ABSTRACT
In planning the three Seminars, and Speciality Session in San Francisco, it was hoped that everyone involved in, or interested in, geotechnical centrifuge modelling would have chance to meet and to discuss their points of view and their differing experiences. Two basic principles of increase of self weight by increase of acceleration equal to the reduction of model scale and of reduction of time for model tests as the scale is reduced, can be explained simply with reference to well known concepts of basic soil mechanics: slope stability and consolidation. In some cases, for example in the analysis of seepage flow in centrifuge model tests, the new experience gained from analysis of centrifuge model test data may lead lecturers to make changes in the way they teach. Analysis of the technique of modelling static and dynamic equilibrium in centrifuge tests has indicated that errors of acceleration field can be made small, say within 5 per cent, but not entirely eliminated.
