The State of the Practice in Foundation Engineering on Expansive and Collapsible Soils

Design of foundations for expansive and collapsible soils is an important challenge facing engineers. The state of the practice in this area has been changing over the past decades. The standard of care and definitions of the state of the practice and the state of the art are discussed, followed by an in-depth treatment of the state of the practice. The authors present what they consider to be the appropriate practice for field investigation techniques, laboratory testing, and foundation design on expansive and collapsible soils. They then discuss the general practice that is being followed and present recommendations for change. The experiences of the two authors represent different viewpoints in some areas. When that is the case both viewpoints are presented and the reader is left to consider each one on its own merits.