John S. McCartney received BSCE and MSCE degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder and a PhD degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. McCartney’s research interests include unsaturated soil mechanics, geosynthetics, and thermally active geotechnical systems. He has received several research awards, including the NSF Faculty Early Development (CAREER) Award i...

The finite-element (FE) method is widely recognized as a powerful tool in modeling structural and geotechnical systems and simulating their response to static and dynamic loads. In addition, numerical optimization is commonly used in many engineering applications, such as structural reliability analysis, FE model updating, structural identification, and structural optimization. This paper focus...

It is the essence of geotechnical design to obtain soil parameters for design that are different from a site to another. Therefore, soil investigations play very important role in geotechnical design. The modeling of the ground based on investigation results is called site characterization, and there are some new developments in this area based on statistical theories. In the new approach, the ...

The Jackson Lake Dam was constructed in 1917 in the Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyoming. The dam was a hydraulic fill placed on a natural alluvium and outwash foundation. The Bureau of Reclamation (Burec) determined that the dam and its foundation would be susceptible to liquefaction and failure during a potential earthquake; a series of contracts was let to remove and replace the d...

The Konjsko tunnel is an integral part of the Zagreb-Split-Dubrovnik highway, section Prgomet-Dugopolje. It consists of two tunnel tubes having 1326.0 and 1133.8 meters in length. The greatest overburden amounts to 150 m. This paper presents geotechnical measurement results and back numerical analyses. Back numerical analyses in combination with geotechnical measurements enable safer and more r...

In this paper, geostatistical analysis of digital image processing data efficiently contributed to the preliminary site investigation and geotechnical mapping Wadi Fayidah, Saudi Arabia. 3D modeling, clustering, chart pattern changes were used analyze spectral electromagnetic energy reflected values in red, green, blue (RGB) ranges on false color composite Landsat-7 images. Therefore, from upst...

ABSTRACT: Recently, limit state design (LSD) in geotechnical engineering has been developed through LRFD in North America and Eurocode 7 in Europe. LRFD is an approach that estimates resistance by design model and that multiplies resistance factor by calculated resistance to reflect the uncertainty of materials and design models. Whereas, Eurocode 7 employs the partial resistance factor applied...

This paper presents a study on the permanent lateral deformation and potential flow of ground due to soil liquefaction in the San Jose area of Northern California. Assessment of ground deformation by lateral flow is made through the use of a set of geotechnical Information Technologies, including GIS, LiDAR, and FEM analysis. By using a geotechnical database consisting of approximately 600 bore...

T. Orr, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland The authors have presented an interesting paper concerning a fundamental problem for geotechnical engineers: the bearing capacity of circular foundations on sand. In this paper the authors have included an equation for the factor Na in the bearing capacity equation for circular foundations on the ground surface, which has been determined from the results ...

Assessment of geological hazards in urban areas must integrate geospatial and temporal data, such as complex geology, highly irregular ground surface, fluctuations in pore-water pressure, surface displacements and environmental factors. Site investigation for geological hazard studies frequently produces surface maps, geological information from borehole data, laboratory test results and monito...