of centrifuge modelling. Expertly explaining the basic principles, the book makes this technique accessible to practicing engineers and researchers. Appeals to Non-Specialists and Specialists Alike Civil engineers that are new to the industry can refer to this material to solve complex geotechnical problems. The book outlines a generalized design process employed for civil engineering projects. It begins with the basics, and then moves on to increasingly complex methods and applications including shallow foundations, retaining walls, pile foundations, tunnelling beneath existing pile foundations, and assessing the stability of buildings and their foundations following earthquake-induced soil liquefaction. It addresses the use of modern imaging technique, data acquisition, and modelling techniques. It explains the necessary signal processing tools that are used to decipher centrifuge test data, and introduces the reader to the specialist aspects of dynamic centrifuge modelling used to study dynamic problems such as blast, wind, or wave loading with emphasis on earthquake engineering including soil liquefaction problems. Introduces the equipment and instrumentation used in centrifuge testing Presents in detail signal processing techniques such as smoothing and filtering Provides example centrifuge data that can be used for sample analysis and interpretation Centrifuge Modelling for Civil Engineers effectively describes the equipment, instrumentation, and signal processing techniques required to make the best use of the centrifuge modelling and test data. This text benefits graduate students, researchers, and practicing civil engineers involved with geotechnical issues.




Cryospheric Systems


Book Description

The introduction of the term periglacial by Lozinski in 1909 to describe the cold-climate conditions in the zone adjacent to, but beyond, the Pleistocene glaciers encouraged the separate development of geocryological and glaciological research. Geological and geomorphological processes at the interface between glaciers and permafrost have, as a result, been given less attention than they warrant, and the influence of one on the other has in many respects been neglected. This book includes a collection of papers that emphasize glacier-permafrost interactions. Papers consider permafrost and its influence on glacitectonic processes, glacial meltwater systems and ground-ice development in proglacial and ice-marginal environments. In addition, recent research findings are reported on paraglacial processes, permafrost evolution, rock glaciers, the formation of ice-wedge casts and periglacial slope evolution. It is hoped that this book will stimulate interest in the interface between glacial and periglacial systems, and encourage further collaborative research involving glaciologists and glacial geologists on the one hand, and geocryologists and permafrost scientists on the other.




Foundation Engineering Handbook


Book Description

More than ten years have passed since the first edition was published. During that period there have been a substantial number of changes in geotechnical engineering, especially in the applications of foundation engineering. As the world population increases, more land is needed and many soil deposits previously deemed unsuitable for residential housing or other construction projects are now being used. Such areas include problematic soil regions, mining subsidence areas, and sanitary landfills. To overcome the problems associated with these natural or man-made soil deposits, new and improved methods of analysis, design, and implementation are needed in foundation construction. As society develops and living standards rise, tall buildings, transportation facilities, and industrial complexes are increasingly being built. Because of the heavy design loads and the complicated environments, the traditional design concepts, construction materials, methods, and equipment also need improvement. Further, recent energy and material shortages have caused additional burdens on the engineering profession and brought about the need to seek alternative or cost-saving methods for foundation design and construction.




Fundamentals of Discrete Element Methods for Rock Engineering: Theory and Applications


Book Description

This book presents some fundamental concepts behind the basic theories and tools of discrete element methods (DEM), its historical development, and its wide scope of applications in geology, geophysics and rock engineering. Unlike almost all books available on the general subject of DEM, this book includes coverage of both explicit and implicit DEM approaches, namely the Distinct Element Methods and Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) for both rigid and deformable blocks and particle systems, and also the Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) approach for fluid flow and solute transport simulations. The latter is actually also a discrete approach of importance for rock mechanics and rock engineering. In addition, brief introductions to some alternative approaches are also provided, such as percolation theory and Cosserat micromechanics equivalence to particle systems, which often appear hand-in-hand with the DEM in the literature. Fundamentals of the particle mechanics approach using DEM for granular media is also presented.· Presents the fundamental concepts of the discrete models for fractured rocks, including constitutive models of rock fractures and rock masses for stress, deformation and fluid flow· Provides a comprehensive presentation on discrete element methods, including distinct elements, discontinuous deformation analysis, discrete fracture networks, particle mechanics and Cosserat representation of granular media· Features constitutive models of rock fractures and fracture system characterization methods detaiing their significant impacts on the performance and uncertainty of the DEM models




Modeling in Geotechnical Engineering


Book Description

Modeling in Geotechnical Engineering is a one stop reference for a range of computational models, the theory explaining how they work, and case studies describing how to apply them. Drawing on the expertise of contributors from a range of disciplines including geomechanics, optimization, and computational engineering, this book provides an interdisciplinary guide to this subject which is suitable for readers from a range of backgrounds. Before tackling the computational approaches, a theoretical understanding of the physical systems is provided that helps readers to fully grasp the significance of the numerical methods. The various models are presented in detail, and advice is provided on how to select the correct model for your application. - Provides detailed descriptions of different computational modelling methods for geotechnical applications, including the finite element method, the finite difference method, and the boundary element method - Gives readers the latest advice on the use of big data analytics and artificial intelligence in geotechnical engineering - Includes case studies to help readers apply the methods described in their own work




Geotechnical Modelling


Book Description

Modelling forms an implicit part of all engineering design but many engineers engage in modelling without consciously considering the nature, validity and consequences of the supporting assumptions. Derived from courses given to postgraduate and final year undergraduate MEng students, this book presents some of the models that form a part of the typical undergraduate geotechnical curriculum and describes some of the aspects of soil behaviour which contribute to the challenge of geotechnical modelling. Assuming a familiarity with basic soil mechanics and traditional methods of geotechnical design, this book is a valuable tool for students of geotechnical and structural and civil engineering as well as also being useful to practising engineers involved in the specification of numerical or physical geotechnical modelling.