Jump to content

Géotechnique

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Geotechnique)

Géotechnique
DisciplineGeotechnical engineering
Soil mechanics
Engineering geology
LanguageEnglish
Edited byLidija Zdravkovic
Publication details
History1948–present
Publisher
FrequencyBimonthly
5.8 (2023)
ISO 4Find out here
Indexing
ISSN0016-8505 (print)
1751-7656 (web)
Links

Géotechnique is an academic journal in the field of geotechnical engineering, focusing on the principles and practice of soil mechanics, rock mechanics, environmental geotechnics, and engineering geology. It has been published continuously since 1948 and is currently managed by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the United Kingdom.

History

[edit]

The idea for Géotechnique was first mooted in 1946 during an international effort to foster post-war collaboration in geotechnical research. The journal's creation was inextricably linked to preparations for the Second International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, held in Rotterdam in 1948.[1]

The discussions that led to the founding of Géotechnique involved a group of British soil mechanics pioneers during and shortly after their tour of European soil mechanics laboratories which commenced in late 1946, including Rudolph Glossop, Hugh Golder, Bill Ward, and D. J. Maclean.[2]

Representatives of The Geotechnical Society, led by key figures such as Golder, had circulated a letter in July 1947 proposing the foundation of a pan-European publication.[3][4] It was proposed that the journal be established to:

  • Promote international collaboration among soil mechanics researchers.
  • Publish specialised studies in geotechnical sciences.
  • Encourage the integration of engineering geology into practice.
  • Disseminate cutting-edge research to practising engineers.[5]

Glossop visited the Laboratorium voor Grondmechanica (English: Soil Mechanics Laboratory) in Delft, along with Alec Skempton and Karl von Terzaghi. The laboratory had been established in 1930 under the guidance of Albert Sybrandus Keverling Buisman and had become the largest laboratory of its type in the world.[6] There, they had been impressed by the systems of soil testing developed by Keverling Buisman and his colleagues.[7] By the 1940s, the laboratory was under the guidance of Emmericus Geuze and Gerrit Hendrik van Mourik Broekman. Geuze had met with Glossop and Golder in the Netherlands, with the three men discussing the creation of a journal dedicated to soil mechanics over drinks in a nightclub.[8][9][7]

Glossop’s involvement extended to financial support of the fledgling journal. The first issue, priced at ten shillings and with a foreword written by Terzaghi, appeared in June 1948 after Glossop personally underwrote the initial costs of publication by securing an overdraft from his bank on behalf of the Geotechnical Society. This financial backing was critical in overcoming the challenges of launching a new journal in the austere post-war years. The first volume consisted of four issues. By the second issue, over 500 subscriptions had been sold, reducing Glossop's financial risk and establishing the journal's viability.[10][4]

Founders

[edit]

The establishment of Géotechnique in 1948 coincided with the emergence of soil mechanics as a formal engineering discipline.[11][12] Prior to the advent of the journal, there was no centralised platform for sharing research or fostering international collaboration in the field.[1][13]

The journal’s founders were prominent engineers and researchers whose work had already contributed significantly to the development of geotechnical science.[3] Their diverse backgrounds and achievements reflect the interdisciplinary approach that the journal sought to promote, combining engineering, geology, and experimental methods.[3] The biographies below detail their roles in founding Géotechnique and their broader contributions to the early development of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering.[5]

