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John Carter

John Carter

BE (Hons 1) PhD DEng

John Carter was educated at the University of Sydney and Kings’ College, University of London. He graduated with a BE in Civil Engineering in 1973 and a PhD in Geomechanics in 1977, both from the University of Sydney. He was a cadet and graduate engineer with the Electricity Commission of NSW and has held research and academic appointments with the Soil Mechanics Group at the University of Cambridge (1977-79), the University of Queensland (1979-82), and since 1982 with the University of Sydney. He was appointed to a personal chair at the University of Sydney in 1990 where he was the Director, Centre for Geotechnical Research from 1989 - 2005. In 1999 he was appointed as Challis Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney. He has also served as Head, Department of Civil Engineering from 1995 to 1999 and for a period (March to July 1997) as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney. In 2004 and 2005 he served as Chair of the Academic Board.

John left The University of Sydney at the end of 2005, to take up the role of Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at The University of Newcastle. The Department of Civil Engineering wishes John well for his future challenges.

John maintains some links to The University of Sydney through some of his current research projects which are outlined below.

Research interests & current/recent research projects

Soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, foundations, environmental geotechnics, offshore geotechnics, rock mechanics, soil-structure interaction, numerical and analytical methods.

Selected publications

  • Islam, M. K., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2002). Three-dmensional elasto-plastic analysis of offshore circular foundations resting on carbonate sands and subjected to inclined loads. Journal of Civil Engineering, The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, 30(1), 25-42.
  • Liu, M. D., and Carter, J. P. (2002). A Structured Cam Clay Model. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 39(6), 1313-1332.
  • Taiebat, H., and Carter, J. P. (2002). A Failure Surface for the Bearing Capacity of Circular Footings on Saturated Clays. Numerical Models in Geomechanics - NUMOG VIII, Rome, Italy, A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 457-462.
  • Wang, C. X., and Carter, J. P. (2002). Deep Penetration of Strip and Circular Footings Into Layered Clays. International Journal of Geomechanics, 2(2), 205-232.
  • Yu, H. S., and Carter, J. P. (2002). Rigorous Similarity Solutions for Cavity Expansion in Cohesive-frictional Soils. International Journal of Geomechanics, 2(2), 233-258.
  • El-Zein, A., Carter, J.P. (2003). A Multiple-Porosity Finite-Element Model of Reactive Contaminants in Soils. Proceedings 2nd MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Boston, Elsevier, Vol. 2, pp. 1322-1326.
  • Islam, M. K., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2003). Comparison of the Yield Locus and Stress-Dilatancy Function of Some Critical State Constitutive Models with Experimental Data for Carbonate Sand. Journal of the Institution of Engineers, India.
  • Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., Airey, D. W., and Liyanapathirana, D. S. (2003). A Cam Clay-type Model for Structured Soils. Proceedings 3rd International Symposium on the Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials, Lyon, France. A.A. Balkema, Lisse, Netherlands, 1155-1160.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Carter, J. P., Airey, D. W., and Liu, M. D. (2003). Bearing Response of Shallow Foundations on Structured Soils. Proceedings International Conference on Foundations, Dundee, Scotland, Thomas Telford, 521-530.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2003). Predicting the Behaviour of Foundations on Structured Soils. Proceedings XIIIth European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Prague, The Czech Republic, 2, 255-260.
  • Taiebat, H., and Carter, J. P. (2003). Contact Between Soil and Circular Foundations Under Eccentric Loading. Proceedings 2nd MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Boston, Elsevier, 1, 674-677.
  • Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., and Desai, C. S. (2003). Modeling Compression Behaviour of Geo-materials. International Journal of Geomechanics, 3(3/4), 191-204.
  • Liu, M. D., and Carter, J. P. (2003). General Strength Criterion for Geo-materials. International Journal of Geomechanics, 3(3/4), 253-259.
  • Liu, M. D., and Carter, J. P. (2003). Volumetric Deformation of Natural Clays. International Journal of Geomechanics, 3(3/4), 236-252.
  • Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., Airey, D. W., and Liyanapathirana, D. S. (2003). A Cam Clay-type Model for Structured Soils. Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials. 3rd International Symposium on the Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials, Lyon, France, A.A. Balkema, Lisse, Netherlands, 1155-1160.
  • Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., and Desai, C. S. (2003). Modeling Compression Behaviour of Stuctured Geomaterials. International Journal of Geomechanics, 3(3/4), 191-204.
  • Liu, M. D., Chow, H. S. W., and Carter, J. P. (2003). A Study of the Final Strength of Natural Clays. International Conference on Slope Engineering, Hong Kong, 362-367.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Carter, J. P., Airey, D. W., and Liu, M. D. (2003). Bearing Response of Shallow Foundations on Structured Soils. International Conference on Foundations, Dundee, Scotland, Thomas Telford, 521-530.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2003). Predicting the Behaviour of Foundations on Structured Soils. XIIIth European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Prague, The Czech Republic, 2, 255-260.
  • Taiebat, H., and Carter, J. P. (2003). Contact Between Soil and Circular Foundations Under Eccentric Loading. 2nd MIT Conference on Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics, Boston, Elsevier, 1, 674-677.
  • Carter, J. P., and Small, J. C. (2004). Chapter 16 Computational Geomechanics Including Consolidation. Encyclopaedia of Computational Mechanics, E. Stein, R. de Borst, and T. J. R. Hughes, eds., John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2, 543–574.
  • Cassidy, M. J., Airey, D. W., and Carter, J. P. (2004). Numerical Modelling of Circular Footings Subjected to monotonic Inclined Loading on Uncemented and Cemented Calcareous Sands. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, In press.
  • Chai, J.-C., Carter, J. P., Miura, N., and Hino, K. (2004). Coefficient of Consolidation from Piezocone Dissipation Tests. International Symposium on Lowland Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, In press.
  • Chai, J.-C., Hayashi, S., and Carter, J. P. (2004). Preloading Clayey Deposits by Combining Vacuum Pressure with Embankment Loading. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, Submitted.
  • El-Zein, A., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2004). A Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Method for Contaminant Transport in Soils. 9th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Auckland, NZ, New Zealand Geotechnical Society, 1, 473-479.
  • Islam, M. K., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2004). Comparison of the Yield Locus and Stress-Dilatancy Function of Some Critical State Constitutive Models with Experimental Data for Carbonate Sand. Journal of the Institution of Engineers (India), 84(February), 233-237.
  • Liu, M. D., and Carter, J. P. (2004). Application of a New Definition for the Number of Cycles of Loading. International Conference on "Cyclic Behaviour of Soils and Liquefaction Phenomena", Bochum, Germany, A.A. Balkema. 57-64.
  • Liu, M. D., and Carter, J. P. (2004). Evaluation of the Sydney Soil Model. The Skempton Conference, London, Thomas Telford, 1, 498-509.
  • Liu, M. D., Carter, J. P., and Chai, J.-C. (2004). Behaviour of Natural Structured Clay Simulated by the Structured Cam Clay Model. International Symposium on Lowland Technology, 2004 (ISLT 2004), Bangkok, Thailand, 79-84.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2004). Numerical Modeling of Nonhomogeneous Behaviour of Structured Soils During Triaxial Tests. International Journal of Geomechanics, 5(1), 10-23.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2004). Analysis of Cone Penetration Using the Structured Cam Clay Model. 9th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Auckland, New Zealand, 1, 295-301.
  • Liyanapathirana, D. S., Carter, J. P., and Airey, D. W. (2004). Non-homogeneous behaviour of structured soils during triaxial tests. 18th Australasian Conference on Mechanics of Structures and Materials, Perth, Western Australia, A.A. Balkema, 2, 1043-1048.
  • Poon, M. S., Cassidy, M. J., Airey, D. W., and Carter, J. P. (2004). The Behaviour of Circular Footings on Silica Sand Subjected to Inclined Load. 9th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand Geotechnical Society, 2, 569-575.
  • Taiebat, H., and Carter, J. P. (2004). Effects of Torsion on Caisson Capacity in Clay. 9th Australia-New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics, Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand Geotechnical Society, 1, 130-136.
  • Thorne, C. P., Wang, C. X., and Carter, J. P. (2004). The Uplift Capacity of Rapidly Loaded Strip Anchors in Uniform Strength Clay. Géotechnique, 54(8), 507-517.

