the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Contribution to the knowledge of early geotechnics during the 20th century: Laurits Bjerrum
Abstract. The founder of Soil Mechanics, Karl Terzaghi, took the initiative in 1954 to contact the Danish Engineer Laurits Bjerrum to meet him. Terzaghi wanted to meet the engineer who had written a paper on the stability of the unusual Norwegian quick clays at the European Slope Congress in Stockholm. Bjerrum was 36 years old at the time, had a PhD and was already director of the NGI (Norges Geotekniske Institutt – Norwegian Geotechnical Institute). From his position as director of the NGI, he was actively involved in many varied consultancies, placing great value on the continuous interaction between practice and research. Bjerrum's strategy for establishing the NGI came from the experience of other research centres such as the BRS (Building Research Station) in Great Britain and Imperial College London. In addition, having lived through the Nazi occupation of Denmark, he was predisposed against the misuse of authority and established an open structure for the Institute from its inception. Bjerrum was in close contact with the Norwegian Institution of Technology, and in 1952, he succeeded in getting Soil Mechanics incorporated as a compulsory subject in the civil engineering degree. Subsequently, in 1960, the Chair of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering were established. The first laboratory of this chair was equipped with material donated by the NGI. Bjerrum died young (54 years old) but he had built an excellent reputation through his work at the NGI and his contributions to the International Congresses, where he maintained a close relationship with the significant figures in geotechnics: Terzaghi, Skempton, Peck and Casagrande. He made regular trips to the USA, where he was a visiting professor at M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and received the highest international decorations.
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Status: open (until 18 Jul 2024)
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RC1: 'It is a very remarkable articule regarding one of the best researchers in geotechnics', Anonymous Referee #1, 03 Jun 2024
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I think it is very appropriate to make an investigation regarding the life of one of the most relevant researchers in geotechnics such as Bjerrum.
In my opinion, it describes properly his life, emphasizing most important aspects like his childhood but, also key contacts and main innovations in its area.
The manuscript fits the content of the journal, is well written, properly organized and fluent language.
Therefore, I think it is ready to be published.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-2024-5-RC1 -
AC1: 'Reply on RC1', M. Belén Muñoz-Medina, 04 Jun 2024
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We would like to thank the reviewer for their valuable comments on the revised manuscript.
We are pleased that the reviewer believes that there is value in our work.Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-2024-5-AC1
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', M. Belén Muñoz-Medina, 04 Jun 2024
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EC1: 'Comment on hgss-2024-5', Kristian Schlegel, 05 Jun 2024
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As Topical Editor I have only two minor formal items to note:
1. The left-hand photo of Fig. 5 is of low quality, the faces are hardly discernible. Is this photo really necessary?
2. in Line 389 it should probably read Bjerrum not Bjerrus.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-2024-5-EC1 -
AC2: 'Reply on EC1', M. Belén Muñoz-Medina, 05 Jun 2024
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Dear Editor,
1. There is no need for this photo.
2. This is a spelling mistake. The correct term is Bjerrum.
We are sending a new version of the manuscript, correcting these two items.
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AC2: 'Reply on EC1', M. Belén Muñoz-Medina, 05 Jun 2024
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