Geotechnical Illinois Archives - GEOTILL provides geotechnical, construction testing and Environmental services Indianapolis Indiana

Bush retires Geotechnical Engineer Chicago District

Geotechnical Engineer Bush retires with over 30 years government service Leslie Bush receives an award during her retirement ceremony, 11-20-21 Thirty-one years ago, as a civil engineer summer hire for the Coastal and Geotechnical Engineering Section, Leslie Bush’s primary assignment was oversight of the geotechnical subsurface investigation activities for the west reach of the Little Calumet River, Indiana, Local Flood Protection and Recreation Project. “I worked on the West Reach subsurface investigation that consisted of soil sampling, use of drill rigs, and soil classification and testing for over 120 boreholes,” she said. The work required her to ensure the subsurface investigation was performed according to the scope of work, and that boring log documentation was thorough and that all required laboratory testing data was submitted to the district. A year later, in 1991, when she was hired as a full-time civil engineer in the Coastal and Geotechnical Engineering Section, her first assignment was to complete geotechnical design for levee system components of the same project. For approximately 15 years, she completed geotechnical design and eventually served as a technical lead for numerous sets of plans and specifications. Yesterday, the district joined Bush in celebrating her retirement and she said that, in her entire stretch here, completing design work, being an effective Value Engineering officer and Quality Program Manager, and executing security manager duties each provided highlights to her career. “It was very rewarding to carry work from the geotechnical investigation phase to design completion with the award of plans & specifications, to save the district a cumulative of approximately $87 million through use of Value Engineering techniques, and to ensure the district remained compliant with regard to Quality Management and security requirements,” she said. Other jobs she held included serving as the district’s Quality Program Manager for approximately 20 years, [...]

By smadi66|January 5th, 2022|Geotechnical Indiana, Calumet, Geotechnical Illinois, Chicago, Champaign|0 Comments

Researcher Aids Arkansas Highway Projects Through Subsurface Analysis

Source: Researcher Aids Arkansas Highway Projects Through Subsurface Analysis | University of Arkansas FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A University of Arkansas geotechnical engineer is collaborating with the Arkansas Department of Transportation to map subsurface conditions before road construction begins to identify issues early and help keep highway construction projects on track and on budget. Clint Wood, a civil engineering associate professor and geotechnical engineer, creates profiles of subsurface conditions and soil composition by sending stress waves into the ground and measuring their response at the surface. The non-invasive technology is similar to how ultrasound imaging works on the human body. The technology provides important information for highway designers and construction contractors, who’ve had to rely on imperfect methods for determining subsurface conditions, such as exploratory drilling, a strategy that can miss changes between limited drilling locations. Wood compares designing based on limited exploratory drilling to navigating with an incomplete map. The research is conducted for and in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Transportation. With an additional $115,318 grant, the transportation department has provided a total of $561,427 in funding. The work focuses on estimating the depth and stiffness of bedrock for new highway alignments and understanding subsurface conditions that cause slope instability. The latter is especially important for understanding how water moves through a slope. Unexpected changes in bedrock depth near slopes can also create pockets where water collects, which can cause the soil in the slope to become saturated, leading to instability. Projects that encounter these issues can face substantial extra costs and delays while designers and contractors adapt the original plan or have to attempt another repair. Those problems can be avoided, or at least minimized, by better understanding the subsurface conditions through non-invasive testing. LIDAR AND DRONE ACCURACY In a separate project, Wood and several other U of A [...]

By kk42|December 13th, 2021|Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical Arkansas, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Missouri|0 Comments

