Indian Geotechnical Conference (December 18-20, 2003) s4

Practice-Centric Geotechnical Education IGC 2009, Guntur, INDIA

PRACTICE-CENTRIC GEOTECHNICAL EDUCATION

Hasan Abdullah Chief Research Officer, Central Soil & Materials Research Station, New Delhi–110 016, India. E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT: The paper, first, establishes the uniqueness of geotechnical engineering discipline. In case of significant geotechnical engineering works, such as large dams and long tunnels, the primary source of uniqueness is the ‘non- conformist’ nature of the huge mass of earth, because it is formed in the vast and varied laboratory of Nature, over the mind- boggling, geological time scale. The uniqueness of the discipline demands that special attention is paid towards the relationship between theory, education, professional practice and research in geotechnical engineering, and, the hybrid approach, comprising scientific idealisation(s) and empirical criteria, is adopted in order to find optimal and safe solutions for geotechnical engineering questions. In fact, every major geotechnical engineering work needs to be treated as a research project, and solved ingeniously, thereby advancing the discipline in the process. The paper concludes with a plea for an attitudinal change towards geotechnical engineering education and profession.

1. INTRODUCTION professional practice in this special area. Finally, the exercise leads to some loud thinking with regard to relationship The general purpose of education is to lessen our ignorance. between education and profession in the field of geotechnical And, with the advancement of knowledge, its engineering. compartmentalisation became inevitable—for the tiny human mind of even the greatest intellectual colossus could not contain all knowledge even pertaining to a given 2. UNIQUENESS OF GEOTECHNICAL specialisation. However, it is necessary that we do not lose ENGINEERING sight of the interconnections between different facets of The vagaries of Nature spread over geological time-scale, knowledge, before delving deep into a specific domain. produce high variability with regard to the properties and The school level education provides the broad base and responses of a geotechnical material—soil, and particularly readies the student for reception of specialised education. rock. For large dams or long tunnels, not only high And, I am of the convinced view that irrespective of the variability of the influenced strata is the norm, but even specialised stream of knowledge that one pursues at the singularities, termed geological surprises, are common. To undergraduate and graduate levels, one needs to pursue do engineering, one assumes the rock to be “continuous, science stream at the school level, as that helps the homogeneous, isotropic, and linearly elastic” (acronym development of one’s cognitive abilities best. CHILE), whereas, in reality, and invariably, the rock-mass is discontinuous, inhomogeneous, anisotropic, and non-elastic The undergraduate and graduate level education is primarily (acronym DIANE). Moreover, the rock refuses to slavishly meant to equip one for meeting the challenges of conform to our principles and theories. professional practice. And, therefore, especially in case of geotechnical engineering practice, where, more often than Given the practicability aspect, i.e., keeping the constraints not, in a given situation, different theories cannot be applied of knowledge, technology, economics and time in view, in a copy-book style, and every major project is pregnant surprises with regard to the anticipated properties and with the possibility of uniqueness and surprises, education parameters of the rock-mass, over the zone of influence of needs to be practice-centric, and, the professional practice the proposed structure, can hardly be avoided. The research-oriented. The naturally occurring earthen material— geophysical methods, employed to ‘scan and predict’ the i.e., soil or rock, formed as a result of natural processes properties of rock-mass spread over vast volume, are spread over geological time scale—is highly varied over indirect, and have limitations; and, cannot ensure elimination space. And, in geotechnical engineering, the theories have of the possibility of a geological surprise. serious limitations. Drilling, resorted to get the direct information on the The foregoing prods one to first appreciate the uniqueness of substratum, brings in clarity, and helps in the interpretation the discipline of geotechnical engineering, and then critically of the geophysical data. Drilling gives line-wise information, examine the existing relationship between education and whereas the geophysical methods cover a vast area but give

