Contributions to Géotechnique 1948-2008 : constitutive and numerical modelling

A review of the first 60 years of Geotechnique publications shows clearly how the subject of soil mechanics has evolved. In terms of constitutive and numerical modelling of soil, early forms of numerical analysis involved hand calculations of ultimate states applying classical methods of analysis: limit equilibrium, limit analysis or stress field solutions. Consequently, the soil was considered to behave as a rigid plastic material, and to follow one of the two basic failure laws of classical soil mechanics, namely the Tresca or Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria. For assessing the deformation of structures, soil was normally considered to be linear elastic. The foundations of modern numerical analysis and constitutive modelling were laid in the early to mid 1960s, with the development of the finite element method and the postulation of the critical state framework of soil behaviour respectively. Clearly, the continuous advancement of computer power has been essential in applying new developments to modern geotechnical analysis. This paper reviews some of the main milestones in the evolution of geotechnical analysis in the past 60 years, commenting, where appropriate, on what problems still lie ahead.