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Purdue Geotechnical Society

13th Leonards Lecture (2015) Dr. Richard E. Goodman presented the 13th Leonards Lecture on Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963), Geotechnical Engineer and Founder of Soil Mechanics The Purdue Geotechnical Society was founded in May 2003 to enhance the strong bond and working relationship among alumni, faculty, students, and staff of the Geotechnical Engineering group at Purdue University for the benefit of all. A Celebration Honoring the 100th Anniversary of Professor Leonards’ Birthday April 29, 2021 – 2pm EDT We invite you to celebrate Prof. Gerald A. Leonards’ birthday through an informal event to be held online on the afternoon of April 29th. This will be about a 2.5-hour session using ZOOM. There will be short presentations by six of Jerry's former colleagues or students that will highlight his legacy and connect it to the state of practice today and the future of our profession. Purdue Geotechnical Society - Purdue University

By smadi66|January 5th, 2022|Geotechnical Engineer Indiana, Geotechnical Engineer Indianapolis, Geotechnical Indiana, Indianapolis, Geotechnical Services|0 Comments

Foundation, Geotechnical

A Midwest leader in foundation, geotechnical, and bridge construction Specializes in a wide array of foundation piles, auger cast piles, micropiles, earth retention systems, geotechnical, and marine construction. Hardman line of services can be used in any situation there’s a need — from a one-day job to a multimillion-dollar project. Select a service to see the work they do. Deep Foundations Auger Cast Piles Displacement Piles Drilled Shafts Driven Pile Helical Piles Micropiles Push Piles Sheet Piling Earth Retention Earth Anchors Secant Walls Soil Nail Walls Soldier Piles Shotcrete Tangent Auger Cast Walls Ground Improvements Compaction Grouting Soil Grouting Geotechnical

Geologists and Geotechnical engineers provide flood risk management

Source: DVIDS - News - Geologists and Geotechnical engineers dig deep to provide flood risk management At the Arcadia flood risk management project, in Arcadia, Wisconsin, geotechnical staff are gathering data using a unique method of subsurface exploration. The Cone Penetrometer Test, or CPT, is one method used to identify and characterize soils. The CPTs were conducted with assistance from the Savannah District geotechnical and geology branch. “We benefited from their expertise and cooperation,” said Greg Wachman, senior geotechnical engineer. In CPTs, a device with a conical tip and metal sleeve measure penetration resistance as it’s pushed into the ground. Those measurements are used to characterize the soils’ engineering properties. For example, the forces on the device as it’s pushed through a soft clay are very different from those as it’s pushed through a dense sand, Wachman said. The device also records pore water pressure, which aids in understanding soil permeability and groundwater characteristics. CPTs vs. soil borings A CPT is most useful when used together with standard soil borings, Wachman explained. A soil boring drills into the ground to retrieve physical samples. In contrast, with a CPT, the soil is never seen. CPTs are significantly faster than standard borings and provide continuous test data with depth. With a soil boring, samples are collected about every 5 feet, or change in material, so it’s possible to miss important information. One limitation of the CPT, due to excessive friction, is that it may not be extended to the same depth as a soil boring. The CPTs at Arcadia are being pushed to approximately 60-70 feet, whereas a soil boring can be performed in excess of 100 feet. “By doing some CPTs next to soil borings – where we know what the soils are – we can increase the likelihood that we [...]

By kk42|December 13th, 2021|Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Florida, CPT Blog, CPT Data, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical Arizona, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Texas|0 Comments

Long-Term Testing Of Concrete Bond Durability

Source: Long-Term Testing Of Concrete Bond Durability The definition of concrete durability can be explained as the ability of a specimen to resist any form of weathering action, namely abrasion, chemical, physical, or any other process of deterioration. In other words, the durability of concrete can also be defined as the ability to last a long period of time without significant deterioration or failure. Image Credit: Peshkova/Shutterstock.com Types of weathering include mechanical, physical, and chemical weathering of concrete including the alkali-aggregate reaction of sulfate attack and chloride attack. Different long-term testing methods have been used over the years and more research has been done to improve the existing methods to be more economical and environmental. Consideration has also gone into methods that reduce the time in which these tests can be completed and assessed. The Importance Of Long-Term Durability Testing It is important to test for the durability of concrete bonds because of the following reasons. Firstly, concrete testing will allow the designers to determine accurately the lifespan of a specific structure according to its specific needs or requirements. If a structure is intended to last a specific period of time, long-term concrete testing can reveal the combination that is required for it to last that long. There can be economic and environmental benefits to this testing. Economically, constant rehabilitation and patching up of structures are very expensive. Hence, long-term testing can reveal the right combination of concrete mixtures for durable structures, thereby reducing the number of times for rehabilitation. Environmentally, constant rehabilitation will require more use of natural resources such as sources of energy, gypsum, or steel to continuously rehabilitate worn-out structures. Continued rehabilitation increases the carbon footprint, which is not environmentally friendly. Developments In Concrete Bond Materials New studies have revealed that the addition of carbon fibers amounting [...]