251 Practice-Centric Geotechnical Education inferred information. And, therefore, these two methods are At the top end, the pursuance of doctoral degree is the used in conjunction so as to obtain optimum information intensive exploration of an uncharted course in a very narrow employing minimal resources. domain. However, the geotechnical engineering is introduced at the undergraduate level; and, to squeeze in more The rock-mass has several peculiarities, which cannot be knowledge may not be feasible. But, the importance of captured in the laboratory sample. And, often, these features properly designed graduate curriculum cannot be over- of rock-mass—for instance, folds and faults—are very emphasised as there seems to be quite some gulf between the crucial, and govern the response of the rock-mass in real life courses of study and the professional practice, and it is here situations. Also, to be noted is that in the laboratory, the rock that the real all-rounder geotechnical engineering professional sample is divorced from the in situ environment, i.e., the in of tomorrow is groomed. situ stress is absent in the laboratory. The macro-level features and variability of rock-mass, and the difference of several orders of scale between laboratory sample and the in 3.1 Graduate-level Curriculum situ mass, put a big question mark over the applicability of In order to optimally prepare the geotechnical engineering the laboratory assessment of rock to its in situ behaviour. professional with holistic understanding of the subject, the However, as assessment of rock in-situ is a very expensive two components of the curriculum, namely theory and proposition—in terms of time and money, both—great practical, both, need to be re-designed, and adequately reliance on the laboratory evaluation of rock is practically supplemented by the real-life problems. inevitable. The apportioning of time between theory and practical needs The methodology employed to understand rock involves to be looked into, and what all should be covered under ‘mechanical addition’ of responses—as if these take place in theory, and what shall be the approach and orientation of isolation, and one-after-the-other; whereas, in real life, teaching also need consideration. The philosophy behind the different phenomena act simultaneously. And, it is quite course design should provide a good and comprehensive obvious that in general, the two- simultaneous actions and introduction of the discipline, and include the justification for those very actions but ‘one-by-one’ would not yield identical the course and its design. results. The foundation course shall be made the all-important pivot, The foregoing aspects provide uniqueness to the profession around which the whole curriculum develops. Also, each of geotechnical engineering, and these necessitate that the topic must be introduced enunciating its philosophy, so as to subject of geotechnical engineering—in terms of (concrete place it in proper perspective. The holistic perspective and materialist) practice—is given a special treatment. The the context need to be given adequate importance. history of the development of geotechnical engineering, however, has shown that the practice, in a way, precedes the In theory, the students need to be explained the basics of the discovery of principles, and generalizations have serious discipline and the issues of fundamental import, and also limitations while dealing with the naturally occurring rock- taught as to “how to catch the fish”. It is not the ‘solution’ of mass. The uniqueness of rock in some detail has been a problem that is all-important, but the knowledge about ‘the discussed by Abdullah et al. (2004). way to attack’ a problem, and ‘why to attack’ in a particular way are hugely significant issues. In certain situations, the scientific idealisations lead to absurd answers, and to make the assumptions that are appropriate The details pertaining to ‘what’ of theory can be gone into by for a given problem is a very crucial first step in solving a the students on their own; the teacher’s input needs to be geotechnical question. On the other hand, an empiricism- with regard to the significance of different aspects, so that based formulation not only lacks the perfectly scientific the students can appreciate the real import and applicability underpinnings, but is also based only on the evidence of different formulations. The teacher needs to explain as to available with the one who has advanced the theory; which theory shall be applicable under what circumstances, whereas, more often than not, a crucial aspect—the and what factors/parameters would have crucial bearing in uniqueness of Nature that seldom replicates herself—makes which case. most geotechnical questions site-specific. 3.1.1 The Practical Work The foregoing demands that ingenuity needs to be the watchword, while dealing with geotechnical engineering Not only the practical class, where the student learns to problems of significance; and, it also underlines the conduct specific tests, but visits to project sites of significant importance of research. And, the viewpoint that accords geotechnical problems, in situ testing, instrumentation, primacy to solution of practical problems—even in education assignments (dealing with back analysis of problems and —has a case, which deserves our serious consideration. failures) and all other components that help solve real life problems should be treated as the constituents of the practical work, so that the student develops the real feel for the 3. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION subject, and appreciates the role of theory in practice.

