Location
Arlington, Virginia
Date
15 Aug 2008, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Abstract
Use of case histories provides an important role in Civil Engineering education, presenting an opportunity for students to extend the principles found in textbooks to real world, practical problems. Case histories provide students with a sense of judgment and a sampling of the “art” in geotechnics. The author, an Adjunct Professor of Civil Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has used contemporary case history examples related to foundation and geotechnical engineering to supplement and invigorate classroom instruction and prepare students for the workforce. Typical examples related to foundation engineering include: • Design of subsurface investigation programs for structures, wastewater treatment plants, etc., considering the use of conventional test borings, Cone Penetration Tests (CPT), in-situ testing, and laboratory testing. • Evaluation of bearing capacity for shallow foundations based on boring and CPT logs • Estimates of static pile capacities based on boring and CPT logs, including subsequent comparison with load test results. • Settlement predictions based on available boring, CPT, in-situ, and laboratory test data, and subsequent comparison with field measurements, if available. Evaluation of whether predicted settlement is acceptable. • Analysis and design of sheet pile and gravity retaining structures based on boring and/or CPT logs. Example case histories are reviewed, including their role in supplementing textbook instruction. A key component of these problems is that they do not offer a unique solution, but rather a range of solutions depending on selection of suitable design parameters and method(s) of analysis. Feedback from students is also presented.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
6th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2008 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Floess, Carsten H., "Use of Case Histories in the Classroom" (2008). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 16.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/6icchge/session11/16
Use of Case Histories in the Classroom
Arlington, Virginia
Use of case histories provides an important role in Civil Engineering education, presenting an opportunity for students to extend the principles found in textbooks to real world, practical problems. Case histories provide students with a sense of judgment and a sampling of the “art” in geotechnics. The author, an Adjunct Professor of Civil Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has used contemporary case history examples related to foundation and geotechnical engineering to supplement and invigorate classroom instruction and prepare students for the workforce. Typical examples related to foundation engineering include: • Design of subsurface investigation programs for structures, wastewater treatment plants, etc., considering the use of conventional test borings, Cone Penetration Tests (CPT), in-situ testing, and laboratory testing. • Evaluation of bearing capacity for shallow foundations based on boring and CPT logs • Estimates of static pile capacities based on boring and CPT logs, including subsequent comparison with load test results. • Settlement predictions based on available boring, CPT, in-situ, and laboratory test data, and subsequent comparison with field measurements, if available. Evaluation of whether predicted settlement is acceptable. • Analysis and design of sheet pile and gravity retaining structures based on boring and/or CPT logs. Example case histories are reviewed, including their role in supplementing textbook instruction. A key component of these problems is that they do not offer a unique solution, but rather a range of solutions depending on selection of suitable design parameters and method(s) of analysis. Feedback from students is also presented.
