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Can Enzymes Be the Key to Replacing Concrete in the L.A. Basin?

Source: Is L.A. Like a City Built on Jell-O? Can Enzymes Be the Key to Replacing Concrete? Chukwuebuka Nweke May Have the Answers - USC Viterbi | School of Engineering CHUKWUEBUKA NWEKE. Even as a child 8,000 miles away in Nigeria, Chukwuebuka Nweke remembers the 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquake. “It was a massive, devastating event,” Nweke recalled in an interview earlier this year. “That was probably the first earthquake that I got to see (video) footage about.” Now, Nweke, a geotechnical civil engineer, is a new assistant professor in the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Seismic hazard modeling — how the ground shakes and how that varies from place to place — is one of his key focal areas, with an aim to helping us allocate resources with priority toward the most vulnerable structures. “Some places could have a lot more damage depending on a number of things, including what’s underneath the ground and what kind of buildings are on there,” he said. “That coupled with information like what kind of service the structure provides or the density of the residing population helps determine the risk level.” For example, Nweke said, if an earthquake takes place in the middle of the desert, with a low or null population, even very large shaking wouldn’t be of great concern. However, in the L.A. basin, it’s a different story, Nweke said. “I specialized primarily in seismic site response, where I’m trying to see how much an earthquake is amplified in areas that are softer, like Los Angeles — the entire basin from Westwood to Orange County is very soft compared to the adjacent mountains,” he said. Nweke, whose scientific curiosity initially stemmed from watching various Discovery Channel series on meteors and the impact of dinosaurs, said Los Angeles is of particular interest in [...]

By kk42|October 15th, 2021|Geotechnical California, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Ana, Anaheim|0 Comments

Report: Drilling spills ruined wells and polluted streams in Westmoreland, across Pennsylvania

Source: Report: Drilling spills ruined wells and polluted streams in Westmoreland, across Pennsylvania | TribLIVE.com Edward Mioduski holds a jar of water produced by his Loyalhanna Township well in June 2017, a month after the water became polluted during drilling underneath nearby Loyalhanna Lake. Alice and Edward Mioduski point to where the Mariner East II pipeline cuts across their farm in Loyalhanna Township. It has been more than four years since Edward and Alice Mioduski of Loyalhanna Township have been able to drink water from their well near Loyalhanna Lake. Drilling mud mixed with the mineral bentonite leaked from the hole that Sunoco Pipeline L.P. was boring underneath the lake in May 2017. It bled into the aquifer that their 95-foot-deep well had tapped into for decades. The crystal-clear water turned cloudy gray with little white blobs floating around. “Within a short time, it went to hell,” Alice Mioduski said. Before that, their water was “the nectar of the gods. We never ran out of water.” Now, they have a 1,500-gallon plastic tank in their backyard that provides water for showering and washing clothes — when it doesn’t freeze in the winter — paid for by Sunoco. A filtration system inside the house provides water for drinking and cooking. The damage to streams and water supplies by the leaks and lost fluids during construction of the 307-mile Mariner East II pipeline is outlined in a 64-page indictment handed down last week by a statewide investigating grand jury. Energy Transfer L.P. of Dallas, a successor to Sunoco Pipeline, was slapped with 48 criminal violations of the Clean Streams Law. Fluids that were to return to the surface and be dumped into a drill pit for reuse simply disappeared underground or bubbled up to the surface. The grand jury alleges [...]

By kk42|October 15th, 2021|Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Soil Testing|0 Comments

US: Magnitude-6.5 earthquake occurs east of Chignik, Alaska

Source: US: Magnitude-6.5 earthquake occurs east of Chignik, Alaska Oct. 11 A magnitude-6.5 earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Alaska Peninsula at around 01:10 AKDT Oct. 11. The epicenter was about 114 km (70 miles) east of Chignik. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 46 km (28 miles). Moderate shaking was likely felt across northern parts of the Aleutian Islands and much of Kodiak Island. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake; however, significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are likely over the coming days. Authorities have not issued any tsunami advisories. Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake's epicenter.

