The backbone of Geotechnical Engineering
Could this be more appropriate?
"The backbone of Geotechnical Engineering does not concern the development of more or less sophisticated tools and theories. It remains in a previous step. When facing a real problem it is necessary to isolate its fundamental aspects and to achieve a correct conceptual representation of its nature. This phase requires abstract thinking, which is certainly assisted by a proper understanding of paradigms and theories of Soil and Rock Mechanics. The process of abstract thinking with the aim of identifying the key issues usually renounces to complexity and secondary details. To be successful, concepts should be simple and rooted on well established mechanical and physical knowledge. Only when the relevant mechanisms or phenomena which define the problem are well understood, additional sophistication may be added for a more accurate analysis or interpretation." (Alonso, Pinyol and Puzrin, 2010 from Geomechanics of Failures - Advanced Topics)
I help software engineering teams build, test, and release products on schedule | Technical Program Manager (TPM) @ Amazon
5 年Couldn't agree more to this statement: "To be successful, concepts should be simple and rooted on well established mechanical and physical knowledge"
Projektant Geotechniczny w STRABAG
5 年Very accurately. However, with great regret I would like to add that with today's easy access to sophisticated computational tools and constant pressure to reduce design time consumption, more and more engineers are forgetting about this first basic step to solve a technical problem - 1. understand the problem. This leads us to work in an environment of software operators, not geotechnical or geological engineers.
Professor (the one who Professes) Details to be clarified/addressed through the appropriate channels
5 年It is "Having a Feel for the Problem" that makes all the difference.....: those who enjoy that crucial attribute can very often come up with very simple solutions that are even more accurate than the corresponding solutions proposed by others based on their very complex models.
Principal Geotechnical Engineer - Jacobs
5 年I believe this is relevant.?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-ciz0l9x3Q
Sócio e Diretor na Proger Engenharia Ltda | Projetos de Engenharia Estrutural
5 年“Only when the relevant mechanisms or phenomena which define the problem are well understood, additional sophistication may be added for a more accurate analysis or interpretation." ????????????????