Review: On the horizontal thrust of a mass of sand (G. Darwin, 1883) By Michael Bennett, P.E., M.ASCE (A.G.E.S., Inc., King of Prussia, PA) In 1883, the British Empire stood...

Scientific discoveries sometimes seem to come right out of the ether - sometimes literally! Meet Osborne Reynolds (of fluid mechanics fame) and learn about the surprising connections between his work on the dilatancy of granular materials and the beginnings of the science of soil mechanics.

What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? Member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing." Part 3 covers Foundations and includes a case study of the 1923 Yankee Stadium.

What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 2: "Excavation"

Review of Foundations, abutments and footings (Hool and Kinne, Eds., 1923), Section 3: Foundations (Part B) By Michael Bennett, P.E., M.ASCE (Gannett Fleming – Audubon, PA) The second half of...

What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 1: "Soil Investigation"

Review of Modern Conceptions Concerning Foundation Engineering (Terzaghi, 1925) By Michael Bennett, P.E. , M.ASCE (A.G.E.S., Inc. – King of Prussia, PA) “People spend their first 40 years trying to...

Our member blogger looks at at Charles Gregory’s seminal 1844 paper “On railway cuttings and embankments”, examining two slope failures on a London railroad cut in the winter of 1841-42.

First post in our new Geotechnical History blog, and part 1 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood. In this post: The why, when, and how of the construction of the dam that eventually became known as the South Fork Dam. (This post revised Feb. 16, 2023)

Part 2 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the replacement, breach, and abandonment of the Western Reservoir, and its rebuilding as the South Fork Dam.

Part 3 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the weakening of the South Fork Dam, the increasing frequency of floods in Johnstown, and an approaching storm.

The efforts to save the dam, its failure, the possible geotechnical mechanisms of the failure, and the horrific consequences.

The aftermath of the Johnstown Flood: relief efforts, journalism, analysis, and lessons learned. This post is the conclusion of the series and includes references.

As we approach the centenary of Terzaghi's pioneering work Erdbaumechanik, looking back can bring big benefits for the future.