Foundation Engineering Network News  On August 22, 2024, the 16th session of the "My Technology, My Talk" column, part of the Foundation Engineering Academy's series of public welfare activities, was held. Dr. Sheng Zhiqiang from Jianyan Foundation Engineering Co., Ltd. was invited as the keynote expert.

Dr. Sheng currently serves as Deputy Director of the Foundation Pit and Slope Support Research Center at Jianyan Foundation, a member of the Pile Foundation Professional Committee of the Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Branch of the China Civil Engineering Society, and a council member of the Geotechnical Foundation and Structural Engineering Branch of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering. He has extensive experience in geotechnical engineering design consulting, reinforcement treatment, and inspection and appraisal.

The event was hosted by Researcher Wang Shuguang of the Institute of Foundation Engineering at the China Academy of Building Research. Dr. Sheng engaged in an in-depth exchange with the audience on the topic "Soil Engineering Characteristics and Analysis Methods Related to the Foundation Pit Excavation Process."

In his presentation, Dr. Sheng analyzed the growing volume of building construction amid rapid urbanization, particularly high-rise and super high-rise buildings, underground shopping malls, tunnels, and subway projects. As building heights, foundation embedment depths, and project scales increase, the stress states of soil under engineering actions have become more complex, and traditional simple loading is no longer applicable. Dr. Sheng pointed out that today's stress paths involve multiple mechanical processes such as unloading, rebound, and reloading, which cause the soil's stress state to differ from its original state, thereby changing the soil's deformation and strength parameters. These changes have a profound impact on the accuracy of engineering construction.

With particular focus on foundation pit engineering, Dr. Sheng emphasized the importance of the unloading characteristics of excavation. He noted that many current design and calculation concepts do not fully account for these changes, resulting in significant discrepancies between calculated soil pressures and deformations and actual conditions. By thoroughly analyzing the soil's stress history and stress paths, it is possible to better understand the load-deformation characteristics of soil related to the foundation pit excavation process, thereby obtaining more accurate calculation results and improving the safety and reliability of engineering projects.

The event attracted numerous industry experts, scholars, and practitioners, who actively engaged in lively discussion of Dr. Sheng's keynote presentation, providing a good platform for technical exchange and innovation in the foundation engineering field. The Foundation Engineering Academy will continue to hold more such events to promote the progress and development of industry technology.