Corps honors Flynn for geotech work

Source: Corps honors Flynn for geotech work EDWARDSVILLE — Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SOE) alumnus Stefan Flynn has been recognized as the 2021 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Early Career Geoprofessional of the Year. “While simply being nominated for this award meant a lot to me, I was humbled to have been selected,” said Flynn. “It was equally exciting to see an award created for early career professionals. This award is a testament to the leadership of the Geotechnical, Geology and Materials Community of Practice and their efforts to support, involve and recognize our employees at all professional levels.” “For those organizations that are not already doing so, I highly encourage you to consider ways to recognize your younger/early career professionals,” said Flynn. “I am both proud and grateful to work for such a dedicated and impactful organization as the USACE with our great teams across the nation, within the Mississippi Valley Division, and at home in the Rock Island District.” In 2014, while pursuing a bachelor’s in civil engineering at SIUE, Flynn began working with the USACE as a student intern at the St. Louis District. Upon graduation in 2015, he was offered a full-time job with the Rock Island District. He currently serves as a senior geotechnical engineer and conducts design, construction and inspection of dams, levees and navigation structures. The Early Career Geoprofessional of the Year award recognizes Flynn for exhibiting professionalism and commitment to excellence through: • Enhanced regional and/or national projects, • Achievements and innovations in geotechnical engineering, geology or materials engineering, • Contributions to professional/technical societies, • Enhanced relationships with peers, partners and contractors, and • Demonstrated exemplary levels of trust and integrity. During his time at SIUE, Flynn served as a research assistant and conducted research for the Illinois [...]

Collaborative summer at ERIC for freshwater research

Source: Freshwater research: A collaborative summer at ERIC | All In Wisconsin When Amanda Stickney learned about chemistry in sixth grade, her love of math and science clicked. Amanda Stickney analyzes samples at the ERIC lab. “In high school, I went to a semester boarding school that focused on environmental science and stewardship,” says the recent graduate of UW-Stevens Point’s chemistry program. “That’s when I knew I wanted to do something with environmental chemistry.” Last summer, Stickney had a unique opportunity to expand her laboratory skills at UW Oshkosh’s Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC), the UW System’s most comprehensive research and testing center. Each year ERIC hires about 40 students for its various programs. Historically, most of them have been undergraduates from UW Oshkosh. A grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin (FCW) helped give students from other UW campuses, including UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-Superior, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater, the opportunity to train at one of ERIC’s three locations — Oshkosh, Manitowoc, or Door County. The FCW grant funded four positions, and an additional three-and-half positions were funded through matching grants. “We provide opportunities for students to learn the techniques, the workflow and the environment of this type of laboratory,” says Greg Kleinheinz, Viessmann Chair of Sustainable Technology and professor of environmental engineering technology at UW Oshkosh. “One of the goals of our Freshwater Collaborative project was to make inroads with other campuses and bring students from the different campuses together.” Students spent a week in the ERIC lab training and learning analytical techniques. Because of her major, Stickney worked in the lab all summer, learning how to run the equipment, analyze samples and follow standard operating procedures. “If I want to work in a lab, I wanted to really learn chemical safety,” she says. “Not everyone can follow an SOP [Standard Operating Procedure] for [...]

By kk42|October 4th, 2021|Geotechnical Wisconsin, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Indiana, Geotechnical Ohio, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Michigan|0 Comments

Microbial material modification helps to control frost heave and saline soil solidification

Source: Microbial material modification helps to control frost heave and saline soil solidification Chinese researchers recently conducted a study on process of biogas generation improving physical and mechanical properties of soil. A research team led by Sheng Yu from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with their colleagues from Southeast University, has implanted Pseudomonas Stutzeri in the soil pores and induced it to produce nitrogen bubbles, and they also analyzed the influence mechanism of mitigation of sand liquefaction using biogas bubbles. In the natural environment, there are many microorganisms in rock and soil masses, and its metabolic activities will change physical and mechanical properties of rock and soil. These microbial activities can be controlled, enhanced and used to solve geotechnical problems, and such methods have been named as biogeotechnologies. As an emerging interdisciplinary field, it has developed rapidly in recent years due to its advantages of low carbon and friendly environment. From the perspective of practical application, biogeotechnologies can be used for rock and soil reinforcement, sealing of water leakage, prevention of sand liquefaction, soil erosion resistance control, and contaminated soil treatment and so on. Based on the above research results, the NIEER research group is exploring to apply biogeotechnologies to frost heave control and saline soil solidification, and has achieved some preliminary results. In this study, the researchers applied biogas generation process to soil frost heaving treatment, and studied improvement of biogas production performance under low temperature conditions. Results showed that sealing effect of bubbles and microorganisms on the water migration path can reduce soil permeability coefficient by one order of magnitude. Besides, they also introduced biomineralization to solve the prominent problem of saline soil with high chloride content in Northwestern China. Based on excellent curing effect, they analyzed the deterioration mechanism of [...]

