Soil mechanics originated several decades ago under the pressure of necessity. As the practical problems involving soils broadened in scope, the inadequacy of the scientific tools available for coping with them be• came increasingly apparent. Efforts to remedy the situation started almost simultaneously in the United States and in Europe, and within a short period they pr…
The idea for this book originated in 1987 while I was preparing for lectures on courses in applied geology and environmental geo• physics at Plymouth Polytechnic (now the University of Plymouth), Devon, England. Students who had only very basic mathematical skills and little if any physics background found most of the so• called 'introductory' texts difficult to follow owing to…