Robert Olin Davis (Retired)
Position
Emeritus Professor in Civil Engineering
Qualifications
BASc, MASc, PhD
Contact Details
Email: rob.davis@canterbury.ac.nz
Research
- Response of soil sites to earthquake loading
- Numerical methods in geomechanics
- Constitutive modelling of soil and rock
- Seismic liquefaction of sands
- Analysis of pile foundations
- Stability of creeping slopes
- Behaviour of post-liquefaction flows
Experimental and theoretical research on liquefaction phenomena, particularly
liquefaction risk analysis, and into residual strength behaviour of
soft clays and long term stability of creeping slopes.
Theoretical research on:
- behaviour of soils during shaking and response of non-homogeneous soil profiles
- application of numerical techniques to solution of problems in wave propagation, consolidation, and pile driving dynamics
- stress-strain-temperature behaviour of soil and rock
- the stress field surrounding a driven pile and the stress-deformation response of axially loaded piles
- strength of liquefied soil with application to debris flows
Professional Affiliations, Activities and Achievements (last 5 years):
Fellow IPENZ
Publications
Hall, J.W., Le Masurier, J., Baker, E.A., Davis, J.P., and Taylor, C.A., A decision-support methodology for performance-based infrastructure management., Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, v21, 2004:
Davis, R.O. & Berrill, J.B., Liquefaction at the Imperial Valley Wildlife site, Bull. NZ Soc. for Earthquake Engrg, v34, 2001: 91-106
Davis, R.O. & Berrill, J.B., Correlation of pore pressure and dissipated energy in earthquakes - field verification, J. Geotech. Engrg, v127, 2001: 269-74
Davis, R.O. & Berrill, J.B., Wildlife Revisited., Proc John Booker Memorial Symp. (eds. Smith, D.W. & Carter, J.P.), Sydney, , 2000: 355-70
Davis, R.O, Estimation of shear modulus softening during strong ground shaking using ground surface and downhole acceleration recordings, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, v29, 2000: 359-76
J.B. Berrill, S.A. Christensen, R O Davis, Dou Yiqiang, R.A. Vreugdenhil, The CPTU test and liquefaction: some New Zealand Results, Proc. IS TOKYO `95, , 1995: 917-22