Name Country Key contributions/background
Leonard Cooling United Kingdom Dr. Leonard Frank Cooling (1903–1977) was a key figure in geotechnical engineering and a founder of the British school of soil mechanics. At the Building Research Station, he established Britain’s first soil mechanics laboratory in 1933 and led pioneering research into soil properties, embankment slips, and foundation failures. He contributed to the early development of the journal, serving on its advisory panel and as chairman from 1966 to 1969. Cooling also delivered the 1962 Rankine Lecture.[14][15]
Jean-Pierre Daxelhofer Switzerland Professor Jean-Pierre Daxelhofer (1907–1998), born on 20 April 1907, obtained his Diploma in Civil Engineering from l’École Polytechnique de l’Université de Lausanne (EPUL) in 1929. He began his career with the Italian contractor Rodio, working in Paris, Milan, and Rome, before returning to Switzerland in 1945 as director of research at EPUL’s geotechnical laboratory. Appointed Professor Extraordinaire in 1949 and later full professor in 1963, he focused on construction materials, particularly for water-retaining structures, until his retirement in 1972. It was Daxelhofer who suggested the name, Géotechnique. He published a significant 1944 paper on soil shearing resistance.[16] His 367 reports on foundation failures and building damage remain an important resource in the field. He died on 8 June 1998.[3]
Edward E. De Beer Belgium Dr. Edward E. De Beer (1911–1994), born in Leeuwergem, Belgium, was a civil engineer and geotechnical researcher who made significant contributions to soil mechanics and foundation engineering. After graduating from Ghent University in 1934, he founded the State Geotechnical Institute in 1938 and directed it for 37 years, overseeing over 1,000 engineering projects. His research included soil bearing capacity, pile behaviour, and the development of cone penetration testing for foundation design. A founding member of the journal, he also helped establish the Permanent Coordinating Secretariat for international geotechnical societies in 1973 and was awarded the Kevin Nash Gold Medal in 1989 for his work in the field.[17][18]
Jacques Florentin France Jacques Florentin (1912–1975) graduated as a civil engineer from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in 1937, where he developed an interest in soil mechanics under the influence of Albert Caquot. He joined the Laboratoire du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics (LBTP), contributing to research on soil behaviour, and later became assistant director. In 1949, he co-founded the consulting firm Mécasol, gaining international recognition through work on major projects such as the Génissiat dam, Serre-Ponçon earth dam, and foundations for the Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux nuclear plant. He contributed an article to the first issue of the journal. A founder member of the French National Society in 1948, he served as its President in 1973 and contributed to International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Florentin died in 1975.[3]
Emmericus Geuze Netherlands Emmericus Carel Willem Adriaan Geuze (1906–1987), born on 27 March 1906 in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, was a civil engineer and geotechnical researcher. A graduate of the Technical Hogeschool Delft (THD), he worked under Professor Albert Sybrandus Keverling Buisman and became a founding staff member of the Laboratorium voor Grondmechanica Delft in 1936, later serving as Head of Research.[19] Appointed as a professor at THD in 1952, he contributed significantly to cone penetration testing (CPT) and the study of the critical density of sands. Geuze played a key role in the founding of Géotechnique, originally discussing the requirement for the journal with Glossop and Golder, and contributed to international conferences, including the 1948 Rotterdam and 1950 London meetings of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. Later in his career, he helped establish the Arab Potash Company in Jordan and joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the USA. He died in Rensselaer on 3 September 1987.[20][21]
Rudolph Glossop United Kingdom Rudolph ‘Silas’ Glossop (1902–1993), born on 17 February 1902 in Bakewell, England, was a geotechnical engineer and mining expert. He studied at the Royal School of Mines, graduating in 1924, and later worked with John Mowlem & Co., where he began his geotechnical career in the 1930s. Whilst at college he was given the nickname ‘Silas’ after Silas Q. Porter, the absent-minded professor from the novel Tarzan of the Apes. He retained the name throughout his life.[22] Glossop co-founded Soil Mechanics Ltd in 1943, one of the first geotechnical consultancies, and was instrumental in the establishment of the journal, even funding it's publication in the early years. It was ultimately Glossop who finalised the name "Géotechnique," inspired by Daxelhofer's suggestion. He contributed to major engineering projects and geotechnical education, delivering the Eighth Rankine Lecture in 1968. Glossop retired in 1968 but remained active in engineering geology until his death on 1 March 1993 in Cornwall.[2][23]
