Soil Settlement and the Concept of Effective Stress and Shear Strength Interaction

This book is about the principal concept of soil mechanics that become the basis in explaining the soil mechanical behaviours. It is the extended concept of effective stress of Terzaghi and it is known as "the concept of effective stress and shear strength interaction."

This new concept incorporates the role of mobilised shear strength developed within the soil body in resisting the compressive effect. Based on this new concept a comprehensive soil volume change framework has been developed known as Rotational Multiple Yield Surface Framework (RMYSF). This RMYSF is able to explain and quantify the puzzled and complex soil volume change behaviours. The main advantage of this RMYSF is that it is able to make a good prediction of soil and rock stress-strain responses at any effective stress. This will lead to accurate prediction of soil and rock settlements.

Due to its simplicity and the comprehensive nature of this new fundamental concept in soil and rock mechanics, it will eventually be included in soil and rock mechanics syllabus for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This book would be very useful for geotechnical engineers dealing with soil settlement, underground excavation, computer modelling, rock mechanics, road engineering, earth and rock dam engineering and tunnel engineering.

Mohd Jamaludin Md Noor was born in Perlis, Malaysia in 1962. He received his primary education from Kangar English School (1969 – 1973) and secondary education from Derma English School (1974 – 1978), in Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia. In the following year he did his “A level” at Blackburn College of Technology and Design, Blackburn, England (1979 – 1980) and subsequently obtained his first degree, B.Sc. Civil Engineering (Hons) from University College of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom in 1984. He is graduated in M.Sc. Geotechnics by research from University MALAYA, Malaysia in 1996 with his thesis entitled “Modelling of Infiltration and Stability of Slope”. He proceeded for his Ph.D. at University of Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2001 and graduated in 2006 with his thesis entitled “Shear Strength and Volume Change Behaviour of Unsaturated Soils”. Among his significant contributions in soil mechanics are: (1) the true curved-surface envelope soil shear strength model that can replicate very well the non-linear shear strength behaviour relative to both net stress and suction (2) the first soil settlement theory named as “Rotational Multiple Yield Surface Framework (RMYSF)” that characterise settlement from the standpoint of effective stress and the intrinsic shear strength developed within the soil mass when deformed and this can clarify all the complex soil volume change behaviour like settlement under effective stress decrease during wetting and massive settlement near saturation besides the normal settlement when effective stress increases upon loading (3) a refined RMYSF called Normalised Strain RMYSF which can produce a closer prediction of soil stress-strain curves for saturated and unsaturated soils (4) a state-of-the-art infiltration type slope stability method which check stability against infiltration by increasing incrementally the depth of wetting front until threshold condition is achieved and applying the curved-surface envelope soil shear strength model and the resultant is the most conservative and reliable slope stability method that produce an excellent prediction of shallow rainfall-induced landslide and (5) state-of-the-art early warning slope monitoring system which is the first to monitor rainfall-induced instability base on the advancement of wetting front rather than the elevation of groundwater table. He worked with a contractor for one year upon getting his first degree and joined Universiti Teknologi MARA in 1985 as a lecturer until now. Whilst working as a lecturer he went for industrial training with Geotechnical Design Division, Public Work Department of Malaysia at Bangi in 1988 where he gained the geotechnical design experiences which includes the designs of shallow and deep foundations, slope failure, building settlement investigations and reinstatement design of a failed slope. In 1989 he did his industrial training with Petaling Public Works Department, Selangor and gained the field experience on the supervision of buildings construction and slope reinstatement work using geotextile. He has been actively involved in developments of new products related to geotecnical engineering. He introduced the V-armed flip hybrid anchor and later the J-hook hybrid anchor for effective slope strengthening using active soil nail system. He insisted the application of the active soil nail instead of the passive soil nail in Malaysia. Besides he has developed a slope stability software known as “Slope- Rain” which deployed the infiltration type slope stability method he developed and utilises the non-linear soil shear strength enveloped he has developed. The software has been benefited in many slope reinstatement projects. At international level he has won ONE Best Award from Malaysian Technology Exhibition 2010, ONE Best Design Award from Japan Intellectual Property Association 2010, THREE Gold medals and THREE Silver medals. At national level, he has won TWO Gold medals, ONE Silver medal and THREE Bronze medals. He has also received the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Innovation Award, Universiti Teknologi MARA in 2010. He has been a member of the International Advisory Committee for Asia Pacific Unsaturated Soils Conference in Newcastle, Australia, 2009 and Pattaya, Thailand, 2011. Besides, he is also a member of Technical Committee for the drafting of Malaysian Annex to Eurocode 7 for Geotechnical Works under SIRIM Berhad.