Arthur Casagrande
Encyclopedia
Arthur Casagrande was an Austrian-born American civil engineer who made important contributions to the fields of engineering geology
and geotechnical engineering
during its infancy. Renowned for his ingenious designs of soil testing apparatus and fundamental research on seepage and soil liquefaction
, he is also credited for developing the soil mechanics teaching programme at Harvard University
during the early 1930s that has since been modelled in many universities around the world.
Casagrande was born in Haidenschaft, Austria
and moved to Trieste after attending his first year in school in Linz. When reaching the age to enter secondary school he entered the Realschule
, where students are typically expected to take on an apprenticeship and pursue a technical career upon graduating. The decision to attend the Realschule was chiefly influenced by his maternal forebears, many having come from mechanical and chemical engineering backgrounds. He graduated from the Technische Hochschule
(TH) in Vienna with a civil engineering degree in 1924, after which he carried on working there as a full-time assistant to Professor Schaffernak in the hydraulics laboratory.
Following the dissolution of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire after World War I
, there was little construction work around, leaving employment scant prospects in the civil engineering field. When Casagrande’s father died in 1924, the duty of supporting the financial burden of the entire family, together with a strong desire to engage in major civil engineering projects, prompted him to take the gamble of moving to the United States
, a decision that was not supported by his mother and professor. Casagrande stayed in a YMCA
hostel for ten days after arriving in New York
in 1926, and decided to go to New Jersey
and work as a draughtsman for a few months. While visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for a job interview, he met Karl Terzaghi
who had only just arrived, and was immediately offered the job opportunity to work as his private assistant.
From 1926 to 1932, Casagrande worked as a research assistant with the US Bureau of Public Roads, assigned to MIT, where he assisted Terzaghi in his numerous research projects directed towards improving apparatus and techniques for soil testing
. When Terzaghi took up a professorship at Vienna in 1929 after a short stint at MIT, Casagrande traveled with him to help him set up the soil mechanics laboratory that would later become one of the most famous research centers in soil mechanics
. He also capitalized on the touring opportunity by visiting all soil mechanics laboratories in Europe at the time. When he returned to MIT a few months later, he had gained a thorough knowledge of the state-of-the-art in this field. While at MIT, he developed the liquid limit apparatus, the hydrometer test, the horizontal capillary test, the odometer apparatus, and the shear box, all of which still form the prototypes for the ones in use today. He was also a pioneer in the US for conducting the triaxial shear test and was one of the first persons to study the volume changes of soil during shear.
Aided by his latest advances in experimental techniques and apparatus, Casagrande was able to make fundamental contributions to the understanding of soil mechanics. He was among the first to recognize that pore pressure is induced during undrained shearing. He also pointed out the significant difference in mechanical characteristics between undisturbed and remolded clay. The common procedures in use today for identifying the preconsolidation pressure in an overconsolidated soil were also due to Casagrande. In relation to his work on Atterberg limits, the "A-line" on plasticity charts
may well be named after him.
In 1932, Casagrande moved to Harvard University
where he would later be promoted to a newly created chair of soil mechanics and foundation engineering in 1946. There he rapidly established a school of postgraduate teaching and research that would see the number of students steadily grow from 12 in 1932 to over 80 after World War II
. At one stage during 1942–44, Casagrande went on to train a total of approximately 400 army officers on the soil mechanics aspects of airfield construction through a series of intensive four-week programmes at the request of the Army Corps of Engineers. Even though Terzaghi would later join Harvard (with the assistance of Casagrande) from Vienna out of concerns on the turbulent political landscape in Europe, Casagrande was effectively alone in the soil mechanics section because of Terzaghi’s many periods of absence (Terzaghi would often be away to the University of Illinois collaborating with his close friend Ralph Peck) and disdain of administrative duties. The successful soil mechanics and foundation engineering programme at Harvard was hence often credited to Casagrande, and its particular emphasis on laboratory courses and seepage being an inherent part of the curriculum would later form the basis of similar courses around the world.
Casagrande was also credited for organizing the first ever International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in 1936, which Terzaghi considered to be too much of a gamble given the early stage in soil mechanics at that time. The conference however turned out to be a success and has legitimately established soil mechanics as an essential part of civil engineering
. Alec Skempton
, another early pioneer in the field, would later refer to the time between the publication of Erdbaumechanik by Terzaghi in 1925 and the first International Conference as the vital formative period of modern soil mechanics.