By kk42|December 10th, 2021|Geotechnical New York, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Services, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Colorado|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

Crews wrap up yearslong landslide project on Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, Ohio

Source: Columbia Parkway Hillside Stabilization - Transportation & Engineering Source: Crews wrap up yearslong landslide project on Columbia Parkway Crews have wrapped up construction on a years long project to stabilize a large swath of hillside along Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, Ohio — a stretch that has long been a landslide risk. Contractor crews officially wrapped up the $17.6 million project this week, city officials announced. The project’s footprint extends over two miles on the uphill side of the parkway from Bains Street near downtown to just east of the William Howard Taft Road-Torrence Parkway intersection in East Walnut Hills. Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation & Engineering began developing a long-term stabilization plan for the parkway in the spring of 2019 following a series of landslides in multiple locations along the uphill side. Landslides in the area began increasing in frequency and significance in recent years, peaking in the winter and early spring of 2019. The threat to public safety also was increasing with mud and debris frequently spilling over existing retaining walls onto the roadway, prompting emergency closures along the five-lane thoroughfare that carries approximately 30,000 vehicles a day from the city’s east side into downtown. The parkway was built in the late 1930s as a Depression-era public works project situated along a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. The Ohio River traces a path along Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Mitigation efforts in the 1990s helped reduce the impact of landslides on the downhill side of the parkway but didn’t address the uphill side. City council approved funding for an emergency mitigation project in late spring 2019 and it started to take shape that summer once Canton-based Beaver Excavating was selected as the prime contractor. The proposed dual solution including soil nailing for the steepest sections, and [...]

By kk42|September 28th, 2021|Geotechnical Services, Landslides, Geotechnical Ohio, Cincinnati|0 Comments

UNF first in Florida to conduct large-scale lab testing on sinkholes

Source: UNF first in Florida to conduct large-scale l | EurekAlert! Jacksonville, Fla. – University of North Florida researchers will be the first in Florida to conduct large-scale laboratory testing of sinkhole mechanics. Dr. Ryan Shamet, civil engineering assistant professor, was recently awarded a Florida Department of Transportation project grant for “Validation and Update of the Sinkhole Index,” a project that will aim to better understand the potential of sinkhole formation prior to any collapse at the surface. This joint project between UNF and University of Central Florida includes $90,259 for UNF and new equipment coming to UNF labs. The new equipment consists of a large-scale soil box that will allow UNF researchers to recreate and monitor the geotechnical and hydraulic mechanics of sinkholes forming in north and central Florida. The researchers at UNF and UCF will collect data from active sinkhole sites throughout the state and then refine and update analysis techniques for varying geologic conditions or regions based on their data. This analysis technique will allow engineers to quantify a location’s relative vulnerability of conditions favorable to sinkhole collapse when raveling conditions are encountered using an investigation test called the Cone Penetration Test (CPT). CPTs are a common subsurface investigation tool used by geotechnical engineers to identify soil layers and measure the strength of the soil within a project location. Through quantifying the raveling phenomenon, local engineers can better discern which mitigation techniques, such as compaction grouting or road closure, should be performed to lower the associated risk of sinkhole collapse.

