Civil Engineering Association

~ Designed to give engineers a crash course in all aspects of modern geotechnical and foundation engineering
~ Takes readers step-by-step through the typical process of a design project--from proposal-writing to the final preparation of the "as built" report
~ Includes numerous visual aids: photographs, charts, tables, and more than 350 illustrations

Improve your engineering design potential by mastering the practical aspects of modern geotechnical and foundation engineering. This book takes you step by step through the typical process of a design project--from the initial writing of a proposal for engineering services to the final preparation of the "as built" report upon completion of the project. This easy-to-understand reference places special emphasis of the visual aspects of geotechnical and foundation engineering, while minimizing the use of complex and theoretical analyses. Included are lots of photographs, figures, charts, and tables that show you exactly how today's design and construction methods and procedures are actually applied. You'll get the expertise required to: develop a complete program of geotechnical investigation; deal with geotechnical field and laboratory studies; analyze geotechnical data and engineering computations; carry out an engineering evaluation of construction; prepare and evaluate geotechnical reports. Whether you're an engineer or construction professional, this guide will give you the full range of methods, visual aids, examples, and simplified equations and calculations needed to handle any geotechnical project with complete confidence! Get detailed coverage of all major geotechnical and foundation topics: proposals; field exploration; laboratory testing; settlement of structures; bearing capacity; expansive soil; slope stability; earthquakes; erosion; deterioration; unusual soil; retaining walls; groundwater and moisture migration; grading; constructions services; reports.

Robert W. Day (San Diego, CA) has published over 200 papers, as is currently active on various committees with ASCE, ASTM, Tranportation Research Board, and received a design award from AIA. After completing his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering at Villanova specializing in Structural Engineering, he completed his masters in Civil Engineering and Engineer Degree at MIT.

1. I have examined the book and find it to be an excellent book for learning the practical aspects of geotechnical engineering. The author is uptodate and thorough, yet he explains in a very down-to-earth style, by photographs and numerical examples, some very real engineering problems a geotechnical engineer is likely to face in practice.

2. I took this book in with me for the PE exam and it helped me get about 10 problems right. There are tons of examples and problems with solutions in this book. I regret not taking the geotechnical section of the PE exam.

3. Reasonably well rounded book (at a reasonably good price!) illustrating the practical aspects of geotechnical engineering. Concepts are explained in good detail and solved problems are helpful in promoting understanding. Essentially, a good book to start out your tech library, but too general in nature to be considered for a "reference text". For that, you might rely on books by Terzaghi, Peck, Thornburn, Bowles, Fang, etc.