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Preface

The behavior of soils and rock is considered by many to be a fundamental area of research in geotechnical engineering around the world. This geotechnical special publication entitled Soil & Rock Behavior and Modeling contains 65 technical papers that cover a variety of topics in soil behavior and laboratory testing, rock mechanics, constitutive and numerical modeling, and dynamic behavior of soils and foundations.

Each paper published in this ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication (GSP) was evaluated by two or more reviewers and the editors. The authors of the accepted papers have addressed all the reviewers' comments to the satisfaction of the editors. All published papers are eligible for discussion in the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, and are also eligible for ASCE awards.

The papers in this publication were presented during the GcoShanghai International Conference held in Shanghai, China, June 6-8, 2006. This conference was hosted by Tongji University and the Shanghai Society of Civil Engineering, China in cooperation with ASCE Geo-Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Kansas, University of Tennessee, International Assoc, of Foundation Drilling, Deep Foundations Institute (USA), Saga University (Japan), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands).

A total of four sessions related to soil and rock behavior were chaired by the following individuals:

• Soil Behavior and Laboratory Testing - chaired by Professor Zhcnshun Hong;

• Rock Mechanics - chaired by Professor - Guowci Ma

• Constitutive Modeling and Numerical Methods - chaired by Professor Maosong Huang.

• Dynamic Behavior of soils and Foundations - co-chaired by Professors Ronaldo Luna and David Zeng

We are thankful to Professor Tcruo Nakai from the Nagoya Institute of Technology, and Professor John P. Carter who gave the keynote lectures in constitutive modeling of soils and their applications. Thanks are extended to Professor Yongsheng Li, conference chair for GeoShangai, and Professors Hchua Zhu, Paul W. Maync, and Jie Han, who have been instrumental in organizing the conference. We wish to thank the former and current chairs of Technical Coordination Council of ASCE Geo-Institute, Prof. Edward Kavazanjian and Prof. Barbara A. Luke, and the council members for their support to the publication of the GSPs as proceedings of this conference. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my co-editors. Professors Zhcnshun Hong, Guowci Ma, and Maosong Huang. Without their significant contribution, it would be impossible to complete this publication.