Limit Analysis And Soil Plasticity

Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, Volume 7: Limit Analysis and Soil Plasticity covers the theory and applications of limit analysis as applied to soil mechanics. Organized into 12 chapters, the book presents an introduction to the modern development of theory of soil plasticity and includes rock-like material. The first four chapters of the book describe the technique of limit analysis, beginning with the historical review of the subject and the assumptions on which it is based, and then covering various aspects of available techniques of limit analysis. The subsequent chapters deal with the applications of limit analysis to what may be termed “classical soil mechanics problems that include bearing capacity of footings, lateral earth pressure problems, and stability of slopes. In many cases, comparisons of limit analysis solution and conventional limit equilibrium and slip-like solutions are also presented. Other chapters deal with the advances in bearing-capacity problem of concrete blocks or rock and present theoretical and experimental results of various concrete bearing problems. The concluding chapter examines elastic-plastic soil and elastic-plastic-fracture models for concrete materials. This book is an ideal resource text to geotechnical engineers and soil mechanics researchers.

During the last ten years, our understanding of the perfect plasticity and the associated flow rule assumption on which limit analysis is based has increased considerably. Many extensions and advances have been made in applications of limit analysis to the area of soil dynamics, in particular, to earthquake-induced slope failure and landslide problems and to earthquake-induced lateral earth pressures on rigid retaining structures. The purpose of the book therefore is in part to discuss the validity of the upper bound work (or energy) method of limit analysis in a form that can be appreciated by a practicing soil engineer, and in part to provide a compact and up-to-date summary of recent advances in the applications of limit analysis to earthquake-induced stability problems in soil mechanics.

This book is addressed primarily to civil engineers familiar with such traditional topics as strength of materials, soil mechanics, and theory of elasticity and structures, but less familiar with the modern development of the mathematical theory of soil plasticity necessary to any engineer working under the general heading of nonlinear analysis of soil-structure system. This book will satisfy his needs in the case of the soil medium.It introduces the reader to the theory of soil plasticity and its numerical implementation into computer programs. The theory and method of computer implementation presented here are appropriate for solving nonlinear static dynamic problems in soil mechanics and are applicable for finite difference and finite element computer codes. A sample computer model subroutine is developed and this is used to study some typical soil mechanics problems.With its comprehensive coverage and simple, concise presentation, the book will undoubtedly prove to be very useful for consulting engineers, research and graduate students in geotechnical engineering.

This book is a personal anthology of the author's utmost academic works and accomplishments with his former students and colleagues intended as an enduring record for the engineering community for many years to come.The author's forty-year professional career and academic life journey is first briefly sketched in Chapter 1 and more details are elaborated in three chapters that follow: Chapter 2: The first ten years at Lehigh — beginning to show; Chapter 3: Twenty=three years at Purdue — the highly productive years; and Chapter 4: seven years at UH — the pursuit of excellence. The author's specific academic contributions are documented in the following three chapters: Chapter 5: 23 academic bulletins are selected to highlight his 10 major research areas; Chapter 6: 23 Academic masterpiece books are listed along with their respective peer review comments; and Chapter 7: academic publications include journal articles, conference proceedings and symposiums, and lectures and keynotes. The book ends with the listing of all the author's 55 doctoral students' dissertation titles in Chapter 8.In 1975 at Lehigh, the author published a milestone treatise on Limit Analysis and Soil Plasticity. In 1982 at Purdue, he published another pioneering work on Plasticity in Reinforced Concrete.In September 1999, the author was recruited by UH to take the Deanship of the College of Engineering to accomplish the noble mission: to build the College to become one of the top 50 engineering schools by strengthening the faculty, improving the facilities, and increasing the enrollment. Over his seven years at UH, a lot of progress was made in all these three areas — the research program expanded, facilities improved, and enrollment increased.

Plasticity and Geotechnics is the first attempt to summarize and present in a single volume the major achievements in the field of plasticity theory for geotechnical materials and its applications to geotechnical analysis and design. The book emerges from the author’s belief that there is an urgent need for the geotechnical and solid mechanics community to have a unified presentation of plasticity theory and its application to geotechnical engineering.

During the last ten years, our understanding of the perfect plasticity and the associated flow rule assumption on which limit analysis is based has increased considerably. Many extensions and advances have been made in applications of limit analysis to the area of soil dynamics, in particular, to earthquake-induced slope failure and landslide problems and to earthquake-induced lateral earth pressures on rigid retaining structures. The purpose of the book therefore is in part to discuss the validity of the upper bound work (or energy) method of limit analysis in a form that can be appreciated by a practicing soil engineer, and in part to provide a compact and up-to-date summary of recent advances in the applications of limit analysis to earthquake-induced stability problems in soil mechanics.