By kk42|September 24th, 2021|Geotechnical Mississippi, CPT Blog, Cone Penetration, Geotechnical South Carolina, Sinkholes, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Florida|0 Comments

Using Torque Testing for Better Designs

Source: Using Torque Testing for Better Designs All Engineers can relate to an experience we’ve had where what we designed was not how it turned out in “the real world”. Rarely does a project end up being exactly as what we put down on paper. Soil testing for foundation supports is no exception and unfortunately these differences almost never end on the positive side of a cost estimate. One way to mitigate those differences is to use a testing process which directly relates with the type of foundation being used. For helical piles, while there are well-established trends between ASTM D1586 N60 blow count N values and potential pile length, even the slightest variations in testing methods and/or soil description can create significant differences in the “design” versus “reality”. The more accurate method for a helical pile foundation design would be to do actual torque tests (a.k.a. helical probe tests) at the site. While most designs initially begin with a Geotechnical Report including boring logs, for helical piles using an actual torque test prior to start of work instead will provide a much more accurate picture of soil capacity and allow for a finite design. Even with boring logs and N60 blow counts being used for preliminary designs, a torque test can be used to “fine-tune” the foundation design. Many owners might think that the additional cost associated with a site torque test, albeit nominal, is not needed. However, time and time again, the small additional cost has proven to save substantial money on the foundation project by allowing the engineer to confirm and enhance their foundation design. In addition, site torque tests can be incorporated directly into a design created in the HeliCAP® v3.0 Helical Capacity Design software to provide real time updates to designs giving better solutions with more confidence. Adding actual [...]

By kk42|September 22nd, 2021|Geotechnical Services, Drilling, Drilling Indiana, Drilling Illinois, Drilling Ohio, Drilling Kentucky, Drilling Michigan, Drilling Missouri, Soil Testing|0 Comments

Ohio Geotechnical engineering faculty to develop course with Japanese colleagues

Source: Geotechnical engineering faculty to develop course with Japanese colleagues | Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering Geotechnical engineering faculty to develop course with Japanese colleagues Posted: July 20, 2020 Thanks to an award granted by a partnership of The American Council on Education (ACE) and the Institute for Innovative Global Education, Ohio State faculty and students will have soon have the opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues and peers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. The two universities were selected by ACE to participate in the U.S.-Japan Rapid Response Virtual Exchange / Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Transformation Lab. The COIL program fosters U.S.-Japan higher education ties through the development of new and innovative courses. Daniel Pradel Daniel Pradel, professor of practice in geotechnical engineering, will collaborate with Takashi Matsushima, professor of engineering information and systems at the University of Tsukuba, to adapt a current Ohio State course called, “Learning from disasters: Extreme events and their impact on infrastructure, engineering, and society.” Professor Pradel previously participated in several post-disaster, engineering reconnaissance teams, including the 2015 Ghorka Earthquake in Nepal, the 2011 Tohuku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. He said that studying the response to these and other extreme events will reinforce, to students, the importance of resilience in designing and developing infrastructure. "Historical decisions in planning, engineering and/or urban development play important roles that often magnify the destructive effects of extreme events," Pradel said in a statement. He went on to emphasize the other challenges these events present. "In developing countries, where resources tend to be limited, extreme events such as earthquakes and typhoons often result in medical threats from infectious diseases due to the limited availability of clean water and emergency medical services." Daniel Pradel surveys landslide damage caused by Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico, 2017. While international travel is not possible during [...]

By smadi66|September 20th, 2021|Geotechnical Services, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma, Canton, Youngstown, Geotechnical Ohio, Lorain|Comments Off

Geotechnical Instrumentation and Monitoring Consumption Market Size to Witness Huge Growth by 2027 | By Top Leading Vendors – Keller, Fugro, Nova Metrix, Geokon, Geocomp, Sisgeo, Cowi – The Daily Chronicle

Source: Geotechnical Instrumentation and Monitoring Consumption Market Size to Witness Huge Growth by 2027 | By Top Leading Vendors – Keller, Fugro, Nova Metrix, Geokon, Geocomp, Sisgeo, Cowi – The Daily Chronicle

By smadi66|September 22nd, 2020|Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Oregon, Geotechnical Nebraska, Geotechnical Maine, Arlington Heights, Geotechnical Rhode Island, Geotechnical North Carolina, Geotechnical Massachusetts, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical South Carolina, Geotechnical West Virginia, Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Maryland, Geotechnical South Dakota, Geotechnical Services, Geotechnical Nevada, Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Arizona, Geotechnical New Hampshire, Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Utah, Geotechnical Arkansas, Geotechnical Indiana, Geotechnical New Jersey, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Vermont, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical New Mexico, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Virginia, Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Tennessee, Geotechnical New York, Geotechnical Connecticut, Geotechnical Washington, Geotechnical Delaware, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical North Dakota, Geotechnical Florida, Geotechnical Wyoming, Geotechnical Idaho, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Oklahoma, Geotechnical Mississippi, Geotechnical Louisiana|0 Comments