LETTER OF INTENT

Chaitanya Raj Goyal (Student no: 78139145) M.A.Sc., Civil Engineering

Long back, soil engineering first captured my interest and imagination when I learnt that the Leaning tower of Pisa is not actually a Structural marvel but a Geotechnical failure! Later, the undergraduate curriculum in Civil engineering at Jaypee University introduced me to courses like soil mechanics and foundation engineering. My desire to dig deeper into the Geotechnical aspects of Civil Engineering motivated me to take up elective courses like Advanced foundation engineering, Underground technology and to pursue my final year thesis in the same arena. In year 2011, I worked on a problem of foundation settlement over a buried flexible pipe soil system. Analysis was done through rigorous experimental work as well as PLAXIS 2D and a ground improvement measure in the form of soil nailing was suggested and proved to be useful to overcome the problem. The work was published in Intl. Journal of Geomechanics, ASCE. In year 2012, I presented a review paper on causes of foundation failures and their possible preventive and remedial measures, in the 4th International Engineering Conference at KKU, Thailand a unique and fully sponsored experience. I also worked on a problem in which we evaluated the shear strength parameters of clayey soil partially replaced with plastic granules at different %. The idea was to explore whether waste plastic could be used as a potential ground improvement material rather than ending up in landfills. The work was published in the proceedings of Indian Geotechnical Conference, 2013 held at IIT, Delhi. Some specific aspects of Geotechnical sciences that are most interesting to me are soil liquefaction, soil-pipe interaction and ground improvement. I was enthralled by Dr. Wijewickremes research on Soil-pipe interaction and would feel honored to be a part of the ASPIRe initiative and work on such problems while taking relevant courses. Ill also be very happy to work and learn under Dr. Taiebat or Dr. Wijewickreme, if given a chance to be a part of their amazing research on Soil Liquefaction. Dr. Fannins research on Geosynthetics for ground stabilization also enraptured me. I will be delighted to learn and work under him on such projects. Dr. Howies work on explosive compaction, vibro replacement and application of in situ testing to the design and assessment of ground improvement measures is also remarkable. I would thus be happy to work under any of the faculty members in aforementioned areas of interest. Upon completion of the program, I would like to work with an engineering consultancy, creating solutions for Geotechnical problems. After gaining professional experience, I will have the skills I believe essential to continue my education with a Doctoral degree. I am well aware of the commitment expected of me and with my resoluteness, professional experience, worthy academic record and undergraduate research background, I am confident of rising to the high standards set by your University.