A non-mechanistic perspective of geotechnical engineering

Engineers deal mostly with materials that have unique and specific properties. On the other hand, entities are somewhat like living beings that do not possess unique properties but exhibit behavioral responses to stimuli (actions) . Clays and sands can exist in different state s ranging from liquid to solid and loosest to densest respectively. Responses of soils in general and ground in particular a re examined and analyzed under different test and design conditions. Similarly , the state in which ground exist s can be quantified though the over consolidation ratio. The most commonly used parameter, the undrained shear strength, is sensitive to the manne r in which it is determined . The paper emphasizes the need to visualize soil in the specific sense and ground in a broader perspective as entities rather than as strictly engi neering materials. It is suggested that g eotechnical engineering should be viewed compreh ensively and beyond a simple mechanistic perspective . A unique comparison of ground with a human being elu cidates the concepts enunciated.