Lecture

Rankine Method: Soil Pressure Calculations

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In course

CIVIL-203: Soil mechanics and flow through porous media

The course introduces students to the fundamentals of the mechanics of soils and fluid-infiltrated porous media. The first part is devoted to the constitutive behavior of soils in dry conditions, while the second part accounts for the presence of pore wate ...

Description

This lecture covers the Rankine method for calculating soil pressures in geotechnical engineering, including assumptions, active and passive states, derivation of equations, water effects, heterogeneous soils, and practical examples. Various methods like Rankine, prism, Coulomb-Poncelet, and Caquot-Kérisel are discussed for different soil conditions.

Instructor

Laurent Vulliet

EDUCATION 2016 Board Member Certificate, Swiss Board School, Switzerland 2008 AMP (Advanced Management Program), INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France 1986 PhD (Dr sc. tech.), EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland 1980 Ms, Civil Engineering (Dipl. Bauing. ETH), ETHZ, Zurich, Switzerland PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 1994 - Present Professor, EPFL. Director of the Soil Mechanics Laboratory (1994-2008). Promoted from Associate to Full Professor in 1996. Part-time position since 2008 2008 - 2015 CEO, BG Consulting Engineers, Lausanne, Switzerland. 2001 - 2008 Dean, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole polytechnique fédérale, Lausanne (EPFL) 1999 - 2001 Head, Civil Engineering Department, EPFL 1989 - 1993 Senior Engineer, De Cérenville Géotechnique SA, Ecublens, Switzerland 1987 - 1989 Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA 1986 Invited Researcher, Laboratoire central des ponts et chaussées (LCPC), Paris, France 1981 - 1986 Research assistant, and PhD student, Soil Mechanics Laboratory (LMS), EPFL. Thesis on the modeling of natural creeping slopes. Co-advisors Prof. E. Recordon (EPFL) and Prof. K. Hutter (TU Darmstadt) BOARDS / COUNCILS

Member of the Board of Directors, Implenia, Dietlikon, Switzerland (2016 - present)
Member of the Board of Directors, BG Consulting Engineers, Lausanne (2006 - 2015)
Vice-President, Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA). 2009-2013.
Member, Foundation Council, Foundation Les Bois Chamblard, financing research in Environmental Sciences at EPFL (focusing on bio-diversity). 2003-present
Member, Foundation Council of the Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes (PPUR), Lausanne. 1995-present
Member, Stiftungsrat der Präventionsstiftung der KGV (a Swiss foundation for the financing of applied research in the domain of natural risks from Cantonal Building Insurances). 2003-2008
Member of the Board of Directors, Stump Bohr AG, Nänikon. 1998 2001

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA)
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
International Association for Computer Meth. and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG)
International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE)
International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM)
Swiss Society for Soil and Rock Mechanics (SSMSR)
Swiss Society for Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics (SGEB)

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES

Swiss National Science Foundation (NSF): member of the Foundation Council and of the Electoral Commission (1996-2003)
Extra-Parliamentary National Commission on Natural Disasters (PLANAT): member of the Commission 1997-2007 (member of the Executive Board from 1997 to 2000)
Natural Hazards Competence Centre CENAT (ETH Domain): founder member and member of the Board of Directors (1995-2007)
Alliance of European Research Laboratories (ALERT), member of the Board of Directors (1995-2009)
Beratende Kommission Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL): member (2000-2004)
Centro Stefano Franscini (CSF, Monte Verità): member of the Scientific Advisory Committee (1997-2007)
EPFL Press and Information Commission (CPI). Member 1994-94, President 1995-2000

EDITORIAL BOARDS

Adjunct Editor-in-Chief, Revue française de génie civil (Hermès); founder member (1996-Present). Cette revue est devenue "European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering"
Editorial Advisory Board, Int. J. Num. Analyt. Meth. in Geomech., John Wiley (1997-2009).
Editorial Board, Int. J. of Geomechanics (2000-2009).
Editorial Board, Computer & Geotechnics, Elsevier (2001-2009).
Editorial Board, Rivista Italiana di Geotecnica (1997-2009).

Official source

Related concepts (28)

Soil mechanics

Soil mechanics is a branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids (usually air and water) and particles (usually clay, silt, sand, and gravel) but soil may also contain organic solids and other matter. Along with rock mechanics, soil mechanics provides the theoretical basis for analysis in geotechnical engineering, a subdiscipline of civil engineering, and engineering geology, a subdiscipline of geology.

Geotechnical engineering

Geotechnical engineering, also known as geotechnics, is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. It uses the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to solve its engineering problems. It also relies on knowledge of geology, hydrology, geophysics, and other related sciences. Geotechnical engineering has applications in military engineering, mining engineering, petroleum engineering, coastal engineering, and offshore construction.

Soil conditioner

A soil conditioner is a product which is added to soil to improve the soil’s physical qualities, usually its fertility (ability to provide nutrition for plants) and sometimes its mechanics. In general usage, the term "soil conditioner" is often thought of as a subset of the category soil amendments (or soil improvement, soil condition), which more often is understood to include a wide range of fertilizers and non-organic materials. Soil conditioners can be used to improve poor soils, or to rebuild soils which have been damaged by improper soil management.

Slope stability

Slope stability refers to the condition of inclined soil or rock slopes to withstand or undergo movement; the opposite condition is called slope instability or slope failure. The stability condition of slopes is a subject of study and research in soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. Analyses are generally aimed at understanding the causes of an occurred slope failure, or the factors that can potentially trigger a slope movement, resulting in a landslide, as well as at preventing the initiation of such movement, slowing it down or arresting it through mitigation countermeasures.

Pore water pressure

Pore water pressure (sometimes abbreviated to pwp) refers to the pressure of groundwater held within a soil or rock, in gaps between particles (pores). Pore water pressures below the phreatic level of the groundwater are measured with piezometers. The vertical pore water pressure distribution in aquifers can generally be assumed to be close to hydrostatic. In the unsaturated ("vadose") zone, the pore pressure is determined by capillarity and is also referred to as tension, suction, or matric pressure.

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