The stress displacement behavior of vertical anchor plates and continuous anchor walls in dense sand when subjected to horizontal pull‐out forces is presented. Results of a large number of centrifugal tests on 1 in. (25 mm) and 2 in. (50 mm) models subjected to accelerations of up to 40 gravities are presented and the effects of anchor geometry and embedment are examined. Centrifugal test results are compared with those from conventional small model tests thus enabling potential errors in direct extrapolation of the latter to field scale to be evaluated. Considerable overpredictions of pull‐out resistance and under‐estimations of failure displacements are found for 1/20 and 1/40 scale modellings of 19.7 in. (0.5 m) and 39.4 in. (1 m) anchors. The effects of anchor geometry, defined by dimensionless shape factors appear to be sensibly independent of scale. Experimental results are briefly compared with recent theoretical and semiempirical design formulas using shear strengths derived from plane strain compression tests at the appropriate stress levels.

Marls of a very high initial strength, are sandwiched between late pliocene lignites in the extended lacustrine deposits of Ptolemais, Greece. As they are extracted as waste from deep open pit lignite mines they are carried by conveyor belts and deposited over mountainous tailings. During transport they undergo vibrations and progressively disintegrate arriving at the disposal site in a slurry‐like consistency. They never recover any fraction of their initial strength. Present note describes the geotechnical properties of these sensitive and nonthixotropic marls.

TO simplify international practice and to promote international exchange of practical experience and research, geotechnical engineers are encouraged to use the International System of Units (SI Units). Definitions of SI units are given and it is explained how all other mechanical quantities are derived from the elementary units. A table illustrates how metric and U.S. customary units of measurement can be converted to SI units.

A version of the endochronic theory for sand is applied to describe the experimental results of a crystal silica No. 20 sand under cyclic simple shearing. Determination of the material parameters of the present model is discussed at length. It is shown that this seven‐parameter model provides a reasonable description for the sand under consideration. Nine cases are investigated. These correspond to the combination of three relative densities and three vertical stresses.

Procedures for the transient analysis of openings in jointed rock are developed and applied to several problems. The rock masses are modeled by rigid blocks with edge‐to‐edge interaction at joints and are coupled to sur rounding finite elements for transmission of waves to the opening. Studies of the dynamic response of caverns show that failing blocks slide intermittently and displace the most when shear wave lengths are about twice the cavern height.

A new mathematical model for analyzing mat foundations under static loading is developed based on Reissner's concept of a simplified elastic continuum. Horizontal normal and shear stresses are assumed to be zero throughout an elastic layer of finite thickness. The relationship between applied surface pressure and settlement is defined by a single differential equation that can be solved readily using finite differences. Coefficients in the differential equation are functions of the elastic parameters and thickness of the layer only. Solutions for a Young's modulus constant with depth, as well as varying lin early and with the square root of depth, are discussed. The Reissner Simplified Continuum is shown to offer substantially better correlation with exact theory of elasticity solutions than does the commonly used modulus of subgrade re action (Winkler) model.

A review of the current state-of-the-art concerning the use of the modulus of subgrade reaction (Winkler) model indicates that there is considerable disagreement concerning the correct method for interpreting and evaluating the modulus of subgrade reaction, k. Extension of previous work, which used the simplified continuum approach to solve a problem in the theory of elasticity, shows that the Winkler subgrade model actually defines an elastic body of finite thickness in which all stress and strain components are assumed to be zero except for the vertical normal stress and strain. Furthermore, the modulus of subgrade reaction, k, is defined explicitly to be a function of the Young's modulus and thickness of the elastic body. Solutions for a Young's modulus that is constant with depth, as well as one that varies linearly and with the square root of depth, are presented. Although the simplified continuum approach offers an analytically rigorous and consistent method for evaluating the modulus of subgrade reaction, the more important result is that the very crude stress and strain assumptions implicit in the Winkler model are identified for the first time.