The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is the principal
association for geotechnical engineers in the United Kingdom.

Geotechnique Lecture

BGA Meeting
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Géotechnique Lecture 2015

Tuesday 17th November 2015 at 18:30

Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA

A Particulate Perspective on Soil Mechanics

Dr Catherine O’Sullivan, Imperial College London

Summary: The challenges associated with predicting soil response to loads and deformations arise in part from the particulate nature of the material. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations and high resolution micro-computed tomography (microCT) now allow geotechnical engineers to study the particle-scale mechanics that underlie the complexity of soil response. This lecture gives an overview of recent research that has used DEM and microCT to revisit important contributions to soil mechanics that were published in Géotechnique over the past 30 years.

Specific topics to be considered include the internal instability of dams and embankments subjected to seepage loading; the strength and stiffness of the locked sand deposits in South-East England; and the use of the critical state soil mechanics framework and the state parameter to describe and predict sand behaviour. In each case the lecture will show how applying a particle scale perspective has improved understanding in a way that will benefit both geotechnical research and practice.

Download: flyer - Geotechnique 2015

Register: via the ICE website. Please note that you must register for this event.

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