GeoPrac.net All Headlines

Oasis near Death Valley fed by ancient aquifer under Nevada Test Site

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:53:19 +0100

Groundwater from the Nevada Test Site, location of numerous nuclear test explosions, could eventually migrate 50 miles to Ash Springs, a haven for 24 unique plant and animal species. The 10,000 gpm springs were sampled and the water chemistry was anaylzed to determine the source of the water in an area that averages around 4-in of rain per year. The results indicate that the source is near the Nevada Test Site, and the water takes some 15,000 years to travel approximately 50-miles along a fault zone. The study authors are Michelle Bushman and Professor Steve Nelson. [Source: BYU via National Driller Magazine. Image: BYU]

Weekend CUP for September 1, 2010

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:52:31 +0100

China: Three Gorges Dam's image showing some cracks - Source: latimes.com via ASCE SmartBrief
After the serious flooding in China this summer, Chinese officials have downgraded the design flood that they expect the dam to be witheld.
In 2003, officials boasted that the dam could withstand the worst flood in 10,000 years. In 2007, the estimate was reduced to 1,000 years. In 2008, it was dropped yet again, this time to just 100 years.
ASU's Arrowsmith: 'big one' is overdue in California - Source: Arizona Geology
URS Insurers To Pay $52.4M In Settlement Over Bridge Collapse - Source: WSJ.com via AGC SmartBrief
Geotechnical contractor Bachy Soletanche is using a storm water shaft, with deep diaphragm walls and cased secant piling, on a project for United Utilities - Source: Plant Engineer
Earthquake safety measures in San Diego: How San Diego is preparing for the big one - Source: San Diego News Room via ASCE SmartBrief
Issue 4, Volume 1, International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories - Source: IJGCH via Geoengineer.org
Physical, mental ordeal awaits trapped miners in Chile - Source: CNN.com via Geology.com
Tour of the proposed Belo Monte Dam Complex in the Brazilian Amazon - Source: Google Earth Blog

ASTM Updates August 2010

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:23:00 +0100

The folks at the ASTM Committee on Concrete and Concrete Aggregate have been very busy recently. The past month has seen a whole slew of new and revised standards on concrete sampling and testing. Be sure to check it out if you are in the CQA biz.

18th Century Ship Discovered in World Trade Center Foundation Excavation

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:03:50 +0100

In the foundation and basement excavation for the Vehicle Security Center at the World Trade Center cite, an 18th century cargo ship was discovered approximately 20- to 30-ft below street level. It was likely a type of vessel known as a Brigantine, a work-horse of the coastal trade that may have travelled as far North as New England for lumber and as far South as Barbados to pick up sugar and mollasses.

Geotechnical specialty contractor Nicholson Construction (a GeoPrac.net sponsor) is a member of the joint venture constructing the foundations system. From the National Driller Magazine, Foundation Report email newsletter:

Nicholson, with joint venture partner E.E. Cruz, constructed the Vehicle Security Center's perimeter foundation walls. The water-tight excavation support system includes 40,000 square feet diaphragm wall, 6,000-square-foot secant pile wall, and a jet grout cutoff wall. Nicholson currently is installing tieback anchors to support the foundation walls. The joint venture's $41 million contract also includes the excavation of 160,000 cubic yards of rock, soil, and miscellaneous materials. The project is scheduled to be complete in late August.

I'm guessing that schedule might be delayed somewhat now! There is a really neat 360-degree panarama of the efforts to catalog and recover the ship at the site. [Source: NYTimes.com. Image: National Driller Foundations Report Newsletter]

Layne Christensen Company Acquires Interest in South American Geotechnical Companies

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:53:21 +0100

MISSION WOODS, Kan., Aug. 25, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Layne Christensen Company ("Layne") (Nasdaq:LAYN) today announced the acquisition of a 50% interest in Diberil Sociedad Anonima, a Uruguayan company and parent company to Costa Fortuna (Brazil and Uruguay). Costa Fortuna, with operations in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Montevideo, Uruguay, is one of the largest providers of specialty foundation and specialized marine geotechnical services in South America. Layne has mineral exploration operations already in Brazil and sees the expansion of its geotechnical construction business into this market as a very strategic opportunity. Costa Fortuna, with 250 employees, produced approximately $25 million in revenue and $4.5 million in earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization for the year ended December 31, 2009. Layne's investment for its 50% interest included the purchase of shares from individuals for $10.1 million and the purchase of shares directly from Diberil for $4.8 million resulting in, net of Layne's interest in Diberil, an economic investment of $12.5 million. Subsequent to the acquisition, both shareholders contributed $1.25 million in cash for working capital. In addition, and as part of this transaction, Diberil purchased from Layne 100% of the stock of Layne GeoBrazil for $4.8 million. Layne will record activity from its investment in Diberil as equity in earnings of affiliates.

