1st Edition

Advanced Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Engineering

By Charles Wang Wai Ng, Bruce Menzies Copyright 2007
    712 Pages
    by CRC Press

    712 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Analytical and comprehensive, this state-of-the-art book, examines the mechanics and engineering of unsaturated soils, as well as explaining the laboratory and field testing and research that are the logical basis of this modern approach to safe construction in these hazardous geomaterials; putting them into a logical framework for civil engineering and design.



    The book:







    • illustrates the importance of state-dependent soil-water characteristic curves


    • highlights modern soil testing of unsaturated soil behaviour, including accurate measurement of total volume changes and the measurement of anisotropic soil stiffness at very small strains


    • introduces an advanced state-dependent elasto-plastic constitutive model for both saturated and unsaturated soil


    • demonstrates the power of numerical analysis which is at the heart of modern soil mechanics


    • studies and simulates the behaviour of loose fills from unsaturated to saturated states; explains the difference between strain-softening and static liquefaction, and describes real applications in unsaturated soil slope engineering


    • includes purpose-designed field trials to capture the effects of two independent stress variables, and reports comprehensive measurements of soil suction, water contents, stress changes and ground deformations in both bare and grassed slopes


    • introduces a new conjunctive surface and subsurface transient flow model for realistically analysing rainfall infiltration in unsaturated soil slopes, and illustrates the importance of the flow model in slope engineering.




    Including constitutive and numerical modelling, this volume will interest students and professionals studying or working in the areas of geotechnical engineering and the built environment.



     

    Part 1: Physical and Flow Characteristics of Unsaturated Soils  1. Basic Physics, Phases and Stress State Variables  2. Measurement and Control of Suction: Methods and Applications  3. Flow Laws, Seepage and State-Dependent Soil-Water Characteristics  Part 2: Collapse, Swelling, Strength and Stiffness of Unsaturated Soils  4. Collapse and Swelling Caused by Wetting  5. Measurement of Shear Strength and Shear Behaviour of Unsaturated Soils  6. Measurement of Shear Stiffness  Part 3: State-Dependent Elasto-Plastic Modelling of Unsaturated Soils  7. A State-Dependent Elasto-Plastic Critical State-Based Constitutive Model  Part 4: Field Trials and Numerical Studies in Slope Engineering of Unsaturated Soils  8. Instrumentation and Performance: A Case Study in Slope Engineering  9. Engineering Applications for Slope Stability

    Biography

    Charles W.W. Ng has published widely on the behaviour of unsaturated soils and slopes, on applications of centrifuge modelling and on the soil-structure engineering of piles, barrettes, tunnels and deep excavations. He is Chair Professor and Associate Vice-President for Research and Development at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2017-2021).


    Bruce Menzies founded the Queens Award-winning company, Global Digital Systems Ltd (GDS), that pioneered the commercial availability of computer-controlled soil and rock testing systems for geotechnical engineers. He invented the GDS digital pressure controller used for pressure regulation and volume change measurement in soil and rock mechanics laboratories. He has co-authored seven books on soil mechanics and geology, some of which have been translated into French, Italian, Portuguese and Malay. He co-founded Predict Ability Ltd (PAL) that formulates financial risk metrics for the impact of climate change.