Visualizing soil deformation in the undergraduate classroom using Digital Image Correlation (DIC)
McGuire, Michael P.; Helm, Jeffrey D.
It is typical for an introductory undergraduate course in geotechnical engineering to expose
students to the subjects of lateral earth pressure and bearing capacity. An understanding of
bearing capacity and lateral earth pressure is essential for the design of foundations, retaining
walls, and anchoring systems. This paper describes ongoing work to develop equipment,
software, and hands-on teaching activities that apply Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to enhance
a student’s first exposure to lateral earth pressure and bearing capacity. The approach described
herein enables students to observe the relationship between load acting on the soil and structural
displacement for conditions similar to those of a loaded footing, retaining wall, or embedded
ground anchor. The DIC system allows the students to see the magnitude, direction, and
distribution of soil displacements. The ability to simultaneously observe load, structural
displacement, and soil displacement provides a powerful teaching tool to show the connection
between geotechnical analyses performed to estimate failure loads with analyses used to estimate
deformations.
In addition to discussing the proposed methodology and initial results, this paper provides
relevant background information related to DIC, lateral earth pressure, and bearing capacity. A
literature review was performed to compile previous efforts to use DIC as an educational tool in
undergraduate engineering education. Proposed teaching activities are briefly outlined. A followup
paper will discuss the proposed teaching activities in detail and the impacts on student learning.
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