Hugh Golder United Kingdom Dr. Hugh Quentin Golder (1911–1990), born on 14 September 1911 in England, was a civil engineer and geotechnical specialist. A graduate of Liverpool University, he joined the Building Research Station in 1937 and contributed to early soil mechanics investigations, including the Chingford reservoir failure. He introduced composite slip surface analysis and developed portable testing apparatus. Golder co-founded Soil Mechanics Ltd in 1943 and was a key protagonist in the establishment of Géotechnique. In 1960, he founded Golder Associates in Canada, which became a global consulting firm. A prolific author, Golder was recognised for his innovations in geotechnical engineering and education until his death on 15 January 1990 in Vancouver, Canada.[24][25]
Robert Haefeli Switzerland Dr. Robert Haefeli (1898–1978), born on 4 August 1898 in Lucerne, Switzerland, was a civil engineer and pioneering researcher in soil, snow, and ice mechanics. He graduated from ETH Zurich in 1920 and worked on water power projects before establishing a soil mechanics laboratory at ETH in 1935. Haefeli made significant contributions to the study of avalanches and snow mechanics, serving as President of the Glaciological Commission of the Swiss Academy of Sciences from 1950 to 1973. He published a groundbreaking paper entitled Investigation and measurements of the shear strengths of saturated cohesive soils in 1951.[26] He authored approximately 170 publications and was honoured with numerous awards, including the Wegener Medal in 1975. He died on 18 April 1978.[27]
Alec Skempton United Kingdom Sir Alec Westley Skempton (1914–2001), born on 4 June 1914, was a British civil engineer and a founder of modern soil mechanics. A graduate of Imperial College London, he worked at the Building Research Station before becoming Professor at Imperial College in 1946, where he established its Soil Mechanics section. Skempton’s research spanned shear strength of clays, foundation engineering, and historical studies of dam failures. He was instrumental in founding the journal, and it was his wife Nancy who designed the front cover, which remains unchanged to this day, incorporating the colophon used in an 18th-century paper by Charles-Augustine de Coulomb on earth pressure.[28][29][30] Skempton received numerous honours, including delivering the Rankine Lecture in 1961 and a Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1964. He died on 9 August 2001.[7][31]
Armin von Moos Switzerland Dr. Armin von Moos (1907–1981), born on 20 February 1907 in Wülflingen, Switzerland, was a geologist and a pioneer in integrating geology with geotechnical engineering. After earning his PhD in geology from ETH Zurich in 1935, he contributed to establishing a soil mechanics laboratory at ETH in collaboration with Robert Haefeli. Von Moos served as a lecturer at ETH from 1948 to 1968, teaching engineering geology and site investigation. He co-founded the Swiss Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in 1956 and served as Vice President of the International Society for Rock Mechanics from 1966 to 1970. Von Moos published extensively on geology and geotechnics, including a landmark review in the first issue of Géotechnique. He later founded a geological consultancy.[3][32][33]
William Hallam Ward United Kingdom William Hallam (Bill) Ward (1917–1996), born on 3 December 1917 in Pimlico, London, was a civil engineer and geotechnical expert. A graduate of Imperial College London, he worked at the Building Research Station, where he advanced foundation designs, tunnel linings, and soil mechanics applications. Ward served as Chairman of the British Geotechnical Society in 1966–1967. Ward was a member of the touring party (along with Glossop, Golder, and D.J. Maclean) who visited a number of European soil mechanics practitioners and laboratories in the immediate aftermath of World War II, during which the initial discussions on creating the journal took place.[4] His industry contributions included advising on nuclear power station foundations and international tunneling projects. He delivered the Rankine Lecture in 1978 and was awarded the Skempton Gold Medal in 1991. He died on 23 April 1996.[34]