252 Practice-Centric Geotechnical Education The philosophy of REMIT (Rock Engineering Mechanisms holistic understanding. The students have to be made to Information Technology), enunciated by Hudson (1992) interlink different aspects, in order to comprehensively should also be introduced as it helps one realise that because grapple with the problem. Every student must be given a of our inability to take simultaneous cognisance of different different assignment, and asked to present his/her work phenomena, the methodology of ‘fragmentation and before the whole class, to be followed by a discussion. assimilation’—where we first try to solve the problem part- Instrumentation is a very important—however, quite by-part, and then integrate the ‘solutions’ thus obtained—is neglected—component of practical work. The role of normally employed. However, it takes one away from reality, instrumentation, in a major project, commences at the pre- and introduces distortion/error because, actually, different construction stage, and continues throughout the construction phenomena act simultaneously. phase, and is important even in post-construction (or in- In the conventional practical classes, where the laboratory service) period. It is through instrumentation alone that investigations are conducted, more emphasis needs to be laid assumptions and theories are verified, and knowledge on the limitations and applications of the particular test rather advanced. than on conducting the test. To answer the “why, and why Physical Modelling is also a way to understand, and advance, not” of every involved step is more crucial than geotechnical engineering. However, with passing time, due memorisation of the details of testing. The students should be to advancements in computational facilities and numerical made to realise that every attendant circumstance has a methods, the attention towards Physical Modelling has been bearing on the obtained result. getting diminished. However, ultimately, every theory has to The compatibility between different parameters and be physically ‘verified’, as a naturally occurring material is properties of a given rock needs to be emphasised. In case of not obliged to conform to assumptions—explicitly stated, or the wide variation in a parameter, say the Young’s Modulus implied. Hence, in order to make our understanding of the values, of a given rock type from a given area, the same earth forming materials ever better, and make our theories needs to be explained. And, this divergence may be more realistic, these need to be continually revised in the explained by the wave velocity (compression and shear), light of the actual responses’ data collected over time. evaluated under dry and saturated, both, states (Abdullah et. Application of Finite Element Method in Geotechnical al, 1999; 2002). Similarly, different properties and Engineering is taught, and must be continued. The practical parameters of rock, evaluated in the laboratory, may also work must involve exposure to at least some of the help one better appreciate the value of (and the scatter in) commercially available software codes. However, more different properties and parameters. important is that the students are made aware as to how to The teacher needs to discuss all aspects of laboratory evaluate these codes. assessment. The drilling, core recovery, drillhole log, storage of core etc., and also the number of samples tested, the 3.2 Research Work inherent variability of the rock, all, would have to be taken into account, while recommending the value of any There needs to be more interaction between those involved in parameter for design. If the laboratory testing were research work at the institutes of higher learning and the accompanied with the above discussion, then that would go a professional practitioners. If, on one hand, the educational long way in widening the horizon of the student (Abdullah et institutes tend to unfairly gravitate towards idealised (not to al. 2007). It would make the student realise that one couldn’t say sterile) theorisation, the practicing professionals tend to be oblivious of attendant circumstances, while using the disregard theoretical insights altogether. The former perhaps value of Young’s Modulus—or for that matter any other prefer the certainties afforded by the theories, whereas the parameter—say, in numerical modelling. The ‘why’ has to be latter are attracted towards only that is directly applicable. explained for all that one does. Once the student learns to However, a balance needs to be struck between the two; and, raise the right questions, to find the correct answer(s) would not only should the research activity be made more practice- only be a small step from there. oriented, the practice also needs to be integrated more with research activity. Let us now take up in situ testing. It may not be feasible for the students to carry out in situ tests, because of the time 3.3 The Faculty Members involved. However, the tie-up with the organisations involved in in situ assessment can help students witness the The learned faculty members of our prestigious institutions in-situ tests, and also appreciate the pluses and minuses of in of higher learning are best placed to lead the profession, as situ testing. The special lectures (in person, or audio-visual) they are involved in teaching, research and consultancy, all by these specialists can also help broaden the horizon of the three facets of the profession. However, more often than not, students. The reports of these organisations can also be they tend to keep these in separate compartments, whereas studied and reviewed by the students. the need is to well-integrate these, and also co-ordinate efforts with the organisations involved in professional One other component of Practical Work is the Assignments. consultancy services. The Case Studies provide a very useful way to develop