By kk42|September 30th, 2021|Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical Nebraska, Geotechnical Indiana, Environmental Indiana, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Iowa|0 Comments

Access partners Moraturwa University to introduce Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology

Source: Access partners Moraturwa Uni. to introduce Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology - Business News | Daily Mirror Access Engineering PLC (AEL) has joined hands with the University of Moratuwa, supported by the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) of the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford to collaborate in the research project ‘Introduction of Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology to Sri Lanka’. The research project will be led by Dr. Kasun Kariyawasam and his research team from the University of Moratuwa with support from CSIC, an active member of the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities through the University of Cambridge together with Dr. Sinan Acikgoz from the University of Oxford. It has been identified that Sri Lanka has not yet advanced in the concept of Smart Infrastructure in comparison with the developed world despite its numerous advantages. Also, Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology which has significantly developed over the last two decades has not yet been introduced to Sri Lanka. However, the boom in construction experienced in post-war Sri Lanka has now provided an ideal testing bed for research in Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology. Access Engineering PLC, the leading construction enterprise in Sri Lanka will be providing the much needed support for this research project due to the company’s involvement in several major construction projects in the island. The research project aims to introduce the Fibre Optic Monitoring Technology to Sri Lanka and use the unique climatic, geotechnical and material conditions present to further study this technology in the areas of integrity testing of piles, axial shortening of multi-story buildings, scour monitoring of bridges and damage detection of historic structures. This new initiative of Access Engineering to support the research for the Introduction of Fibre Optic Monitoring technology to the island nation is yet another [...]

By kk42|September 29th, 2021|Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Massachusetts|0 Comments

Sustainable solution to mining’s ‘red mud’ waste enters final stage of testing

Source: Sustainable solution to mining’s ‘red mud’ waste enters final stage of testing | Central Queensland Today University of Queensland has developed technology that could rehabilitate mine waste back to useful soil is entering full-scale trials. University of Queensland has developed technology that could rehabilitate mine waste back to useful soil, with the technology now entering full-scale trials. Developed by researchers at UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute in partnership with Rio Tinto and Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) the bio-engineering technology works by transforming bauxite residue, a by-product of alumina refining also commonly called ‘red mud’, into a soil-like material capable of hosting plant life. QAL Environment and Tailings Manager Trent Scherer said there was an excitement amongst the team to see the project move to a full-scale trial. “After years of watching various trials unfold within our daily work environment, to now be able to see the tangible outcomes of UQ’s work unfolding has been encouraging for the team,” he said. Mr Scherer said QAL were committed to minimizing their environmental footprint through their 5-YES program and the funding and resources provided to this project were further steps in that journey. In 2018 QAL commenced works for their 5-Year Environmental Strategy, comprising of 60 capital works projects and culture change initiatives. With a budget of $440 million designed to improve the environmental performance of QAL. This initiative with UQ is in addition to the 5-YES funding and QAL are hoping will pave the way for the future of tailings management. Ecological Engineering of Mine Wastes Group Leader Professor Longbin Huang said the technology would be trialed on an operational scale at two red mud sites in Queensland after the team secured new multi-million dollar funding agreements with Rio Tinto and QAL. “The technology demonstrates how transformative industry-academia partnerships can [...]

By kk42|September 29th, 2021|Drilling Kentucky, Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Geotechnical West Virginia, Geotechnical Wyoming, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Illinois, Drilling Illinois|0 Comments

Informed Streets Pavement Management Solution

Source: Horrocks' Informed Streets Pavement Management Solution Road maintenance is an essential component of city infrastructure. However, deciding what needs to be fixed and when is often a subject of debate. That's where Horrocks' new pavement management system comes it. Using data-driven analysis, it takes some of the guesswork out of the entire process making road maintenance more cost-effective. This will be an exceptionally great tool for cities like Anchorage, Atlanta, Boulder, Chicago, Indianapolis, Little Rock, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Phoenix. Informed Streets for Pavement Management Horrocks’ new pavement management system has been dubbed Informed Streets. This is simply because it helps create road maintenance schedules, allowing our clients to maximize their budgets by applying the right treatment to the right road at the right time. This system assesses existing pavement conditions and uses predictive models to develop unique, data-driven management plans that optimize costs and upkeep. These plans are created through the following four stages: 1. Initial Assessment and Survey Horrocks’ mobile LiDAR unit during initial survey In the initial phase of service, Horrocks’ in-house survey crews complete a thorough survey and pavement assessment of the roadways. This is done using a truck-mounted Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) unit to assess the pavement by collecting one million survey-grade points every second. Our experts then use this data to develop a baseline for a pavement management plan by providing one of two pavement ratings, depending on our client’s needs: the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) or Pavement Condition Index (PCI). 2. Data Analysis and Planning Once the pavement rating is complete, an online platform is set up for our client, which includes the Informed Streets3D Viewer. Horrocks’ Informed Streets 3D Viewer integrates GIS systems, LiDAR point clouds, and photography in one robust platform that allows for [...]