The first issue of the journal contained work by several of the founding members, including a paper by Skempton on post-glacial clays, and papers by De Beer, von Moos, Florentin, and Golder.[35] Karl Terzaghi provided a foreword, in which he envisioned Géotechnique as a "clearing house" for significant information in the fields of soil mechanics and engineering geology, emphasising the interdependence of the fields and the need for collaboration between engineers and geologists.[36] In addition to the founding members, key figures including Terzaghi, T. K. Huizinga, and Sir George Burt were early supporters of the journal, providing advice, encouragement, and criticism.[3]

Legacy and impact

[edit]

Géotechnique played a key role in the emergence of geotechnical engineering as a distinct scientific discipline in the post-war period.[9] The journal provided a platform for the exchange of research and practical insights, addressing the growing need for rigorous studies in soil mechanics and foundation engineering.[37][38] The journal maintains a peer-review process, and is indexed in databases including the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Scopus.[39][40]

The Rankine Lecture, hosted in March each year by the British Geotechnical Association, is published in Géotechnique together with the text of the biographical introduction and the vote of thanks. Each year, the authors of the paper rated best by the Editorial Board are awarded the Geotechnical Research Medal.[37]

Géotechnique Letters

[edit]

A companion journal, Géotechnique Letters, has also been established. It is a peer-reviewed, exclusively online journal, specialising in the rapid dissemination of research and developments in geotechnical engineering using an expedited publication process, with papers limited to 2,000 words of main text, excluding the title, abstract, references, and other supplemental materials. The stated aim of Géotechnique Letters is to complement the main Géotechnique journal by providing a platform for cutting-edge research in a compact format.[41][42]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Chrimes, M. (2008). "Geotechnical publications before Géotechnique". Géotechnique. 58 (5): 343–355. doi:10.1680/geot.2008.58.5.343. ISSN 0016-8505.
  2. ^ a b Skempton, A.W. (1993). "Rudolph Glossop 1902–93". Géotechnique. 43 (4): 623–625. doi:10.1680/geot.1993.43.4.623. ISSN 0016-8505.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Burland, J. B. (2008). "The founders of Géotechnique". Géotechnique. 58 (5): 327–341. doi:10.1680/geot.2008.58.5.327.
  4. ^ a b c Brown, S.F. (2013). "The Golder Archive: further insights into the birth of Géotechnique". Géotechnique. 63 (7): 573–583. doi:10.1680/geot.12.P.043. ISSN 0016-8505.
  5. ^ a b Brown, S. F. (1982). "The development of Géotechnique 1948–1980—the first 30 volumes". Géotechnique. 32 (2): 121–132. doi:10.1680/geot.1982.32.2.95.
  6. ^ "British Geotechnical Society Twenty-fifth Anniversary Report". Géotechnique. 25 (4): 629–656. 1975. Bibcode:1975Getq...25..629.. doi:10.1680/geot.1975.25.4.629. ISSN 0016-8505. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Niechcial, Judith (2002). A Particle of Clay: The Biography of Alec Skempton, Civil Engineer. Whittles. ISBN 978-1-870325-84-4.
  8. ^ Golder, H.Q. (1969). "Correspondence: Géotechnique". Géotechnique. 19 (2): 313–315. doi:10.1680/geot.1969.19.2.313. ISSN 0016-8505. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b Brown, S. F. (2008). "Géotechnique 1948–2008: more than just a journal". Géotechnique. 58 (5): 315–326. doi:10.1680/geot.2008.58.5.315. ISSN 0016-8505.
  10. ^ Atkinson, J., ed. (7 November 2008). The Essence of Geotechnical Engineering: 60 Years of Geotechnique. Thomas Telford Ltd. doi:10.1680/ege.35362. ISBN 978-0-7277-3991-9.
  11. ^ Cooling, L.F.; Skempton, A.W.; Little, A.L., eds. (1969). A century of soil mechanics. London: Institution of Civil Engineers.
  12. ^ Jiménez Salas, J.A.; de Justo Alpañes, J.L. (1975). Geotecnía y cimientos [Geotechnics and foundations] (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Madrid: Editorial Rueda. pp. 29–31. ISBN 84-7207-008-5.
  13. ^ Sowers, George F.; Sowers, George B. (1979). Introductory soil mechanics and foundations: geotechnical engineering (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-413870-5.
  14. ^ "Dr Leonard Frank Cooling, 1903–1977". Géotechnique. 27 (2): 265–270. 1977. doi:10.1680/geot.1977.27.2.265. ISSN 0016-8505.
  15. ^ "BGA: Time Capsule Project". International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  16. ^ Daxelhofer, J.P. (1944). "Remarques sur la résistance au cisaillement des sols et son importance dans quelques cas particuliers" [Remarks on soil shear resistance and its importance in some particular cases]. Bulletin Technique de la Suisse Romande (in French) (25–26). Lausanne.