[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release. [/Editor]

GEO-SLOPE GeoStudio 2007 Version 7.17 Update - Fix for Win7 Licensing Issues

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:44:07 +0100

GEO-SLOPE International, makers of the GeoStudio 2007 geotechnical software suite have announced a version 7.17 update for their GeoStudio 2007 software products, which includes SLOPE/W, SIGMA/W and SEEP/W, QUAKE/W and others. This release is mainly a fix for licensing issues with Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

From GeoStudio Current News. If you are interested, read about the full list of changes in GeoStudio 2007 Version 7.17.

Weekend CUP for August 23, 2010

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:57:51 +0100

Connecticut Worker killed drilling soil borings - Source: NBC Connecticut
Landslides strike Zhouqu County, China - Source: Boston.com
Death toll from NW China mudslide rises to 1,270; 474 still missing - Source: Xinhua via USGS Landslide Events
Staying Current with Conferences and Geosynthetics - Source: geosynthetica.net
GMA responds to EPA on coal ash issue - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Rescuers search for 90 missing in latest China landslide as heavy rains loom on horizon - Source: Washington Examiner via USGS Landslide Events
La. levees are still not ready to provide 100-year storm protection - Source: NOLA.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Engineering landfills to save money, resources - Source: ASU News
Landslide in Zhouqu, China - Source: NASA
Chilean Miners Face Four Months Underground as Rescuers Drill Escape Hole - Source: Bloomberg

Chile is preparing to start drilling a hole to retrieve 33 miners trapped in an underground mine for more than two weeks after they were found alive yesterday.

World Record O-Cell Load Test in St. Louis, MO!

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:55:08 +0100

My colleage Robert Thompson at Dan Brown and Associates has posted about the World Record O-Cell test they were involved in on the new Mississippi River Bridge for I-70 in St. Louis, Missouri. The new record load is 36,000 tons, eclipsing the previous record of 32,000 tons set in Korea in 2005. This test was recently featured in ENR Magazine as well, and Civil Engineering Magazine before that. [Source: Dan Brown and Associates, PLLC. Image: ENR]

Magco drills deep foundations for Phoenix Airport

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:17:29 +0100

Magco was the drilled shaft subcontractor for Hansel Phelps Construction on two separate contracts on the Terminal 4 Project at the Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport. In this very nicely written article, the numerous material, equipment, logistical and other challenges on the project are described, including fighting the sand, gravel and cobbles (known locally as the SGC) from the Salt River. Pockets of Boulders were also encountered along with relatively shallow groundwater. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges was drilling and constructing the shafts with limited space and overhead clearance. I should also acknowledge my colleagues at Gannett Fleming who were involved in geotechnical and structural design on the project. [Source: GeoDrilling International. Image: Hensel Phelps Construction]

France starts on nuclear waste storage project

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:26:01 +0100

Apparently the French are working on their nuclear waste storage facility, they already have a research laboratory constructed about 1/2-km underground. The actual repository will come on line around 2025 and be one of the first to be put into service (only Sweden and Finland likely ahead), and one of the largest planned. The host rock is some kind of limestone layer. [Source: Ontario-geofish. Image: B. Tinoco/ANDRA by way of Nature.com]

