...Whereas design of the structures themselves may be well within the basics of physics and mathematics and hence within the control and knowledge of the designer and engineer, earth and soil properties that may impact the structures are likely not well known. The latter properties are not spatially constant, may require far more observation or testing than is feasible, or may be temporally changing. The classic approach would be to "overdesign," but this may not be feasible or practical.

This monograph argues for treating both unknown features and the subsequent reliability of the structures from a probabilistic and statistical perspective. To that end, Chapter 1 begins with both a history of geotechnical engineering, as well as a discussion of some classical examples where there is the potential for significant failure, including offshore platforms, open pit mine slopes, and dams. Besides attempting to convince the reader of both the importance and usefulness of using probability and statistics for geotechnical problems, two other themes appear throughout. A wide variety of actual geotechnical applications are presented, backed up with references to the literature or to reports. There are many drawings, figures, graphs, and tables. Finally, there is at least some...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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