253 Practice-Centric Geotechnical Education As some of the leading institutions of the world have made away from reality; and, in order to find optimal solutions, access to their courses (through internet) easy and free, the one is forced to deal with reality semi-empirically. teachers need to take benefit of the same, and update their The foregoing is not to suggest that there are no general laws notes so as to make these conform to the best in the or principles, which help us grapple with these naturally profession. occurring materials, nor to imply that the geotechnical At the start of the semester, the teacher can make the complete education and/or theoretical research in geotechnical notes, including photocopies of the presentation material, engineering is unimportant. The long and short of the available to the students, to enable them appreciate lectures argument is that the geotechnical education needs to be made better, and use lecture-time for getting better insight into the practice-centric. subject. The objective of practice-centric education can be realised through close co-operation of educational institutions with 4. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE consultancy and contracting organisations, and research Every significant geotechnical problem should be thoroughly centres. The centralised documentation of the experience, researched. The laboratory and in situ assessment along with and monitoring of the response of rock mass (from pre- to instrumentation must be made mandatory for major post-construction stage), would go a long way in advancing geotechnical works. However, because of work pressure, and the discipline of geotechnical engineering. The monitoring of in order to complete the task spending minimum time and the existing structures would also contribute to the money, the professionals tend to solve geotechnical engineering advancement of the discipline – in addition to keeping us problems as a routine one, without trying to seize it as an informed about the health of the structure being monitored. opportunity to advance the discipline. A three-pronged strategy can go a long way in appreciably improving the above situation. REFERENCES In professional functioning, there needs to be complete Abdullah, H. (1996). Professional Practice—Transparency is transparency (Abdullah, 1996); and it should be mandatory the Key. Proc. of Indian Geotechnical Conference, that the reports of important geotechnical works are made Chennai (India), 15–18. available on the web site of the client and the consultant. Abdullah, H. (2006). Geotechnical Engineering—Education Transparency would help elicit our best performance, as our and Profession. Proc. Indian Geotechnical Conference, actions would be open to the public gaze. Chennai (India), 923–926. A detailed guideline with regard to mandatory Abdullah, H. and Dhawan, A.K. (2002). Waves Velocities instrumentation—especially in case of major projects and and Rock Cores. Proc. INDOROCK, New Delhi (India), those projects that have served for their design life – needs to 60–69. be prepared, and its compliance ensured. The study of Abdullah, H. and Dhawan, A.K. (2004). Some Implications failures and other problematic structures should also be made of Empiricism and Assumptions in Laboratory Testing, mandatory, and the study reports made available through International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining web site. Sciences, vol. .41, 374. It would be preferred if the instrumented data is stored in a Abdullah, H. and Dhawan, A.K. (2004). Some Implications National Central Facility (Abdullah, 2006), and access is of Empiricism and Assumptions in Laboratory Testing, available to all through web site. Otherwise, the Proc. SINOROCK 2004 Symposium, Paper 1A 19 (7 instrumentation data should be available through the web pages). sites of involved organisations. Abdullah, H., Dhawan, A.K. (2007). Assessment of Rock from Tala hydroelectric Project, Proc. International Workshop on Experiences Gained in Design and Construction of Tala 5. CONCLUSION Hydroelectric Project, Bhutan, New Delhi, 122–28. The preceding discussion suggests that in geotechnical Abdullah, H., Dhawan, A.K. and Bandyopadhyay, A. (1999). engineering, the education and professional practice need to Use of Waves Velocities in Laboratory Investigation of be well coordinated and integrated. Also, the desirable Rock. Proc. Indian Geotechnical Conference, Calcutta practice demands continual alertness and innovativeness. (India), 20–23. More often than not, the idealisations, so necessary to Hudson, John A. (1992). Rock Engineering Systems: Theory grapple with the geotechnical problems scientifically, take us & Practice, Ellis Harwood, New York (USA).