Rankine Lecture
The Rankine Lecture is hosted in March each year by the British Geotechnical Association. It is widely viewed as the most prestigious of the invited lectures in Geotechnics.
The lecture commemorates W. J. M. Rankine, Professor of Civil Engineering at Glasgow University, who was one of the first engineers in the UK to make a significant contribution to Soil Mechanics, and is best known for his theory for the earth pressure on retaining walls. From 1961 to 1972 the lecture was held at the Institution of Civil Engineers, but since 1973 has taken place at Imperial College. In even-numbered years the lecturer is from the UK, and in odd-numbered years from overseas. Each lecture is published in Géotechnique, together with the text of the biographical introduction and the vote of thanks.
List of Rankine Lecturers
| No | YEAR | LECTURER | SUBJECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 | A. Casagrande | Control of seepage through foundations and abutments of dams |
| 2 | 1962 | L. F. Cooling | Field measurements in soil mechanics |
| 3 | 1963 | A. Meyer | Recent work in rock mechanics |
| 4 | 1964 | A. W. Skempton | Long-term stability of clay slopes |
| 5 | 1965 | N. M. Newmark | Effects of earthquakes on dams and embankments |
| 6 | 1966 | A. W. Bishop | The strength of soils as engineering materials |
| 7 | 1967 | L. Bjerrum | Engineering geology of Norwegian normally-consolidated marine clays as related to settlements of buildings |
| 8 | 1968 | R. Glossop | The rise of geotechnology and its influence on engineering pracice |
| 9 | 1969 | R. B. Peck | Advantages and limitations of the observational method in applied soil mechanics |
| 10 | 1970 | K. H. Roscoe | The influence of strains in soil mechanics |
| 11 | 1971 | J. C. Jaeger | Friction of rocks and stability of rock slopes |
| 12 | 1972 | P. W. Rowe | The relevance of soil fabric to site investigation practice |
| 13 | 1973 | T. W. Lambe | Predictions in soil engineering |
| 14 | 1974 | R. E. Gibson | The analytical method in soil mechanics |
| 15 | 1975 | J. Kerisel | Old structures in relation to soil conditions |
| 16 | 1976 | A. C. Meigh | The Triassic rocks, with particular reference to predicted and observed performance of some major foundations |
| 17 | 1977 | V. F. B. de Mello | Reflections on design decisions of practical significance to embankment dams |
| 18 | 1978 | W. H. Ward | Ground supports for tunnels in weak rocks |
| 19 | 1979 | H. Bolton Seed | Considerations in the earthquake-resistant design of earth and rockfill dams |
| 20 | 1980 | A. N. Schofield | Cambridge geotechnical centrifuge operations |
| 21 | 1981 | N. R. Morgenstern | Geotechnical engineering and frontier resource development |
| 22 | 1982 | D. J. Henkel | Geology, geomorphology and geotechnics |
| 23 | 1983 | E. Hoek | Strength of jointed rock masses |
| 24 | 1984 | C. P. Wroth | The interpretation of in situ soil tests |
| 25 | 1985 | N. Janbu | Soil models in offshore engineering |
| 26 | 1986 | A. D. M. Penman | On the embankment dam |
| 27 | 1987 | R. F. Scott | Failure |
| 28 | 1988 | H. B. Sutherland | Uplift resistance in soils |
| 29 | 1989 | H. G. Poulos | Pile behaviour - theory and application |
| 30 | 1990 | J. B. Burland | On the compressibility and shear strength of natural clays |
| 31 | 1991 | J. K. Mitchell | Conduction phenomena: from theory to geotechnical practice |
| 32 | 1992 | B. Simpson | Retaining structures: displacement and design |
| 33 | 1993 | K. Ishihara | Liquefaction and flow failure during earthquakess |
| 34 | 1994 | P. R. Vaughan | Assumption, prediction and reality in geotechnical engineering |
| 35 | 1995 | R. E. Goodman | Block theory and its application |
| 36 | 1996 | S. F. Brown | Soil mechanics in pavement engineering |
| 37 | 1997 | G. E. Blight | Interactions between the atmosphere and the Earth |
| 38 | 1998 | D. W. Hight | Soil characterisation: the importance of structure and anisotropy |
| 39 | 1999 | S. Leroueil | Natural slopes and cuts: movement and failure mechanisms |
| 40 | 2000 | J. H. Atkinson | Non-linear soil stiffness in routine design |
| 41 | 2001 | H. Brandl | Energy foundations and other thermo-active ground structures |
| 42 | 2002 | D. M. Potts | Numerical analysis: a virtual dream or practical reality? |
| 43 | 2003 | M. F. Randolph | Science and empiricism in pile foundation design |
| 44 | 2004 | N. N. Ambraseys | Engineering, seismology and soil mechanics |
| 45 | 2005 | R. K. Rowe | Long term performance of contaminant barrier systems |
| 46 | 2006 | R. J. Mair | Tunnelling and geotechnics - new horizons |
| 47 | 2007 | A. Gens | Soil-environment interactions in geotechnical engineering |
| 48 | 2008 | A. Charles | The engineering behaviour of fill - the use, misuse and disuse of case histories |
| 49 | 2009 | T. O'Rourke | Geohazards & Large Geographically Distributed Systems |
| 50 | 2010 | C. R. I. Clayton | Stiffness at small strain - research and practice |
| 51 | 2011 | S. W. Sloan | Geotechnical Stability Analysis |
References
- ICE Virtual Library - The Rankine Lecture [1]
- British Geotechnical Association - List of Rankine Lecturers [2]
- British Geotechnical Association [3]de:Rankine Lecture