Weekend CUP for August 15, 2010

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:21:42 +0100

Eco-friendly transit station a failure, officials say - Source: ASCE SmartBrief
The CAD App - Source: Constructech magazine via AGC SmartBrief
A company in my neck of the woods, Scottsdale, Arizona, has a software package that converts CAD drawings to super high-resolution images using Microsoft's Deep Zoom images platform (I'm imagining tiles of varying resolution to speed up downloading). The technology is available to create viewers for a variety of platforms. Microsoft's free Seadragon iPhone app is one such platform that already exists. I'm sure its just a matter of time until you see a variety of eDocs technologies for the construction industry, or rather for them to start becoming more mainstream.
Geologist caught in mudslide he predicted - Source: The Times of India via USGS Landslide Events
Google Testing an Airborne Camera Drone - Source: Slashgeo
Scores killed in India floods - Source: Al Jazeera English
Landslides raise death toll in Pakistan - Source: Telegraph via USGS Landslide Events
B.C. landslide may be over, but debris expected to wreak more havoc - Source: The Globe and Mail
Oregon tiptoes into warm-mix asphalt - Source: Daily Journal of Commerce via ASCE SmartBrief
More disasters or just more declarations? - Source: Arizona Geology
Images of the Meager Creek landslide in Canada - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
NASA Images Show Continuing Mexico Quake Deformation - Source: NASA via Arizona Geology
GSA Today: Geological mapping goes 3-D in response to societal needs - Source: State Geologists
The Decade Volcanoes - Source: Google Earth Blog
Green geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Geo-Frontiers 2011 update - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Tensar Puts Fast Track Store in Full Swing for Ryder Cup - Source: geosynthetica.net
Building peace from the ground up - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Spotting sinkholes before they start - Source: WBIR.com
NASA Compiling Landslide Database to Improve Disaster Response - Source: Circle of Blue
Lasers help identify potential landslides - Source: Daily Journal of Commerce
Flooding risk remains near site of B.C. landslide - Source: CTV British Columbia
Geotechnical expertise saves time and money between Dublin and Kildare - Source: Rail-News.com
Point Clouds And 3d Modeling For The Masses - Source: ENR: Engineering News Record
GMA pushes on for coal ash containment liners - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Geosynthetics featured during U.S. House hearing.
Workshop on Engineered Barrier Performance Related to Low-Level Radioactive Waste, Decommissioning, and Uranium Mill Tailings Facilities - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
George Koerner reports on the The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Offices of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) and the Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) event held on Aug. 3-5, 2010, in Rockville, Md.
Another slow tremor beneath Olympic Peninsula - Source: Seattle Times Newspaper via Ontario-geofish

So-called "tremor-and-slip" events have occurred about every 15 months since they were first detected in 2002. The latest was found early Sunday north of Olympia and west of Tacoma, and is expected to travel north under the peninsula toward Vancouver Island. UW scientists say it can't be felt at the surface, but over the course of several weeks can release as much energy as a magnitude 6 earthquake.
Haiti Earthquake Blamed on New Fault - Source: LiveScience via Christian Geology
Up until recently, the massive January 12th earthquake in Haiti was attributed to the Enriquillo fault, but recent studies have concluded that the picture is more complex, and the earthquake actually occurred on a previously unmapped fault.

Flooding and Landslides in China’s Gansu Province, Zhouqu County

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:16:00 +0100

Over the past week there has been devastating flooding and landslides in the Gansu Province of China, particularly in Zhouqu county. According to BBC, the latest death toll numbers are at 1,239. Here are some recent links I’ve collected. (Photo: Daily Mail)

China: Rain and mud kill at least 127 in China - Source: latimes.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Utah's Iron County postpones vote on geologic ordinance - Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
Slideshow: Floods Cause Deadly Landslide in China - Source: ABC News
Death toll from NW China mudslide rises to 702; 1,042 still missing - Source: Xinhua via Dave's Landslide Blog
First video of the Gansu landslides - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
China landslide: Worst landslip for 60 years kills 702 | Mail Online
A small collection of photos showing the horrible devastation of this landslide. Also shows Chinese engineers blasting a small landslide dam.
China landslide toll passes 1,000 - Source: BBC News
Harrowing tales of loss and despair from China landslide - Source: CNN.com
Unstable lake threatens areas hit by landslide in northwest China - Source: Washington Post
Gansu landslide: Another manmade disaster? - Source: Shanghaiist
Zhouqu Landslide - Source: Chinadaily.com
This is the best link I’ve found for an overview of the tragedy, facts and figures, photos and news.
Fresh rains threaten China landslide rescue effort - Source: BBC News via USGS Landslide Events
Officials said the number of people known to have died in Zhouqu, when mud and rocks engulfed buildings, now stood at 1,117, with 627 others missing.
More Landslides as China Mourns Victims of Gansu Disaster - Source: Voice of America News
Update on China and Pakistan - 13th August 2010 - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog

