Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization 4 / Геотехническая и геофизическая характеристика участка 4

Site characterization is a fundamental step towards the proper design, construction and long term performance of all types of geotechnical projects, ranging from foundation, excavation, earth dams, embankments, seismic hazards, environmental issues, tunnels, near and offshore structures. The Fourth International Conference on Site Characterization (ISC’4) was held near the beautiful coastal town of Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco – Brazil, from September 18-21, 2012, under the responsibility of TC-102/TC-16 on In-Situ Testing of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), the Brazilian Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ABMS), and the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil (UFPE). The fourth conference followed the successful series of international conferences held in Atlanta (ISC-1, 1998), Porto (ISC-2, 2004), and Taipei (ISC-3, 2008). ISC’4 congregated several researchers, geotechnical engineers, and practitioners from all over the world involved with the conference general themes, namely practical application of novel and innovative technologies in geotechnical and geophysical engineering, along with their interpretation and utilization for the purposes of site characterization. These two volume conference proceedings contain 08 keynote Lectures prepared by experts in the themes, including the 5th James K. Mitchell Lecture presented by Dr. Peter K. Robertson; 04 Workshop Lectures and 217 technical papers from 40 different countries. Papers were refereed by reviews to obtain a high quality publication and technical standards. Accordingly, the papers have been sorted into 11 general themes and 15 technical sessions that were established for presentation, including: 1. Direct-push and Borehole-type in-situ test; 2. Development of new equipment and methods; 3. New approaches for interpreting data; 4. Applications to shallow and deep foundations; 5. Special uses of in-situ tests; 6. Site investigation for infrastructure projects; 7. Geophysical, 8. Seismic ground hazards; 9. Investigation in very soft to extremely soft soils; 10. Non-textbook type geomaterials; 11. Environmental geotechnics. The editors would like to thank the members of the Organizing and Technical Committees for their collaboration in the organization and on reviewing the selected papers, as well as the authors of papers for their contribution in writing and presentation, in particular the keynotes and workshop lectures and session reporters. They also thank all the companies that give support for the organization. Financial support of ISC4 provided by Brazilian National Science and Education Councils (CNPq and CAPES), sponsors and exhibitors and other organizations and companies are greatly acknowledged. <...>