THE USE OF SINKHOLE MODELS IN ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING TEACHING
Keywords:
Sinkhole, Physical Model, Stability, Education, TeachingAbstract
This paper demonstrates an approach to integrate geotechnical research into an advanced
geotechnical engineering course. It involves the use of a simple 3D small-scale sinkhole model, a 2D numerical
model of an idealized sinkhole, and an advanced 3D numerical model. A three-week teaching activity that
integrates this material into the course is developed, ranging from the introductory material through to
experiment conduction and reporting. By incorporating some advanced topics such as this into the course, it is
expected that the students will have an increased awareness and understanding of natural geotechnical
phenomena. It is also hoped that the model will help foster further interest in the geotechnical discipline, for
either research or practice.