On Wednesday 28 May 2025, there will be two workshops taking place.
When registering for the conference, you can select to attend one of the workshops.
More details below.
Presentened by
Jamie Standing, Imperial College London
Historically the subject of soil mechanics was developed for saturated conditions where there were just two phases of solid and water. Soils in this condition are relevant to many applications especially in temperate climates. However, in many environments the water table is deep below the ground surface and the soil above it is not fully saturated, it has an additional air phase which has important implications on the soil response. Compacted fills and tailings also often fit into this category where pore water pressures are negative and so possess suction.
The course (7 hours) will cover unsaturated soil mechanics, starting from basic principles such as surface tension, capillarity, relative humidity and then move on to soil response with three phases (solid, water, air). Unsaturated soils usually have negative pore water pressures, expressed as suctions. Soil water retention curves link suction with other variables such as degree of saturation and water content. The measurement and control of suction is discussed in detail along with its effect on the volumetric and shearing response of unsaturated soils. Conceptual models are developed linking suction with net stress, volume change and shear stress, accounting for collapsible and expansive soils. The basis of a constitutive model incorporating these elements is presented and practical implications of unsaturated soils are also covered.
Handouts of the lecture slides and some typed lecture notes will be made available.
On successfully completing this one-day course, delegates will:
– have basic knowledge of where unsaturated soils are encountered;
– be familiar with all basic terminology relating to unsaturated soils;
– understand the effect of fabric on the response of consolidated soils, especially in expansive and collapsible soils;
– differentiate between different types of suction;
– be conversant with soil-water retention curves and appreciate their significance;
– understand the effect of suction on volume change and shear strength behaviour;
– know about various apparatus that enable unsaturated soils to be tested with and without suction control and measurement.
Jamie Standing is Professor of Ground Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. His key research interests include laboratory testing of soils, unsaturated soil mechanics, full-scale field monitoring and instrumentation, and tunnelling and soil-structure interaction. He has more than 25 years’ experience of teaching at both undergraduate and post-graduate level, ranging from basic soil mechanics (seepage, consolidation, shear strength) to unsaturated soil mechanics and field monitoring and geotechnical processes. He is a chartered Civil Engineer, Fellow of the Geological Society, Associate of the Geotechnical Consulting Group and a member of three ISSMGE technical committees: TC204 (Underground Construction in Soft Ground); TC220 (Field Monitoring in Geotechnical Engineering) and TC301 (Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites). He has always worked closely with industry and has run three major tunnelling research projects. From 2016 to 2021 he was a member of the International Board of Experts for Żelazny Most tailings dam. He has served on the BGA and BTS committees and been an editorial board member for Géotechnique and QJEGH. He has delivered numerous invited lectures and keynote addresses, including the Géotechnique lecture in 2009.
More details to follow.