Weekend CUP August 9, 2010

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:11:24 +0100

Protocols for Geologic Hazards Response by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory - Source: USGS
40 stranded by Leadville-area mudslides - Source: KWGN via USGS Landslide Events
12 Rules for Making Better Spreadsheets - Source: Chandoo.org
Most engineers I know use a fair number of spreadsheets for a variety of calculations. These are some good things to keep in mind when creating a new one or improving your existing ones.
August/September 2010 Issue of Geosynthetics Magazine Articles and Highlights - Source: geosynthetica.net
Images of landslides triggered by the Haiti earthquake - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
Landslide in China, 21 Missing - Source: CBS News Video
What Triggers Eruptions at Mount Hood Volcano? - Source: Geology.com
PySAL: Python Spatial Analysis Library 1.0 Released - Source: Slashgeo
Fugro NV increasingly involved in geotechnical and survey market for offshore wind farms - Source: Offshore Wind
And their CEO says they have plans to expand into the North American and Asian offshore windfarm market as well.
Taiwan urged to identify deep-seated landslide sites - Source: Taipei Times
Oregon DOT bills North Bend church for landslide clean-up - Source: KCBY CBS 11
Landslide puts 4,000 people on evacuation alert in Canada - Source: People's Daily Online
Landslides Kill 127 in China - Source: NYTimes.com

ER2010 Day 3 Summary

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:06:11 +0100

Sorry for the delay on the summary of the third and final day of the Earth Retention 2010 conference. I kind of hit the ground running when I got back to Tucson with both work and family. Here goes my summary.

Lovat TBM breakthrough imminent at Brightwater

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:07:59 +0100

Not too many details here since I am not a subscriber to their magazine, but it does appear to be some much needed good news for the King County, WA (Seattle area) Brightwater treatment plant which was recently in the news for having two stuck TBM's. From World Tunneling:

‘Elizabeth’, the Lovat RME184SE EPB TBM, is expected to achieve an imminent breakthrough at the Ballinger Way retrieval shaft at the end of its 6.4km bore on the Brightwater 4 (BT 4) tunnel contract in the US.

[Source: World Tunnelling. Image: World Tunneling]

Thank you to GeoPrac.net Sponsors!

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:31:10 +0100

I wanted to acknowledge the ongoing support of all of my GeoPrac.net sponsors. It is because of them that I was able to attend the ER2010 conference and hopefully provide some useful coverage and info for those who could not attend. I truly appreciate their support and I look forward to more conferences like this in the future. To recognize them by name:

gINT Software
Moretrench
Nicholson Construction Company
Dataforensics

You can read about all of them on the Our Sponsors page. It was very nice meeting some of the staff from Moretrench and Nicholson at the conference as both companies had booths. If any other companies are interested in more information about becoming sponsors, please contact me!

Field Demonstrations at ER2010

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:35:27 +0100

The conference team did a great job setting up a fantastic field demo at a King County Maintenance Yard. The President of local geotechnical contractor DBM, Tom Armour was one of the people instrumental in setting it up, but he pointed out that there was a long list of people and companies that supported the program. Make sure to check out all the field demo photos on the GeoPrac.net Facebook page (no need for a Facebook account).

The setup included a station with a soldier pile wall with timber lagging and a soil nail wall in various states of completion. There was also an MSE wall station with three different wall systems that were being backfilled as the visitors watched. There was a station with an example of anchor strand and bar stressing using a demonstration frame from Contech. Finally, a Hilfiker Spiralnail wall was shown that is part of an ongoing research project. Check out the photo of the sponsors shown below, thanks to everyone who contributed!

Codes, Seismic, Landslides and Demos – ER2010 Day 2

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:15:30 +0100

Day 2 of Earth Retention 3 started off with a presentation on AASHTO LRFD for earth retaining structures presented by my boss Naresh Samtani and his co-author, Paul Sabatini. It was a nice overview for those who haven’t been previously exposed to LRFD. A couple of the interesting comments by the authors include mention of some work for Arizona DOT regarding eccentricity that might have some implications in the AASHTO code (resultant within middle 2/3 instead of middle 1/2). Paul also mentioned some problems with cut walls in the code that need to be addressed, such as the lack of guidance for factors for temporary walls, and the need for better guidance for computing vertical pile resistance for anchored walls which currently requires the designer to use drilled shaft design procedures.

Brian Simpson with Arup discussed other limit state design codes around the world, particularly the Eurocode 7. But he also mentioned the Japanese code as another mature limit state code. What I took away as one of the major differences between AASHTO LRFD and Eurocode 7 is that they factor the material properties and not the computed resistances whereas AASHTO factors the computed resistance and not the material properties. But Dr. Simpson commented that there were many similarities between the codes despite the fact that they were essentially developed independently.

