Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
ZENODOarrow_drop_down
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
versions View all 2 versions
addClaim

Was bedeutet statisches Enthalpiegleichgewicht für das Bauwesen? Beitrag, Leistungsfähigkeit und Grenzen einer zustands- und energiebasierten Herangehensweise

Authors: Wittig, Manfred H.;

Was bedeutet statisches Enthalpiegleichgewicht für das Bauwesen? Beitrag, Leistungsfähigkeit und Grenzen einer zustands- und energiebasierten Herangehensweise

Abstract

This document is a discussion paper addressing the question of what Static Enthalpy Equilibrium (SEE) means for civil engineering, with a particular focus on geotechnical stability problems. The paper does not propose a new design method, calculation procedure, or safety concept. Instead, it introduces SEE as a state- and energy-based interpretive framework intended to clarify the physical meaning of established geotechnical concepts. Classical approaches to problems such as hydraulic heave, piping, and soil liquefaction are widely accepted and have proven reliable in engineering practice. However, their underlying physical mechanisms are often expressed implicitly, especially when instability develops locally, progressively, or in a strongly geometry-dependent manner. The SEE framework interprets such phenomena as energy-driven state transitions of saturated soil–water systems, where stability is associated with the existence of a statically admissible system state and instability with the loss of such a state. Within this perspective, established concepts such as effective stress, critical hydraulic gradients, the Terzaghi block, and safety factors are reinterpreted without being replaced or challenged. Safety factors are explicitly retained and understood as experience-based measures accounting for uncertainties in parameters, models, and boundary conditions. No recalibration of safety levels is proposed. The paper deliberately adopts a cautious and non-normative stance. SEE is presented as an interpretive tool to support understanding, comparison, and communication of geotechnical stability problems, not as a substitute for established engineering practice. The discussion also includes a carefully framed reflection on soil liquefaction, applying the same safety-related restraint as for hydraulic heave and piping. The document is intended for civil and geotechnical engineers from practice, planning, and research and aims to contribute to an open technical discussion on the role of state- and energy-based thinking in geotechnical engineering.

Keywords

energy-based framework, Static Enthalpy Equilibrium, geotechnical stability, piping, soil liquéfaction, state-based interpretation, hydraulic heave, civil engineering

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Upload OA version
Are you the author of this publication? Upload your Open Access version to Zenodo!
It’s fast and easy, just two clicks!