Of all the consulting projects he was involved in practice, Casagrande was well known for his work in the construction and failure investigation of earth dams
. Casagrande’s passionate interests in earth dams can be seen in the extensive research work he has carried out on seepage as well as soil liquefaction. It was also through the study commissioned by the Corps of Engineers (who after WWII became concerned about the influence of a possible atomic blast on the stability of embankments of the Panama Canal
) that led Casagrande to become one of the first persons in the world to investigate the dynamic strength of soils. Interestingly, even though the word "liquefaction" was first used by Casagrande in the soil mechanics literature, he considered it to be inappropriate for describing the effects of earthquake
loading or cyclic loading in building up pore pressures and deformations in sands (which is effectively the modern notion of liquefaction). Casagrande strenuously insisted that the definition of liquefaction should be reserved for soil exhibiting drastic strain-softening which results in an almost flow-type behavior.
Casagrande won many awards throughout his career, including being named the first ever Rankine Lecture
r by the British Geotechnical Association as well as a Terzaghi Lecturer by ASCE
. A number of awards have been established in his honor including the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award.
Engineering geology
Engineering geology is the application of the geologic sciences to engineering practice for the purpose of assuring that the geologic factors affecting the location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works are recognized and adequately provided for...
and geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but is also used by military, mining, petroleum, or any other engineering concerned with construction on or in the ground...
during its infancy. Renowned for his ingenious designs of soil testing apparatus and fundamental research on seepage and soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid....
, he is also credited for developing the soil mechanics teaching programme at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
during the early 1930s that has since been modelled in many universities around the world.
Casagrande was born in Haidenschaft, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and moved to Trieste after attending his first year in school in Linz. When reaching the age to enter secondary school he entered the Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
, where students are typically expected to take on an apprenticeship and pursue a technical career upon graduating. The decision to attend the Realschule was chiefly influenced by his maternal forebears, many having come from mechanical and chemical engineering backgrounds. He graduated from the Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule is what an Institute of Technology used to be called in German-speaking countries, as well as in the Netherlands, before most of them changed their name to Technische Universität or Technische Universiteit in the 1970s and in the...
(TH) in Vienna with a civil engineering degree in 1924, after which he carried on working there as a full-time assistant to Professor Schaffernak in the hydraulics laboratory.
Following the dissolution of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, there was little construction work around, leaving employment scant prospects in the civil engineering field. When Casagrande’s father died in 1924, the duty of supporting the financial burden of the entire family, together with a strong desire to engage in major civil engineering projects, prompted him to take the gamble of moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a decision that was not supported by his mother and professor. Casagrande stayed in a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
hostel for ten days after arriving in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1926, and decided to go to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and work as a draughtsman for a few months. While visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
for a job interview, he met Karl Terzaghi
Karl von Terzaghi
Karl von Terzaghi was an Austrian civil engineer and geologist, called the father of soil mechanics.-Early life:...
who had only just arrived, and was immediately offered the job opportunity to work as his private assistant.
From 1926 to 1932, Casagrande worked as a research assistant with the US Bureau of Public Roads, assigned to MIT, where he assisted Terzaghi in his numerous research projects directed towards improving apparatus and techniques for soil testing
Geotechnical investigation
Geotechnical investigations are performed by geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists to obtain information on the physical properties of soil and rock around a site to design earthworks and foundations for proposed structures and for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused...
. When Terzaghi took up a professorship at Vienna in 1929 after a short stint at MIT, Casagrande traveled with him to help him set up the soil mechanics laboratory that would later become one of the most famous research centers in soil mechanics
Soil mechanics
Soil mechanics is a branch of engineering mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids and particles but soil may also contain organic solids, liquids, and gasses and other...
. He also capitalized on the touring opportunity by visiting all soil mechanics laboratories in Europe at the time. When he returned to MIT a few months later, he had gained a thorough knowledge of the state-of-the-art in this field. While at MIT, he developed the liquid limit apparatus, the hydrometer test, the horizontal capillary test, the odometer apparatus, and the shear box, all of which still form the prototypes for the ones in use today. He was also a pioneer in the US for conducting the triaxial shear test and was one of the first persons to study the volume changes of soil during shear.
