Since its introduction, Eurocode 7 has acknowledged the observational method as a valid design approach for geotechnical structures. The observational method is defined in five paragraphs. Although several case studies have concluded that the observational method is useful, the method is still sparsely used. This study compares the actual implementation of the observational method in the Veda embankment project according to the definitions given in Eurocode 7. The outcome of the observational method as a design approach, and the major deviations compared to the definitions in Eurocode 7 are discussed. It is concluded that the design of a multi-staged embankment, where the building process is governed by consolidation in the subsoil, can only partly be adapted to the observational method as defined in Eurocode 7. Furthermore, when this is the case, the possibility of combining "design by calculations" and the observational method is discussed.

One of the essential inputs in settlement prediction models is the soil modulus, which may be obtained from laboratory tests or estimated from in situ measurements. The total uncertainty in predicting the confined modulus of a sandy soil is quantified with data from side-by-side in situ testing using the standard penetration test, the static cone penetration test, the light dynamic probing and the laboratory oedometer test. To estimate transformation errors, correlations are proposed between in situ and laboratory data. The results indicate that similar magnitudes of total uncertainties are associated with the in situ methods, which are approximately twice as high as those from the direct oedometer method. The quantified uncertainties are an important input for reliability-based designs of foundations under similar soil conditions.

Limitations with the current design using partial factors in Eurocode 7 have been identified. Uncertainties in the material properties are incorporated in both the cautious estimate of the characteristic value and the partial factor. Furthermore, the partial factor is fixed, which limits the opportunities to update the design when additional information is available. A more rational procedure of managing uncertainties in design with partial factors is proposed based on the Bayesian methodology referred to as the extended multivariate approach. The benefits of the approach are illustrated with a case study in which uncertainties of undrained shear strength are characterized for a Swedish clay. The characteristic value and design value is calculated in accordance with the Swedish national annex to Eurocode 7 by adjusting the otherwise fixed partial factor with a conversion factor allowable through EN 1990. The study highlights major benefits in managing uncertainties in a quantifiable and rational way.

One major question to deal with in the process of updating the current version of Eurocode 7 is how to convert thequality of a performed site-investigation into a measurable context. This should, in turn, affect the safety factor applied to the soil-strength properties in a limit state. This paper presents a study in which the total uncertainty from the evaluation of undrained shearstrength in clay is assessed from single and multiple site-investigation methods with regard to both random and systematicuncertainties. A Bayesian procedure is used to convert potential reduction of random and systematic uncertainties into a measurablecontext in relation to: (1) the type of site-investigation method, (2) the combination of methods, and (3) the number of measurementsperformed.

L’une des questions majeures qui se posent lors du processus de mise à jour de la version actuelle de l’Eurocode 7est la suivante : comment convertir la qualité d’une investigation de site en une quantité mesurable ? Cela devrait alors affecterle niveau de sécurité appliqué aux propriétés de résistance du sol dans un état limite. Cet article présente une étude au cours de laquelle l’incertitude totale découlant de l’évaluation de la résistance au cisaillement de l’argile non évacuée est évaluée à partir de méthodes d’investigation de site uniques et multiples en relation avec des incertitudes aléatoires et systématiques. Une procédure bayésienne est utilisée pour convertir la réduction potentielle des incertitudes aléatoires et systématiques en une incertitude mesurable en rapport avec : (1) le type de méthode d’investigation de site, (2) la combinaison des méthodes, (3) le nombre de mesures effectuées.

Lack of harmonisation between reliability-based design and the partial factor method in Eurocode 7 (EN 1997-1:2004) is preventing the widespread introduction of a risk-based concept in geotechnical design. This paper discusses how uncertainties are managed according to EN 1997-1:2004 and possible implications of not harmonising the current safety format with reliability-based design. One of several challenges highlighted is how EN 1997-1:2004 defines the characteristic value and design value. The characteristic value is therein defined based on a classical frequentist approach through a confidence interval. From a Bayesian point of view, the current definition does not treat the characteristic value as an uncertain variable. Consequently, the definitions of the characteristic value and design value in EN 1997-1:2004 feature weak connections between uncertainties in the geotechnical properties and the consequences of failure, as regulated by the target reliability index.