Standards in the geotechnical design

[trp]

I would like to know what are the most used Standards in the different countries in Europe for the design of shallow and pile foundations, retaining structures, slope stability, settlement: is it the Eurocode 7, the British Standard (BS), the German Standard (DIN), the American Standard (ASCE)… or others ???

Same question in Asia, South America, USA, Australia ??

I also would like to know what are the geotechnical programs in which design given by Standards are implemented ???

Thanks.

 

[Focht3]

I can only speak for a part of the globe - will leave the rest to others -

In the U.S., practice varies considerably - depending on the materials encountered in the subsurface. As a result, there is no one unified standard. The ASCE work covers a lot, but isn't exhaustive. FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) has design and construction guidelines - they're pretty good but getting a little dated, with some differences with the ASCE work. The old SBC (Southern Building Code) standards were different than the FHWA guidelines and allowed less judgment on the geotechnical engineer's part, although their use seems to be declining.

As a result of our fairly decentralized governance and licensing structure, U.S. design and construction practice is "fractured." But it does leave quite a bit of room for innovation -