Youssef Hashash presented an overview of seismic design procedures for buried boxes. He indicated that generally buried boxes have performed well in major earthquakes. An exception to this was the collapse of the Daikai subway station in Kobe, Japan. One comment I found particularly interesting is his discussion about the effect of temporary shoring used to construct the box, they found that if you account for the full length of the shoring, it could increase the racking of the box.

Seismic Displacement Design of earth retaining structures was the title of the presentation by Jonathon Bray. He discussed how the Mononobe-Okabe method requires the selection of the proper seismic coefficient, and his paper suggests that the permissible deformation of the structure should be a significant factor in the selection of the parameter. Another interesting comment from his presentation was that for sites with peak gronund acceleration (PGA) <3g, no analysis is needed. The next presenter, Marshall Lew indicated he was comfortable with the cutoff being 4g however his presentation was geared more towards basement wall excavations.

The technical session I attended in the afternoon had a landslide theme. John Wolosick from Hayward Baker, Inc. presented on 7 different projects that he had worked on, I can’t wait to go back and read the paper. Matthew Meyer with Langan Consultants presented on the stabilization of a 70-ft high side-hill fill in West Virginia and then I had to leave the session early to go to the field demonstrations. More on that later.

Seattle Area Project News

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 05:36:04 +0100

When I arrived in Seattle for the ER2010 conference, I was thinking about the kinds of stories I post on the site. I think I probably post more about Seattle area projects than any other geographic area. It's a hotbed of interesting geotechnical projects I guess. Here are a few relatively recent ones, in case you missed them.

Geotechs rejoice, It’s “Dirt! The Movie”

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:48:00 +0100

Dirt! The Movie is more about soil conservation and its role in the environment, but hey, it’s still pretty cool. I wouldn’t expect to see it at the megaplex though. And what gives with their mascot? It reminds me of a certain South Park character! Ok, he’s kind of cute, they call him “Digby.” I wonder if they have T-shirts?

China Flooding and Landslides - Three Gorges Dam Being Tested

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:48:19 +0100

China has been getting pounded recently by heavy rains and flooding. Here are a few stories I've come across in this department.

Three Gorges Dam flooding turns deadly; dozens missing in China - Source: CSMonitor.com
China landslide leaves 21 missing amid floods - Source: The Associated Press
Three Gorges Dam proves itself as it holds back flooded Yangtze River - Source: Xinhua
The Sichuan landslide - location information - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
Updated: An astonishing landslide this morning in China - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog

Weekend CUP August 3, 2010 – Vacation Edition

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:41:48 +0100

Here are some interesting stories that have been piling up since I got back from vacation last week. Read carefully, there are some gems in here.

Abolish Geology? - Source: Ed Medley
Seattle developer wants to investigate possible use of geotextile bags to construct artificial reef to prevent flooding of proposed development - Source: The Daily World via Geosynthetica.net News
New York City Marks Final Stage of Mining to Extend No. 7 Line - Source: WSJ.com via AGC SmartBrief
Scientists to create the most detailed map of California coastline ever assembled - Source: San Jose Mercury News via ASCE SmartBrief
Firefighting likely caused Oregon landslide - Source: Daily Journal of Commerce
Mitigation of SR87 landslide continues - Source: Arizona Geology Blog
Work starts on first tunnel for new south approach for Golden Gate Bridge - Source: ContraCostaTimes.com via ASCE SmartBrief
TenCate Doubles Its Profit in the First Half of 2010
India's $100 billion (US$) highway investment - Source: Geosynthetics Magazine
Traffic Cameras for Roadway Monitoring and Management - Source: EarthCam.net via Roads and Bridges Magazine
Cool hardware and software system for monitoring of roadway and other construction projects.

And about 20 more! Click through for the rest.

Theme from ER2010 Day 1 – Advancements in Earth Retention and Future Trends

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:28:54 +0100

This first day of ER2010 was full of some excellent technical sessions. As you might expect from a conference that occurs once every 20 years, there is a strong theme of looking back at what some of the technical innovations have been in the earth retention field over the last 20 years, and also what some of the future trends are going to be.

