Category: Academic Issues

Important links:

• Soil Mechanics (the complete course)
• Settlement and Consolidation of Soils (slide presentation)
• Textbook References: Verruijt Chapters 15-20; SFH 5.4, 8.5.3; Tsytovich 2.1, 2.4, 5.3, 5.4-5.6
• Spreadsheet solution for Hough’s Method
• Some Detailed Material on Consolidation:
  • Jean-Louis Briaud’s “Pet Peeve” on the Analysis of Consolidation Settlement Results
  • From Elasticity to Consolidation Settlement: Resolving the Issue of Jean-Louis Briaud’s “Pet Peeve”
  • Deriving and Solving the Equations of Consolidation
  • Determining the Degree of Consolidation
  • The Sorry State of Compression Coefficients. Pay attention to what you’re doing.
  • Getting to the Legacy of B.K. Hough and his Settlement Method
• Mexico City’s surprising crisis: the city is sinking

Important links:

• Soil Mechanics (the complete course)
• Elastic Solutions to Soil Deflections and Stresses (slide presentation)
• Textbook References: Verruijt Chapters 28-31 (print,) 27-30 (online); SFH 2.4, 2.5, 5.9, 8.7; Tsytovich 3, 5.2
• Supplementary Instructional Material:
  • Analytical Boussinesq Solutions for Strip, Square and Rectangular Loads
  • Going Around in Circles for Rigid and Flexible Foundations
  • Superposition, and Using Point Loads in Place of Distributed Ones
  • The Equivalent Thickness Method for Estimating Elastic Settlements
• Boussinesq Solution to Verruijt Newmark Problem (spreadsheet)
• The Two Promises I Made to Myself (thoughts on career development)

Important links:

• Soil Mechanics (the complete course)
• Introduction to Soil Stress States (slide presentation)
• Textbook References: Verruijt Chapter 21 (print,) 20 (online); SFH 2.8, Appendix B
• p-q Diagrams
  • p-q Diagrams and Mohr-Coulomb Failure
  • More Uses for p-q Diagrams
  • The Invertibility of the p-q Diagram System
• Mohr’s Circle Analysis Using Linear Algebra and Numerical Methods w/Online Routine
• Taking the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal: many of you will recognise the name of Saint-Venant from mechanics of materials, but here’s another side of his life and work. With comment from former department head.

Important links:

• Soil Mechanics (the complete course)
• Compaction and Soil Improvement (slide presentation)
• Textbook Reference: SFH 5.8
• An Overview of Compaction Equipment, from DM 7
• The “Line of Optimums” Approach for Compaction
• What’s Really Important When You Hit the Field

Important links:

• Soil Mechanics (the complete course)
• Groundwater II (slide presentation)
• Textbook References: Verruijt Chapters 7-12 (print,) 6-11 (online); SFH 5.6
• The Raising of the Maine, Cellular Cofferdams, Why Puerto Rico is Part of the U.S., and Why Puerto Ricans are Americans
• The Last Supper, the Iranians and the Perfect Dissertation: A Maundy Thursday Reflection