What convergence and what confinement? Convergence-Confinement is a well-known theory in tunnelling, and widely applicable regardless of...

soil acts as a sponge, in that it pushes out water when squeezed, and sucks in water when let go

there is a different set of design rules for plain concrete

Selecting the ‘right’ TBM is all about maximising efficiency and minimising risk

the ultimate failure of foundations is a lot more complicated to understand

As an engineer initially studied concrete structures, I was confused for a long time as to why in geotechnics a ‘deviatoric stress’ is a...

“Plane-stress” and “Plane-strain” are are essentially two variations of 2D analysis, with differences in their assumptions.

What’s the stress-strain behaviour of concrete in tension? The answer can not be found in Eurocode 2. This previous blog explained the...

Instrumentation and monitoring is an essential link of risk management in the cycle of design and construction

The principle of durability design is to slow down the damage process sufficiently so that the reinforced concrete sustains the damage

The Mohr-Coulomb theory is perhaps the most widely used model in practical engineering for simulating soil behaviour

groundwater is a thorny problem for almost all underground constructions

Utilising plastic hinges can tap out fuller potential of the structure and achieve an economic design

This post is a study note based on various sources rather than professional advice, and may not be reflective of the most up-to-date...

Failure modes in underground structures For underground structures, as long as a structure is present to support the ground, the design...

Taking concrete as linear-elastic in both compression and tension is like treating it as metal and can lead to over-dosage of reinforcement.

In the underground world, being apparently accurate in the calculation process is usually meaningless.

the ‘premortem’ is an extremely useful management tool that can be equally applied to the way of us approaching engineering issues

Stiffness, strength and ductility are three crucial concepts in the understanding of structural behaviour, particularly in terms of seismic

the designer must bear in mind the downside of large diameter reinforcement, which is explained in this blog post.