Even a strongly built structure with an excellent design will not stand on a bad foundation. Although the structure will carry its loads, the earth beneath it may not. The displacements due to inadequate foundations may alter the stress distribution significantly within a structure, leading to cracks and, eventually, failure. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a famous example of a bad foundation but there are many others. The old armory in St. Paul, Minnesota, another strong building erected on a poor foundation, sank 20 feet or more into soft clay.
Since the eighteenth century, the need for better design of structural foundations has led scientists and engineers to analyze soil characteristics and to study soil problems in the same manner as other problems in structural design. Investigators turned their attention to the mechanics of soil masses and developed expressions for earth pressure on walls and the bearing capacity of foundations.
Following in the footsteps of those early geotechnical pioneers, SAI has its own geotechnical/geological staff prepared to address issues related to geotechnical engineering.
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