THE FOUNDATION ENGINEERING HANDBOOK
A genuine need existed for an updated foundation engineering handbook that incorp- orates, in addition to classical principles of foundation designs, significant contributions made to the art of foundation design by practitioners and researchers during the last
two decades.
Of special significance in this regard is the knowledge of (1) innovative in situ testing and site improvement techniques that have evolved recently; (2) cost- effective design methods that make use of geogrids for mechanically stabilized earth retaining structures; (3) concepts involved in ground deformation modeling using finite elements; and (4) latest modifications in the ACI codes applicable to structural design of foundations. This handbook largely fulfills the above needs, since the editor and the contributors have focused on discussing the state of the art of theoretical and applied foundation engineering and concrete design in a concise and simple fashion. Reliability-based design concepts that have been incorporated in most up-to-date structural and pavement design guidelines are making inroads into foundation engineer- ing as well. Hence, the editor decided to include reliability-based design and LRFD (load resistance factor design) concepts along with relevant illustrative examples in this hand- book. This step not only makes this handbook somewhat unique among other currently available foundation engineering literature, but also it provides an opportunity for prac- titioners and students alike to familiarize themselves with the basics of limit state design applied to foundation engineering.
Furthermore, the editor’s extensive experience as an engineering educator has con- stantly indicated that, in spite of the availability of a number of excellent textbooks in foundation engineering, a quick reference that mostly focuses on significant and com-
monly-used foundation engineering principles and illustrative examples has been in demand. This handbook also addresses such a need, since it can be adopted conveniently as a textbook, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
It is indeed my pleasure to have worked with a distinguished set of contributors who took time off of their extremely busy professional careers and produced their best in keeping with their usual professional performance. My appreciation is conveyed to Ingrid Hall of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of South Florida’s civil engineering graduate students Alex Mraz, Ivan Sokolic, Mathiyaparanam and Kalyani Jeyisankar, Dumina andeniya, and undergraduate student Mercedes Quintas for their help in preparing the manuscript. The support of my children, Ruwan and Aruni, and my wife, Prabha, during the arduous task of making this project a reality is also gratefully acknowledged. I wish to extend my special thanks to Cindy Renee Carelli, former engineering acquisitions editor; Matt Lamoreaux, current engineering acquisitions editor; Elizabeth Spangenberger; and other staff of Taylor & Francis for their meticulous work on publishing this handbook.