Aided by his latest advances in experimental techniques and apparatus, Casagrande was able to make fundamental contributions to the understanding of soil mechanics. He was among the first to recognize that pore pressure is induced during undrained shearing. He also pointed out the significant difference in mechanical characteristics between undisturbed and remolded clay. The common procedures in use today for identifying the preconsolidation pressure in an overconsolidated soil were also due to Casagrande. In relation to his work on Atterberg limits, the "A-line" on plasticity charts
Atterberg Limits
The Atterberg limits are a basic measure of the nature of a fine-grained soil. Depending on the water content of the soil, it may appear in four states: solid, semi-solid, plastic and liquid. In each state the consistency and behavior of a soil is different and thus so are its engineering properties...
may well be named after him.
In 1932, Casagrande moved to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he would later be promoted to a newly created chair of soil mechanics and foundation engineering in 1946. There he rapidly established a school of postgraduate teaching and research that would see the number of students steadily grow from 12 in 1932 to over 80 after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At one stage during 1942–44, Casagrande went on to train a total of approximately 400 army officers on the soil mechanics aspects of airfield construction through a series of intensive four-week programmes at the request of the Army Corps of Engineers. Even though Terzaghi would later join Harvard (with the assistance of Casagrande) from Vienna out of concerns on the turbulent political landscape in Europe, Casagrande was effectively alone in the soil mechanics section because of Terzaghi’s many periods of absence (Terzaghi would often be away to the University of Illinois collaborating with his close friend Ralph Peck) and disdain of administrative duties. The successful soil mechanics and foundation engineering programme at Harvard was hence often credited to Casagrande, and its particular emphasis on laboratory courses and seepage being an inherent part of the curriculum would later form the basis of similar courses around the world.
Casagrande was also credited for organizing the first ever International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in 1936, which Terzaghi considered to be too much of a gamble given the early stage in soil mechanics at that time. The conference however turned out to be a success and has legitimately established soil mechanics as an essential part of civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. Alec Skempton
Alec Skempton
Sir Alec Skempton FRS was a leader in and founding father of Soil Mechanics. As a founding member of the Institution of Civil Engineers' Soil Mechanics and Foundations committees he studied at City and Guilds College London and established the Soil Mechanics course at Imperial College London,...
, another early pioneer in the field, would later refer to the time between the publication of Erdbaumechanik by Terzaghi in 1925 and the first International Conference as the vital formative period of modern soil mechanics.
Of all the consulting projects he was involved in practice, Casagrande was well known for his work in the construction and failure investigation of earth dams
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
. Casagrande’s passionate interests in earth dams can be seen in the extensive research work he has carried out on seepage as well as soil liquefaction. It was also through the study commissioned by the Corps of Engineers (who after WWII became concerned about the influence of a possible atomic blast on the stability of embankments of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
) that led Casagrande to become one of the first persons in the world to investigate the dynamic strength of soils. Interestingly, even though the word "liquefaction" was first used by Casagrande in the soil mechanics literature, he considered it to be inappropriate for describing the effects of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
loading or cyclic loading in building up pore pressures and deformations in sands (which is effectively the modern notion of liquefaction). Casagrande strenuously insisted that the definition of liquefaction should be reserved for soil exhibiting drastic strain-softening which results in an almost flow-type behavior.
Casagrande won many awards throughout his career, including being named the first ever Rankine Lecture
Rankine Lecture
The Rankine Lecture is hosted in March each year by the British Geotechnical Association. It is widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in Geotechnics.The lecture commemorates W. J. M...
r by the British Geotechnical Association as well as a Terzaghi Lecturer by ASCE
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
. A number of awards have been established in his honor including the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award.
Further reading
- Goodman, R. E. (1999). Karl Terzaghi, American Society of Civil Engineers, ISBN 0-7844-0364-3
- Wilson, S. D., Seed, H. B. and Peck, R. B. (1982). Arthur Casagrande, 1902–1981, a Tribute. Geotechnique, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 87–94.
- (1961). Introduction to the First Rankine Lecturer. Geotechnique, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 159–160.
- (1973). Biography of Arthur Casagrande in Embankment Dam Engineering Casagrande Volume (eds. R. C. Hirschfeld and S. J. Poulos), John Wiley and Sons, U. S. A., pp. ix-xi.