scope:

Preface

From the early days of modern geotechnical engineering, sharing field experience on the performance of geostructures in the form of case histories has driven the advancement of knowledge for the geotechnical profession. Starting in 1984, Professor Shamsher Prakash formalized this tradition, organizing the First International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. This conference brought together over 190 engineers from 38 countries to share their experiences, learn from each other, and advance the profession. By 2013, the Seventh conference in this series had grown to nearly 320 engineers attending from 53 countries spanning the globe, culminating in symposia to honor the legacy of the late Ralph B. Peck and to honor Clyde N. Baker Jr. But the essence of the conference had not changed: to advance our profession through lessons learned from case histories and shared engineering judgment.

Recognizing the significant role that case histories play in the geotechnical engineering profession, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has decided to continue the tradition of this long-standing conference series by merging this conference into its annual Geo-Institute Congress. The result is Geo-Congress 2019: The Eighth International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 24-27, 2019.

The following pages comprise the second volume of ten Geotechnical Special Publications (GSPs) containing papers from Geo-Congress 2019: The Eighth International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. This conference featured experiences and observations from numerous geoengineering projects and case histories, including recent "MegaProjects." Presented topics are organized into the following conference proceeding volumes:

Volume 1: Embankments, Dams, and Slopes

Volume 2: Earth Retaining Structures and Geosynthetics

Volume 3: Foundations

Volume 4: Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Volume 5: Soil Improvement

Volume 6: Geotechnical Materials, Modeling, and Testing

Volume 7: Engineering Geology, Site Characterization, and Geophysics

Volume 8: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability

Volume 9: Soil Erosion, Underground Engineering, and Risk Assessment

Volume 10: Data, Software, Education, and a Tribute to Ralph Peck

Many individuals are responsible for the content of these published works, all of whom contributed to maintaining the high standards that are set for ASCE's GSPs. An international call for papers and rigorous peer review process yielded 403 accepted technical papers, that were presented in 36 podium sessions and numerous poster sessions, in addition to the keynote award presentations, Geo-PITs (Powerful, Informative Talks), and panel sessions. Papers in these volumes were reviewed in accordance with ASCE's GSP standards, with each paper receiving two or more independent, technical peer reviews. Publication in these Proceedings required concurrence by at least two peer reviewers.

This publication series culminates two years of effort by the conference organizing committee whose focus has been to build upon and enhance the success of the past International Conferences on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. On behalf of the conference organizers and the ASCE Geo-Institute, we wish to express our gratitude to all of the session chairs and reviewers for their diligent efforts to make these Proceedings a reality. We also wish to extend our thanks to Geo-Institute staff, whose tireless efforts working with authors, session chairs, and members of the conference organizing committee were instrumental in the conference planning process. Finally, we would like to thank the authors for their contributions to the Proceedings. The papers that have been submitted by our colleagues do a great service to the legacy of the previous "Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering" conferences, and are of great value to the geotechnical engineering profession.