Departmental & University Service

  • Challis Professor, Department of Civil Engineering (1990-)
  • Head, Department of Civil Engineering (1995-1999)
  • Director, Centre for Geotechnical Research at the University of Sydney (1989-2005)
  • Acting Dean, Faculty of Engineering (March-July, 1997)
  • Deputy Director, Civil Engineering Foundation, University of Sydney (1995-)
  • Chair, ARC Small Grants Panel for Engineering and Earth Sciences (1995-1999)
  • Member and Chair (2001), ARC Small Grants Panel, College of Sciences and Technology (2000-2001)
  • Member, University Information Technology Committee (1998-2001, 2003)
  • Chair, College of Sciences and Technology, Research Advisory Committee (2001-2003)
  • Member, Faculty and Central Promotions Committees (1990-)
  • Associate Dean for Research, Faculty of Engineering (2003)
  • Member, University Research Committee (1998-2003)
  • Chair, University Research Committee (2003-)
  • Deputy Chair, Academic Board (2003)
  • Chair, Academic Board (2004-)
  • Fellow of Senate (2004-)
  • Chair, Engineering and Environmental Sciences Expert Advisory Committee, Australian Research Council (2002-2004)
  • Council Member, The Women’s College, University of Sydney (2001-)

Professional Service and Memberships

  • Fellow, Institution of Engineers, Australia
  • Member, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Member, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
  • Member, International Society for Rock Mechanics
  • Member, International Association of Engineering Geology
  • Member, International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics
  • Member, Australian Geomechanics Society
  • Member, British Geotechnical Society
  • Fellow, Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
  • Member, Sydney Chapter Committee, Australian Geomechanics Society (1990-2004)
  • Chairman, Sydney Chapter Committee, Australian Geomechanics Society (1997-1998)
  • Member, National Committee, Australian Geomechanics Society (1996-2003)
  • Chairman, National Committee, Australian Geomechanics Society (2000-2001)
  • Member, Committee CE/25 Standards Australia (1992-)
  • Chair, Organising committee for the John Booker Memorial Symposium, Sydney, November 2000, and co-editor of the conference proceedings
  • Reviewer for ‘Geotechnical Engineering’, a journal published by the South-East Asian Geotechnical Society
  • Reviewer for ‘Civil Engineering Transactions’, published by the Institution of Engineers, Australia
  • Reviewer for ‘Géotechnique’, an international journal published by the Institution of Civil Engineers, London
  • Reviewer for the ‘Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division’, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Member, Editorial Board, ‘Computers and Geotechnics’, an international journal published by Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd, London (1988-1995)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, ‘International Journal for Solids and Structures’, published by Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd, London (1993-)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, ‘International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd, New York (1994-2000)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, ‘Mechanics of Cohesive-Frictional Materials’, published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd, New York (1997-2000)
  • Associate Editor and reviewer for the ‘Canadian Geotechnical Journal’, published by the National Research Council of Canada (1992-)
  • Founding Co-editor ‘International Journal of Geomechanics’, published by CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA (2000-2002) and by the American Society of Civil Engineers (since 2003)
  • Vice-President for Australia-New Zealand, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2005-2009)