The first part, Chapters 1-5, deals with the essential aspect of formulating the mechanics of transient dynamic behaviour for loading of various frequencies. Here coupling between the water or other fluid in the pores with the behaviour of the solid skeleton is considered in general terms. This formulation is essential for understanding and indeed development of practical procedures for dealing with the behaviour of real soils under the action of dynamic loads, whatever the constitutive relation used.
The subsequent part of the book consisting of Chapters 6-18 deals with the crux of the matter. This is undoubtedly the specific form of constitutive model which has to be applied to the soil in order to model its performance generally. Here the most important models presented are those utilizing plastic or viscoplastic formulation of one kind or another. Chapters 7-13 are indeed devoted to various elaborations of critical state soil mechanics required to deal with reversed, cyclic, and transient loading conditions. In Chapters 14 and 15 attention is given to the so-called endochronic model which combines some aspects of plasticity and viscoplasticity in a novel formulation.
Finally, in Chapters 17 and 18, modelling and indeed computer solutions of the degradation and shake-down problems are considered. Chapters 19, 20, and 21 deal with diverse aspects of the problem ranging from an assessment of the practical use of analytical models and their comparison with physical situations and to some aspects of soil behaviour which are associated not so much with the particular model, but with the manner in which tests are performed. Finally, Chapter 22 dealing with the liquefaction studies in the People’s Republic of China contains much information hitherto inaccessible to engineers in the Western hemisphere.