So after the morning started with the usual welcomes from the ER2010 committee chair and others from the Geo-Institute and even the ASCE Seattle Geotechnical Group, here are a scattering of some of the interesting points and themes from the various presentations, at least from my perspective. They are not in any particular order.

Adaptive management of shoring systems will be used more and more. This involves using automated systems for monitoring the structures to iteratively update the numerical models to match the measured displacements and deflections and then predict deflections at future excavation stages.
Numerical analysis was stressed in several presentations, particularly when trying to determine deformations away from the structure or the affects on existing structures. The trick is to get the initial conditions modeled correctly.
We will continue to see the use of hybrid support systems employed to solve earth retention projects.
Sustainability will be a continuing trend, so what does that mean for walls? Possibly non-select backfill, looking at life cycle costs and carbon footprints of various components of the walls, and increased use of literal green structures (as in vegetated RSS)
Continued development and implementation of LRFD
Possible use of split zone or 2 zones of backfill in MSE walls
Continued improvement of design procedures for RSS structures, particularly reliability based design
A number of cautionary tales or advice regarding careful applications of new technologies and software
From two presenters (Ryan Berg and Bob Bachus), they indicated that an estimated 5% of MSE walls, particularly segmental retaining walls fail within the first two years! All of the published case studies on these failures are from private developments. Typically these walls are in the 12-36’ height range.

Nicholson Completes Howard Hanson Grout Curtain Project

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:59:32 +0100

PITTSBURGH, PA – July 30, 2010 – In early 2010, Nicholson Construction Company finished the construction of a double-line grout curtain at the Howard A. Hanson Dam in western Washington State. This high profile project was completed under a very strict schedule and heavy public scrutiny.

Howard A. Hanson Dam, built in 1962, is an earth embankment dam. The dam embankment is 235 feet high and 675 feet long. The composition of the right abutment foundation is partially bedrock and unconsolidated alluvial and landslide material. The right abutment has leaked since the dam became operational. A leak in January 2009 filled the reservoir higher than ever, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to reclassify Hanson Dam as "unsafe" with an "urgent and compelling" need for immediate action.

[Editor] Click through for the rest of this press release from GeoPrac.net Premier Sponsor Nicholson Construction Company [/Editor]

Arrived in Seattle for ER2010

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:29:15 +0100

Today is the first day of the Earth Retention Conference 3 or ER2010 conference in Bellevue, Washington. Sponsored by ASCE’s Geo-Institute, this is the third conference in a series that occurs every 20 years! I’ll be spending the next couple of days blogging, tweeting and posting to GeoPrac’s facebook page about the various plenary speakers, technical sessions, exhibitors and even field trips. So follow geoprac on Twitter (and if you tweet, I propose the #er2010 hashtag) and visit our Facebook page to keep up!

Randy

[Photo of Seattle’s seismically deficient Alaskan Way Viaduct, got to drive on top, and park underneath it!]

Sheet Pile Wall SLOPE/W example problem

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:54:53 +0100

Deep excavations usually require proper reinforcement to prevent failure. In this SLOPE/W example we illustrate how the stability of a deep excavation with a sheet pile wall can be evaluated.

Features of this simulation include: the Morgenstern-Price method, use of the Entry and Exit slip surface option, a dry slope with no pore-water pressure condition, use of anchors to reinforce the slope, use of a pile to model the sheet pile, use of a line load to model the sheet pile, and hand calculation of the passive earth pressure.

[Source: GEO-SLOPE Newsletter. Image: GEOSLOPE]

NFL's Titans eye $250k Compaction Grouting fix for sinkhole at LP Stadium

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:50:42 +0100

Hayward Baker will be the geotechnical contractor for the compaction grouting. The article draws a HORRIBLE comparison between compaction grouting and the 'top kill' that BP tried to stop the oil leak in the gulf. Honestly, sometimes reading what the media writes about engineering is a little scary. I'm sure Hayward Baker is thrilled to have their name mixed in there with the most hated company on the planet right now! [Source: Nashville Business Journal via AGC SmartBrief]

On vacation…

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:12:00 +0100

I’m headed for a little vacation with the family, so no updates for the next week or so. When I get back, don’t miss a review of the first geotechnical iPhone/iPad app, a revamped Facebook page, and some thoughts on the upcoming ER2010 conference in Seattle where you can expect plenty of GeoPrac.net coverage. Adios! (Image: Slack12)