By kk42|October 11th, 2021|Badger, Knik-Fairview, College, Wasilla, Tanaina, Earthquakes, Lakes, Kalifornsky, Geotechnical Alaska, Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks|0 Comments

Stress in Earth’s crust determined without earthquake data

Source: Stress in Earth's crust determined without earthquake data Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a method to determine the orientation of mechanical stress in the earth's crust without relying on data from earthquakes or drilling. This method is less expensive that current approaches, could have broad applicability in geophysics and provide insight into continental regions lacking historical geologic information. "We utilized the nonlinear elastic behavior in rocks and applied a new technique to monitor the orientation of the maximum horizontal compressive stress in rocks in parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico," said Andrew Delorey of Los Alamos. "The orientation of that maximum horizontal compressive stress reveals which fractures in the rock will be active." North-central Oklahoma was selected because induced seismic activity has been ongoing in the region after decades of injected wastewater from oil and gas operations. That seismic activity occurs on faults optimally oriented in the regional stress field. North-central New Mexico was selected to compare the results to a geologic setting straddling a continental rift separating the Colorado Plateau from a stable section of the earth's crust. The scientists determined that the earth exhibits stress-induced anisotropy of nonlinear susceptibility that is aligned with the maximum horizontal compressive stress in these two different geologic settings. Rocks become stiffer when compressed and softer when extended, but this effect isn't instantaneous. The rate is faster in the orientation where the ambient stress field is most compressive. By measuring this rate in different orientations, scientists can determine the orientation where ambient stress is most compressive. Determining the geophysical stress orientation, or the direction of maximum horizontal compressive stress, is usually determined by drilling narrow, deep boreholes. However, borehole drilling is expensive and only provides a single data point. Additionally for vast regions, the geophysical data simply hasn't been collected because [...]

By kk42|October 11th, 2021|Farmington, Edmond, Pueblo, Alamogordo, Midwest City, Westminster, Clovis, Enid, Boulder, Hobbs, Moore, Thornton, Carlsbad, Geotechnical Colorado, Stillwater, Geotechnical New Mexico, Geotechnical Oklahoma, Denver, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Colorado Springs, Las Cruces, Tulsa, Aurora, Santa Fe, Norman, Lakewood, Rio Rancho, Lawton, Fort Collins, Roswell, Broken Arrow, Arvada|0 Comments

How the Concrete Vibrator Changed Concrete Mix Design

Source: How the Concrete Vibrator Changed Concrete Mix Design | For Construction Pros Over the last 60 years, concrete vibrators have evolved into a necessary machine for concrete jobs. Industry studies have highlighted separation issues, vibration energy, surface defects, and mix incompatibilities—leading to the development of a more predictive concrete placement experience. Concrete vibration dates to the late 1960s when Thomas Reading, an engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, set vibration placement recommendations through vibration tests. At the time, the normal slump of structural concrete was three to four inches, had a “peanut butter” like consistency, and placed in forms by a concrete bucket. Reading used a larger horsepower motor to maintain a maximum vibrator speed that ran the vibrator heads for the current consistency of mixes. Reading concluded that the vibrator frequency should never exceed 10,000 vibrations per minute (vpm) due to his observation of concrete material separation. At that time, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 309 Consolidation Guidance Specification reflected Reading’s research and limited the vibrator frequency to that maximum frequency. Surface voids were mistaken for entrapped air. Through today’s research, we’ve come to understand that surface blemishes come from vibration-frequency-forced bleed water. Ten years later, mix designs were being transformed by a chemical additive called a water-reducing agent (WRA) to allow for a more workable concrete mix for the future of economical concrete placements by pumping instead of concrete buckets. By the end of the next several decades, the volume of pumped commercial concrete reached 80%. The increased use and type of WRAs (plasticizers) allows for more possibilities of bleeding. With the increased bleeding in pumpable mixes, present concrete mix designs started to take on a "soup-like" consistency. While the vibrator design remained the same, manufacturers began to increase the amount of vibrator frequency. As [...]

