Soil mechanics has been fundamentally shaped by two limiting assumptions regarding pore water response: fully drained and fully undrained conditions. These assumptions underpin most experimental studies, inform the development and calibration of constitutive models, and dominate geotechnical analysis and design. However, they represent idealised extremes. In many practical scenarios, soil response is governed by partial drainage, a regime not reliably accounted for in current modelling and design.
This lecture series explores the limitations of the drained–undrained dichotomy and introduces novel insight on soil behaviour under partial drainage. The lectures will examine both the fundamental mechanics and the practical implications of drainage effects, with a focus on two applications: seismic liquefaction and the response of large-diameter offshore wind turbine monopiles. The series will cover core concepts and prevailing design approaches, introduce relevant advanced constitutive models, present novel experimental evidence both at element and system scale, assess implications for model formulation and calibration, and highlight recent findings on the impact of partial drainage for liquefaction triggering and for monopile response.
July 1-3, 2025 - 10:30am-12:30am
The course will take place in blended mode: in presence at the Aula Caveau - DISG, Faculty of Engineering, via Eudossiana 18, Rome and online via Zoom.
For all courses supplied by the PhD Program of the DISG credits are not provided: a certificate of in person attendance will be produced upon request (only after a check of the effective presence). Certificate of online attendance will not be provided.