Paths to reduce failures caused by misinterpretation of ground conditions

抄録

We often misinterpret ground conditions in various stages of a construction project, such as planning, investigations, design, and construction stages. The misinterpretation occurs because the ground conditions are usually uncertain to various degrees even after geotechnical site investigations. The paper first discusses the occurrence of the misinterpretation, which (1) largely depends on the volume of quality data and human skill, and (2) generally happens while making geological models, geotechnical models, and civil/structural designs. Secondly considered is the uncertainty of the ground conditions, the awareness of which varies depending on people who handle the geo-information. Thirdly, among many misinterpretations we make, only a few cases result in failures, because of some traditional safeguards. However, due to changing practices of geotechnical designs and construction contracting recently, the conventional safeguards are not as secure as before against the failures caused by the misinterpretation of the ground conditions. Lastly, discussed are possible ways to reduce misinterpretation. Keys could be awareness of the uncertainty of the ground conditions and improvement of communications throughout the construction projects by all stakeholders. Geotechnical societies are well suited to contribute to this area, and project owners and managers have great power to prevent failures cause by the misinterpretation of the ground conditions.