ABSTRACT
In 1976 the Institute of Foundation Engineering and Soil Mechanics of Ruhr-University Bochum started its activity in centrifuge technology. Two research projects were carried out on the geotechnical centrifuge at the university of Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Andrew Schofield. The first test program was concentrated on the behaviour of deep, vertical shafts in dry sand with particular emphasis on the horizontal effective pressures acting on the shaft lining during excavation (Jessberger et al (1980); Lade et al (1981)). The second test program included investigations of the deformation and failure mechanism of circular lined horizontal tunnels under various overburden stresses related to the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (Jessberger et al (1985)). The design and technical eguipment for the Bochum Geotechnical Centrifuge was developed in close cooperation with the Soil Mechanics Group at the University of Cambridge. At the end of 1983, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) granted the funds for this project. On the 10th July, 1985, the pre-assembled steel construction of the centrifuge was placed in its building. After the installation of different additional equipment and the proof tests the centrifuge will be ready for operation.
