A HISTORY OF GEOTECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS - Introduction to Soft Soil Geotechnique: Content, Context and Application - page 16

were absent because of political reasons) many prominent scientists appeared (Fig
1.11). Lectures were presented in English, French and German. Soil behaviour was
then a part of applied mechanics, like fluid mechanics, mechanics of materials and
constructions and dynamics of oceans and atmosphere. Nadai, Hencky and von
Mises gave their view on plasticity, Prandtl explained his wedge, Reissner
discussed the horizontal active and passive earth pressure, and von Terzaghi
presented his paper “Die Theorie der Hydrodynamische Spannungserscheinungen
und Ihr Erdbautechnisches Anwendungsgebiet”, in which the principle of effective
stress and the consolidation theory were mentioned. He referred to the development
of the hydrostatic pressure in a saturated soil sample with time under a static
loading by the term hydrodynamic stress. He also elaborated on swell, cohesion
and building pit stability, aspects which were mentioned by the ASCE as a problem
of national importance. Von Terzaghi referred to his coming topic and Buisman
was present in the audience. 8 This conference marks the start of soil mechanics.
Figure 1.11 Participants at the 1 st IC on Applied Mechanics, Delft
Figure 1.12 Keverling Buisman and Terzaghi, pioneers in geotechnique
8 Von Terzaghi omitted the prefix von when he left to the States. Buisman omitted in 1924
his first surname Keverling.