  17. ^ De Beer, Edward E. (1994). "Edward E. De Beer 1911–94". Géotechnique. 44 (4): 775. doi:10.1680/geot.1994.44.4.775. ISSN 0016-8505.
  18. ^ "Publications by E.E. de Beer: The International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering". www.issmge.org. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Albert Sybrandus Keverling Buisman". TU Delft. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  20. ^ Geuze, E.C.W.A. (31 October 1951). "De ontwikkeling der grondmechanica tot technische wetenschap" [The Development of Soil Mechanics as a Technical Science] (public lecture) (in Dutch). Delft University of Technology. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  21. ^ van Mourik Broekman, G.H. (21–30 June 1948). Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (PDF). 2nd International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. Rotterdam. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  22. ^ Slack, E. (6 February 2023). "Rudolph (Silas) Glossop: some fragments and family memories". Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. 56 (1). doi:10.1144/qjegh2022-108. ISSN 1470-9236. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  23. ^ Clarke, S.D. (2012). "Book review: Rudolph Glossop and the rise of geotechnology". Géotechnique. 62 (4): 369. doi:10.1680/geot.11.b.004. ISSN 0016-8505.
  24. ^ Gibson, R. E. (1991). "Hugh Quentin Golder 1911–90". Géotechnique. 41 (3): 475–477. doi:10.1680/geot.1991.41.3.475. ISSN 0016-8505.
  25. ^ Milligan, V.; Seychuk, J.; Becker, D. (2017). Hugh Quentin Golder (PDF). Canadian Geotechnical Society. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  26. ^ Haefeli, R. (1951). "Investigation and Measurements of the Shear Strengths of Saturated Cohesive Soils". Géotechnique. 2 (3): 186–208. doi:10.1680/geot.1951.2.3.186. ISSN 0016-8505.
  27. ^ J. H. (1979). "Robert Haefeli, 1898–1978". Géotechnique. 29 (1): 103–110. doi:10.1680/geot.1979.29.1.103. ISSN 0016-8505.
  28. ^ Chandler, R.J. (2003). "Sir Alec Westley Skempton. 4 June 1914 – 9 August 2001". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 49: 509–519. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2003.0030. ISSN 0080-4606. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  29. ^ Golder, H.Q. (1948). "Coulomb and Earth Pressure". Géotechnique. 1 (1): 66–71. doi:10.1680/geot.1948.1.1.66. ISSN 0016-8505.
  30. ^ Coulomb, C. A. (1776). "Essai sur une Application des Règles de Maximis et Minimis à quelques Problèmes de Statique, relatifs à l'Architecture" [Essay on the Application of the Rules of Maxima and Minima to Certain Problems of Statics Related to Architecture]. Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences (in French).
  31. ^ Chandler, R. J.; Chrimes, M. M.; Burland, J. B.; Vaughan, P. R. (2001). "Alec Westley Skempton: 1914–2001". Géotechnique. 51 (10): 829–834. doi:10.1680/geot.2001.51.10.829. ISSN 0016-8505.
  32. ^ von Moos, A.; Golder, H.Q.; Hardegger, J. (1948). "Engineering Geology in Switzerland A Review of the Literature". Géotechnique. 1 (1): 40–48. doi:10.1680/geot.1948.1.1.40. ISSN 0016-8505.
  33. ^ Fookes, P. G.; Lee, E. M. (2017). "The early days of engineering geology in the UK – a personal view by Peter Fookes F.R. Eng". Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology. 50 (4): 472–477. doi:10.1144/qjegh2017-102. ISSN 1470-9236. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  34. ^ Penman, A. (1996). "William Hallam Ward 1917—96". Géotechnique. 46 (3): 576–585. doi:10.1680/geot.1996.46.3.576. ISSN 0016-8505.
  35. ^ "Editorial". Géotechnique. 1 (1): 6. 1948. doi:10.1680/geot.1948.1.1.6. ISSN 0016-8505.
  36. ^ Terzaghi, K. (1948). "Foreword". Géotechnique. 1 (1): 2–5. doi:10.1680/geot.1948.1.1.2. ISSN 0016-8505.
  37. ^ a b "Géotechnique - About the journal". Géotechnique. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  38. ^ Zdravkovic, L.; Carter, J. (2008). "Contributions to Géotechnique 1948–2008: Constitutive and numerical modelling". Géotechnique. 58 (5): 405–412. doi:10.1680/geot.2008.58.5.405. ISSN 0016-8505.
  39. ^ "Geotechnique". www.scimagojr.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  40. ^ "ICI Journals Master List". journals.indexcopernicus.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  41. ^ "Géotechnique Letters | Emerald Publishing". www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  42. ^ "Géotechnique Letters | Vol 15, No 1". Géotechnique Letters. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Géotechnique&oldid=1266983548"