Weekend CUP July 16, 2010

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 05:02:26 +0100

Aging pier footings pass safety tests for Dulles Metrorail Project - Source: Washington Post via CE News
The Geo-Institute is proud to announce that Rob Schweinfurth became the G-I's new director on July 1, 2010 - Source: Geo-Institute
Thousands evacuated in China as dam threatens to burst - Source: Yahoo! News via CR4 Globalspec
Corps to debate plan to use coal ash to fortify levees - Source: bnd.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Expert: Seattle Viaduct tunnel inherently risky - Source: SeattlePI via ASCE SmartBrief
Sound-Absorbing Retaining Walls - Source: TRB
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has released a synthesis on currently available information in relation to exterior surfaces or applications to transportation retaining walls that reduce or absorb sound.
Egypt planning $1 bln tunnel under Suez Canal - Source: Reuters via Geosyntetica.net News
Guideline for Subgrade Preparation for Fabricated Geomembranes is Published by FGI - Source: geosynthetica.net
Fatal landslides in 2010: a half term report - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
Makers of Geoengineer.org launch new website - TheCivilEngineer.org - Source: Geoengineer.org
Tensar receives 2010 IGS Award - Source: geosynthetica.net
They received the award for their Tri-Ax geogrid product. It was presented at the IGS 9th International Conference in Brazil in May.
Interesting demo movies about Plaxis 2D and 3D - Source: YouTube via @Plaxis
New Orleans Corps of Engineers defends using sacrificial steel for sheet piling on flood protection projects - Source: Nola.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Report: Team Drops Out of Contention for Seattle Deep-Bore Tunnel - Source: TBM ENews
World’s Largest Hard-Rock TBM Forges Ahead at Niagara - Source: TBM ENews

Agra Foundations Acquired by Soletanche Freyssinet

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:47:25 +0100

PITTSBURGH, PA – July 13, 2010 – Nicholson Construction Company is pleased to announce that Soletanche Freyssinet, a world leader in civil engineering and construction, acquired Agra Foundations Limited on June 25, 2010. Agra Foundations specializes in piling and ground improvement. Agra is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, and primarily operates in Western & Central Canada, where it has six office locations. Agra Foundations will continue to operate as an autonomous company, under the leadership of their President, Derek Harris, P.Eng, a 28 year veteran of the company.

[Editor] Read on for the rest of the press release from GeoPrac.net sponsor Nicholson Construction Company. [/Editor]

Hidden challenges of Highway 99 tunnel (Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement)

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:48:58 +0100

The proposed tunnel to replace the seismically deficient Alaskan Way Viaduct in Downtown Seattle is no stranger to controversy. This article highlights recent discussions regarding the cost of the project. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire declared last month "We have no cost overruns in this project at all, zero" and none are expected. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn claims the cost overruns could be as much as $1.2B. The current construction cost estimate is $1.1B, and the total including design is estimated at $2B. This article has a nice discussion about some of the potential pitfalls that could cause cost overruns, although they appear to be some worst case scenarios in there. But I learned a great deal about surety bonds, sort of insurance policies for these large projects. [Source: Seattle Times Newspaper via CE News. Image: The Seattle Times]

Case Study for Tensar ARES MSE walls in Henderson, Nevada

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:53:37 +0100

The ARES wall system is a geosynthetic reinforced MSE wall with a concrete panel facing. Most concrete panel systems use metallic reinforcement. On this project, the on-site backfill soil did not meet electrochemical requirements for the use of metallic reinforcement, so this system became an attractive option. [Source: Tensar. Image: Tensar]

Help Find Genghis Khan's Tomb From the Comfort of Your Home

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:34:04 +0100

Ghengis Khan's tomb has never been found for a variety of reasons. A project involving National Geographic is underway to look for this and other archaeological sites of significance in Mongolia. Think SETI@Home but with aerial photo interpretation. I'm not sure how they convey to people what they are looking for, but very intriguing. [Source: GeekDad | Wired.com. Image: Geo-Eye image from Wired.com]

Flooding Halts Tunnel Excavations for Lake Mead Water Supply Intake

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:23:45 +0100

Excavation for the $700M Lake Mead Intake No. 3 Project was put on hold after tunneling encountered a fault carrying groundwater that flooded the excavation and submerged equipment. The flooding occurred over about 4-days, so there were no injuries reported. The Southern Nevada Water Authority 'Third Straw' project will secure the Lake Mead water supply for thirsty Las Vegas in the face of declining lake levels. The contractor will drill into the fault and grout it so the water can be pumped out and work can proceed. Check out this interesting SNWA project overview video for the 'Third Straw' project. [Source: Las Vegas Sun via ASCE SmartBrief. Image: Southern Nevada Water Authority]

