On May 23, 2022, Marcin Chwała, Assistant Professor of Wrocław University of Science and Technology was invited to deliver a presentation titled “Random Failure Mechanism Method in optimal borehole placement for shallow foundations” by Prof. Zhang Wengang. This academic report was presided by PhD Candidate Wu Chongzhi.

Starting with the research status of the impact of soil spatial variability on bearing capacity, Dr. Marcin pointed that the location of the soil soundings with respect to the considered foundation is an important issue. Due to stronger correlation within the soil, the closer locations of soil soundings provide more reliable information about the soil parameters in the vicinity of the considered foundation. The lecture proposed the efficient and novel approach for determining optimal borehole locations, so as to assess the possibility of indicating general guidelines for optimal soil sounding locations.

In the Q & A part, SCE faculty and students discussed with Dr. Marcin in depth on relevant issues. This presentation is finally supported by High-end Foreign Expert Introduction program (No. DL2021165001L).