This fifth edition continues the format of the previous four editions for providing current state-of-art (SOA) and state-of-practice (SOP) methods in Foundation Engineering. From author-user interaction I have concluded that SOP tends to lag SOA on the average of about 10 years. There is a range, however, where a few larger organizations are at the cutting edge of technology and many—particularly the smaller firms—are at varying intermediate stages. This textbook, which is also widely used as a practitioner’s reference, includes SOP material but with major emphasis on SOA. The latter is accomplished by including a mix of practice, “how to,” and latest suggested design/analysis methodology. This produces a text compatible with the general goals of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and other professional organizations, which have determined that technical graduates have a postgraduate period of only 5 to 7 years before obsolescence becomes a factor in their practice. Design methods tend to vary between geographic regions, partly from instructors’ influences and partly because there are few “design absolutes.” As a consequence it is necessary to include the generally accepted alternative methods but to temper these with recommendations and suggestions on their use. This allows the user access to regional differences and provides “averaged” design results or the option to select the most appropriate alternative on a site-specific basis. Although these comments may appear overly practice-oriented, the fact is that the student must be aware of these real-world conflicts, geographical differences, and alternatives so as to be productive upon graduation.