By kk42|September 28th, 2021|Indianapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Little Rock, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Boulder, New York, Anchorage|0 Comments

Monsoon Claims 432 Lives In HP Landslides

Source: Monsoon Claims 432 Lives In HP; Landslides, Accidents Increasing Due To Widespread Rain & Snowfall Monsoon death toll in Himachal Pradesh climbs to 432 which is considered as the highest in last five years while twelve people have died in last 24 hours, according to the Disaster Management Authority. Widespread rains and snowfall at high altitude passes resulting in a series of landslides, disruption of major roads and National Highways threw life completely out of gear in Himachal Pradesh, even as temperature dropped significantly in Shimla—the capital city, and Lahaul-Spiti district. Wintry conditions prevailed all over the state on Thursday as result of the rains and snowfall in Lahaul-Spiti valleys. Thick fog engulfing the hills for the past 24 hours created havoc trouble for the travelers which also resulted in several road accidents. Few of these were fatal, others left many people injured due to skidding of the vehicles and mid-way collusions . (Photo Credit- Sanjay Sood) Superintendent of Police Lahaul Spiti Manav Verma told Outlook that it has been raining incessantly. A travel advisory has been issued for the people asking them to avoid journey during next 24 hours . There has been a road disruption near Nehru Kund on Manali Leh road (National Highway no 3) due to landslides. It has been continuously raining at Baralacha La Pass ( 15,922 feet) affecting the mobility of the vehicles on Manali Leh road . Only those vehicles used for essential supplies to Leh are allowed to move as the pass has been very slippery for normal mobility of the vehicles. Tourists are not allowed to take-up their journeys . “There is two to three cms of snow at the Pass” said SP Manav Verma, adding that Lahaul may experience snow much before the normal timing. The biggest advantage, however, remains Rohtang Tunnel [...]

By kk42|September 24th, 2021|Geotechnical New York, New York, Geotechnical Texas, Landslides, Houston, Geotechnical Illinois, Dallas, Chicago, Geotechnical California, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco|Comments Off

California Issues Maps of Earthquake Faults to Avoid ‘Potentially Devastating’ Damage to New Buildings

Source: State Issues Maps of Earthquake Faults to Avoid 'Potentially Devastating' Damage to New Buildings - Times of San Diego The Rose Canyon Fault system. Courtesy County News Center Maps released Thursday of earthquake-prone areas are intended to ensure new construction in San Diego does not take place atop dangerous quake faults. Developed by the California Geological Survey, the regulatory Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone maps detail where local governments must require site-specific geologic and engineering studies for proposed developments to ensure this hazard is identified and avoided. Generally, new construction for human occupancy must be set back 50 feet from the active surface trace to avoid faults that may break the surface. “Surface fault rupture is the easiest earthquake-related hazard to avoid because you can see the evidence of where it has occurred,” said Steve Bohlen, acting state geologist and head of CGS. “Surface fault rupture means that one side of a fault is moving either vertically or horizontally in relation to the other side. The deformation that movement causes is potentially devastating to buildings and infrastructure.” Two maps of revised Earthquake Fault Zones have been prepared for the Rose Canyon Fault where it comes onshore in Coronado, traversing the San Diego area to the northwest and going back offshore near La Jolla. Each of the maps covers a roughly 60-square-mile quadrangle of territory. The Alquist-Priolo Act was passed into law following the 1971 magnitude 6.6 San Fernando earthquake, which caused extensive surface ruptures that damaged buildings. Not every large earthquake, though, causes surface fault rupture. For example: the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989 devastated the Bay Area without breaking the surface. However, the 1992 Landers Earthquake in San Bernardino County caused surface ruptures along 50 miles, with displacements ranging from one inch to 20 feet. “Since the [...]