The Transistor Psychrometer: A New Instrument for Measuring Soil Suction
The transistor psychrometer is the latest instrument available for the measurement of soil moisture suction. It has been developed over a number of years and is very similar in operation...
Modelling the Behaviour of Compacted Soils
Predictions based on a recently developed model for unsaturated soil behaviour have been compared with some results of two experimental programs on compacted soils recently published in...
On the Elasto-Plastic Behavior of an Unsaturated Silt
Due to technical difficulties related to the control and measurement of the suction in unsaturated soils, few experimental data on the mechanical behavior of those soils exits. The paper...
Elasto-Plastic Volume Change of Unsaturated Compacted Clay
Isotropic compression tests were performed on samples of unsaturated compacted kaolin in a modified triaxial cell that allowed separate control of pore water pressure and pore air pressure....
One and Three Dimensional, Three Phase Deformation in Soil
An initially saturated soil exhibits two distinct deformation patterns as it drys. First, it deforms vertically until the soil begins to drain. Secondly , it deforms laterally as well...
Flow Properties of Unsaturated Soils Under Controlled Suction
Laboratory tests were performed for the hydraulic characterization of three compacted soils under high suction. Moisture changes were studied considering some factors affecting the time...
Permeability Determination for Unsaturated Soils
A reliable approach for the determination of the soil hydraulic conductivity function relies on the parameter estimation solution approach in which heterogeneous state of saturation within...
Transit Times Through Compacted Clay Liners
Transit time, or time taken by waste liquid to move through the thickness of the liner, is a short-term performance parameter which can be used to determine the necessary liner thickness....
HUD Concerns: Post-Tensioned Foundations in Texas
An investigation was conducted of post-tensioned slab foundation systems in Texas pursuant to a request from the Headquarters Office's of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development...
Performance of Horizontal and Vertical Barriers
Horizontal and vertical barriers have been used on transportation facilities to control expansive soils and minimize their damages. The effort is to minimize moisture change in the soil...
Data Base for the Design of Piers in Expansive Soils
The paper describes the parameters and the structure of the seed of a data base of properties and observed field behavior of expansive soils assembled from an extensive literature review....
The Use of Structural Composites in 21st Century Infrastructure Technology
The purpose of this paper is to create and transmit a sense of the unique benefits which effective application of composites technology can bring to the civil engineering. infrastructure...
Composite Materials as Concrete Reinforcement in the Next Decade
Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are researched for possible implementation in the construction industry. A number of factors affect the widespread use of FRP composites in the civil engineering...
Pultruded Composites: Materials for the 21st Century
The main objective of this paper is to introduce pultruded composites to the civil engineers and to create the awareness of its important applications. A description of the pultrusion...
21st Century Composites Require ASCE Standards and SDS
This paper describes the ASCE initiative and discusses the philosophy and needs for the structural design system (SDS) of which the standards will be a part. Our perspective is from the...
Going International: Profit or Peril?
Six veterans of the international engineering and construction market discuss the financial risks of international work, including currency risk; expatriate living conditions; difficulties...
What's In It for Me?
The construction industry of the European Community (EC), which accounts for about 10 percent of the EC's gross domestic product, or nearly US $550 billion, commands about...
Infrastructure, IFC-Style
Interview with Everett J. Santos, head of the infrastructure department at the International Finance Corp.�the World Bank's private-sector arm. The department, created in...
Private Financing for Infrastructure
From the United States to Germany and the Third World, financing has replaced the availability of technology and expertise as the main infrastructure problem. Public deficits, resistance...
Inside the System: The Japanese Construction Company
Despite their diverse activities, Japanese construction companies are first and foremost Japanese companies, functioning as extended families with a spirit of cooperation that might surprise...
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