There is now sufficient evidence to conclude that concentrated leaks occur commonly through the impervious sections of embankment dams by hydraulic fracturing without being observed, even in dams which are not subjected to unusually large differential settlement. Usually these concentrated leaks do not cause erosion, either because the velocity is too low or because the leak discharges into an effective filter. Subsequently the leakage channel is squeezed shut by swelling or softening of the embankment material forming the walls of the crack. In the typical case no measurable leakage emerges downstream and there is no other indication that a concentrated leak developed and was subsequently sealed. This action probably occurs to some degree in most embankment dams.

The uplift capacity of bored piles in dense calcareous soils was examined by field tests at three sites in Kuwait. The nine test piles were 0.5 m in diameter and extended to a maximum depth of 15 m below the ground surface. The mobilized skin friction and the coefficient of lateral earth pressure were determined and compared with values obtained in noncalcareous sands. Test results were compared with empirical correlations relating the skin friction to the standard penetration test results. Analysis of test data indicates substantial load transfer similar to clean silica sand, with no reduction for the presence of carbonates with this method of construction.

The undrained behavior of saturated sand in monotonically loaded triaxial tests is discussed using steady state concepts. The relations among various drained and undrained strength envelopes are first examined. These monotonic loading concepts are then used to explain the effect of static shear stress, ${\tau }_S\text{,}$ on the undrained cyclic triaxial strength of anisotropically consolidated specimens. The effect of ${\tau }_S\text{,}$ is found to depend on whether a specimen is contractive, dilative or partially‐contractive. For contractive specimens, the cyclic strength always increases with increasing ${\tau }_S\text{,}$ if there is stress reversal and if the peak shear stress, ${\tau }_p\text{,}$ is smaller than the steady state shear strength, $S_{\mathrm{us}}\text{.}$ This effect of stress reversal on cyclic strength is explained by the larger cyclic strains generated in the extension part of the cycle. However, if ${\tau }_p>S_{\mathrm{us}}\text{,}$ cyclic strength can increase or decrease with increasing ${\tau }_s;$ if there is no shear stress reversal, the cyclic strength always decreases with increasing ${\tau }_S\text{.}$ For dilative specimens, cyclic strength always increases with increasing ${\tau }_S\text{.}$ Partially‐contractive sand under cyclic loading behaves like contractive sand for small accumulated failure strains, and similar to dilative sand for large failure strains.

The fundamental solution for the stresses induced in a semi-infinite isotropic homogeneous elastic medium by a concentrated point load applied normally to its plane surface is extended to an optimally designed rectangular footing subjected to biaxial bending with one corner having zero contact pressure. Formulas are presented to determine the vertical stress beneath the zero loaded corner and the diagonally opposite corner having maximum soil pressure. A design example is given to illustrate the use of equations.