By kk42|October 11th, 2021|Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Louisiana, Geotechnical Maine, Geotechnical North Dakota, Geotechnical Maryland|0 Comments

California agency finds significant liquefaction

Source: State agency finds ‘significant liquefaction’ | Local News Stories | hmbreview.com The green in this map indicates areas on the coast that may be prone to liquefication, according to the California Geological Survey. Illustration courtesy California Geological Survey The California Geological Survey last week released new hazard maps for San Mateo and Contra Costa counties that detailed where landslides and soil liquefaction could likely occur in the event of a significant earthquake. The CGS’s Seismic Hazard Zone maps found “significant” liquefaction zones in parts of San Mateo County, particularly in Half Moon Bay, Miramar and San Bruno. The state has already mapped most of the Peninsula, including Montara Mountain, Woodside and San Mateo. But La Honda and San Gregorio are two notable rural areas that don’t have data accessible yet. Each map, a roughly 60-mile zone called a “quadrangle,” accounts for three types of geologic issues caused by earthquakes: a fault rupture, landslide and liquefaction, which describes the process when seismic tremors cause soil to mix with groundwater and behave like quicksand. The state agency identifies most of the city of Half Moon Bay as inside a liquefaction zone. Its quadrangle is 74 square miles, and the liquefaction zone spans the city’s entire coastline and more, including most of the neighborhoods up to Pilarcitos Creek, including El Granada, Miramar and rural areas like Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve. The map also identifies fault zones on both the east and west sides of the Half Moon Bay Airport, and more than half of Montara Mountain’s quadrangle is at risk of earthquake-induced landslides. The CGS maps were drafted in February but became official on Sept. 23. Land management agencies and cities use hazard maps to identify properties that require site-specific studies before breaking ground on new development. [...]

By kk42|October 11th, 2021|San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Geotechnical California, Earthquakes, Los Angeles|0 Comments

Concrete Dam Safety Inspection with Ground Penetrating Radar GPR

Source: Concrete Dam Safety Inspection with Ground Penetrating Radar GPR | For Construction Pros A non-destructive with ground-penetrating radar inspection could save time and money during investigations of this critical element in concrete infrastructure. GSSI using the Structure Scan™ Mini XT to refine the dam survey area. Geophysical Survey Systems As the world struggles to improve its critical infrastructure, many are seeking out non-destructive testing (NDT) methods that can help to accurately determine what can be repaired and what needs to be replaced. In the field of dam safety, NDT methods are seen as a way to cut down on the actual work that has to be done, while making sure that condition data is most accurate. Engineers, facility managers, and dam operators need accurate information on the structural health of their facility to take decisive action to prevent catastrophic incidents. Earthquake monitoring systems can assist decision-making by providing predictive data before an earthquake and evaluating the structural integrity of the dam or levee before and immediately after an earthquake (Dam Safety Group, Ground-Penetrating Radar for Dam Investigative Applications, 2021) Among the available NDT methods, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is growing in importance for dam evaluation applications. Increasingly, both public- and privately-funded dam owners are looking to GPR technology to inspect the dam infrastructure and surrounding areas. GPR can be cost-effectively integrated with other types of ground surveys to build a visual understanding of the overall subsurface of the site. The technology can be rapidly deployed, provides an effective means to evaluate subsurface information, and contributes to continuous monitoring and condition assessment throughout a structure’s life. In response to the need for the best possible NDT methods, several industry experts founded the Dam Safety Group, which provides a wide range of geophysical and seismic techniques and technologies to address non-invasive [...]

By kk42|October 11th, 2021|Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Oklahoma, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Georgia|0 Comments

Shapiro files 48 charges against pipeline company for drilling spills

Source: Shapiro files 48 charges against pipeline company for drilling spills | City & State PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday in Pennsylvania announced a slew of criminal charges against Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas-based company behind the construction of a controversial 350-mile natural gas pipeline that runs through 17 counties. Shapiro announced that his office filed 48 criminal charges against Energy Transfer for violating state environmental statutes, with 45 of the charges being for illegally releasing industrial waste throughout the state. The charges follow an 18-month investigation by a statewide grand jury which found that Sunoco Pipeline L.P. – which later merged with Energy Transfer – “criminally failed to properly report and address the environmental hazards created by its operations during the entirety of the pipeline project.” Shapiro said the charges stem from the illegal release of industrial waste at 22 different sites in 11 counties across the state. The grand jury’s findings detailed the release of hundreds of thousands of gallons of drilling fluid into lakes, waterways and residential areas since the pipeline’s construction began in 2017. Shapiro said upwards of 150 families suffered contaminated drinking water from construction of the pipeline. “Corporations should not be treated leniently just because there's not a mugshot of Energy Transfer being arrested today,” Shapiro said at a press conference. “They should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. That is what we are here to do – to apply the law without fear or without favor.” Shapiro announced the charges from Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County, which was polluted with between 21,000 and 28,000 gallons of drilling fluid just last year, according to the grand jury’s findings. A spokesperson for Energy Transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The charges prompted some to [...]