On The Land Side, Venice Floodprotection Shored By Sheet Piles

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:19:57 +0100

About two-thirds of a 57-km-long “fence” of sheet piling has already been driven to encircle polluted industrial sites in Porto Marghera that flow into a 550-sq-kilometer lagoon. [Source: ENR: Engineering News Record. Image: Peter Reina, ENR]

Questions linger a year after Logan canal burst triggered a deadly landslide

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:05:29 +0100

One year ago in Logan, Utah, a landslide caused a portion of an irrigation canal to fail, resulting in a secondary mudslide. A mother and two children were killed in the slope failure. Portions of the landslide area remain relatively untouched one year later as wrongful death lawsuits naming the City of Logan, Utah Department of Transportation, Utah State University are being resolved in court. Negotiations between family members and the private canal company could also end up in court. The City has acquired a number of the affected properties and hopes to turn the area into green space. [Source: The Salt Lake Tribune. Image: Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune]

Weekend CUP July 12, 2010

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:03:47 +0100

Nice photo of Devil's Slide on CA 1 (the PCH) - Source: Flickr
You can see the cap beam for some of the ground anchors that are holding up the highway, and you can also see some of the rockfall mesh etc. Of course this will all be unnecessary once the new tunnels open up!
Officials and Scientists Spar Over Plan to Block Oil - Source: NYTimes.com via ASCE SmartBrief
ASCE accepting resumes for Director of Geo-Institute - Source: ASCE Career Connections
A new landslide video - Source: Dave's Landslide Blog
Report: Another Bad Year For Construction, But Spending Will Rebound In 2011 - Source: ENR: Engineering News Record
Why Was the 2004 Indonesia Tsunami Deadlier Than a Second from the Same Fault Three Months Later? - Source: Geology.com
TenCate Receives United States Patent for TenCate Miramesh® Geosynthetic - Source: geosynthetica.net
ASTM Unveils Updated Website - Source: geosynthetica.net
How to be Safe in the Heat - Source: Geology.com
Practices and Guidelines for the Incorporation and Use of Geotechnical Information in Design-Build Projects - Source: TRB

Plaxis Launch 3D Software for Geotechnical Sector

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:56:28 +0100

From a Wilde press Release:

After Plaxis bv have undertaken a comprehensive testing phase over the last 12 months, Wilde, as their UK & Ireland distributors, are delighted to announce the commercial release of their flexible yet intuitive PLAXIS 3D software.

With the option to import or create arbitrary surface and solid geometry within the user interface, PLAXIS 3D is a finite element analysis program specifically developed for the detailed three-dimensional analysis of deformation and stability in geotechnical engineering. It is equipped with many unique features to deal with various aspects of complex geotechnical structures and construction processes, including the interaction between structures and the adjacent soil.

Advanced constitutive models enable the simulation of the non-linear, time-dependent and anisotropic behaviour of soils and rock. Furthermore, as soil is a multi-phase material, special capabilities also accurately model the influence of hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic pore pressures within the ground. [Source: Wilde via OnlySoftwareBlog]

Jury clears Lake Oswego man in landslide that destroyed downhill neighbor's home

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:32:46 +0100

The downhill neighbors were suing the uphill neighbor for $2.5M, claiming he 'girdled and removed trees in the area and redirected stormwater that contributed to the landslide' which demolished their million dollar dream home. But the jury wasn't buying it, and the they found 9-3 that the man was not at fault. [Source: OregonLive.com. Image: YUXING ZHENG/THE OREGONIAN]

ESRI Releases Free ArcGIS for iOS (iPad/iPhone)

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:33:30 +0100

ESRI has recently released an iPhone and iPad app that will allow developers to bring content derived from ArcGIS to the popular iOS platforms. According to ESRI's website, the ArcGIS app will allow users to find and share maps from ArcGIS Online, use tools to search, identify, measure, and query and eventually (after some future update), to collect and update GIS features and attributes and perform GIS analysis by accessing geoprocessing tasks. I think this is a major game changer for engineers and geologists and all manner of public works departments. I can't wait to see what developers come up with for this. [Source: Slashgeo. Image: ESRI]