Based on the emphasis and thenature of study in the area of geotechnical engineering, the time spanextending from 1700 to 1927 can be divided into 3 major periods:
Preclassical period (1700-1776)
Classical soil mechanics (1777-1910)
Morden soil mechanics (1911-1927)
Briefdevelopment history
ò1773Coulomb(developed by Mohr):Mohr-Coulomb strength theory ® the first theory about soilmechanics
ò1776Coulomb:Coulomb earth pressure theory
ò1856 Darcy:Darcy's seepage
ò1857 Rankine:Rankine earth pressure theory
ò1920Prandtl:Prandtl extreme force bearing formula
ò1921-1923 Terzaghi: The principle of effective stressand consolidation theory
ò1925 Terzaghi: published《SoilMechanics》
®Soil mechanics became an independentsubject
ò1936 The first conference ofthe International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ISSMFE) was held in America.
ò1960'sMordensoil mechanics