By kk42|October 6th, 2021|Drilling, Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Geotechnical Texas|0 Comments

Town officials reject Bliss Corner cleanup responsibility Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Source: Town officials reject Bliss Corner cleanup responsibility | Dartmouth 20 Kraseman St., where the PCBs were originally found. Photo by: Douglas McCulloch Dartmouth, Massachusetts officials told federal and state environmental agencies last week that the town should not be responsible for the cost of cleaning up PCBs and other toxic chemicals found in a Bliss Corner neighborhood. Meanwhile Bliss Corner residents are expressing frustration with their fortunes being left in limbo as the federal Environmental Protection Agency studies how to deal with an unknown amount of unknown hazards dumped in the area decades ago by as-of-now unidentified people or companies. Officials “categorically reject” claims by the Environmental Protection Agency that the town is responsible for transporting and locating the contaminants in the area, according to a letter written to the agency Sept. 28 by attorney Roy P. Giarrusso on behalf of the town. The EPA recently identified dangerously high levels of contaminants in five properties in the Bliss Corner neighborhood, which sparked the call for clean-up. The exact location of parcels being referenced and the source of information citing the town’s responsibility for transporting and locating the material to the area have not been identified, the letter reads. The letter was sent by the law firm of Giarrusso Norton Cooley and McGlone, a Quincy-based firm serving as counsel to the town on this issue. “The town categorically rejects EPA’s suggestion that the town is somehow an arranger or (even more perplexing) a transporter of hazardous substances to unspecified properties in the Bliss Corner Neighborhood,” according to the letter. “The Town is still left guessing where, exactly, EPA plans to conduct the work,” it read. “For that reason alone, the notice fails as a matter of law.” This past April, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection issued “Notice of Responsibility” letters to Dartmouth [...]

By kk42|October 6th, 2021|Lynn, Quincy, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Cambridge, Brockton, New Bedford, Fall River|0 Comments

Hideaway Hills residents still have no answers about mine situation

Source: Hideaway Hills residents remain in the dark, still no answers about mine situation - KNBN NewsCenter1 BLACK HAWK, S.D. — Residents of Hideaway Hills remain in limbo regarding the homes in the vicinity of the abandoned gypsum mine. The mine first came into the public eye around April of 2020, when sinkholes opened in the area to reveal it. More information became available in September, when the Montana Tech study made it known the mine was larger than originally believed. The affected area now extends along the eastern side on Interstate 90. Residents have heard their community was built on an old gypsum mine. The sinkholes opening up last year gave confirmation to their suspicions. “All the older generations talk about playing down in the mine,” resident Courtney Ahrendt said. “And they’re like ‘Oh yeah, we all knew about it.'” Ahrendt has lived in the Hideaway Hills community since 2012, and has seen the ground and structures nearby shifting first-hand. In her backyard alone, her back porch has a significant lean. Parts of the pavement have also shifted inches upward, posing as a potential tripping hazard. “It’s been advised not to let your children play in the dirt,” she added, “Mostly because they’re [lungs] not fully developed and inhaling that dirt is always most concerning.” Since the mine’s discovery, residents have seen significant changes in the area. Most notably shifting pavement and structures on top of the sinkholes already in place. Some, like Ahrendt, are even avoiding parts of their own homes. “Well now that we know there’s a mine under there, do we know that it’s settling or do we know that it might be falling in? I will not sleep downstairs. I haven’t slept downstairs since a couple of weeks after it opened. I sleep upstairs with [...]

By kk42|October 6th, 2021|Rapid City, Aberdeen, Watertown, Brookings, Mitchell, Pierre, Yankton, Huron, Sinkholes, Vermillion, Geotechnical South Dakota, Sioux Falls|0 Comments