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HS2 tunneling machine completes first mile under the Chilterns

Source: HS2 tunneling machine completes first mile under the Chilterns The first 2,000 ton tunneling machine passed the one mile mark this week during the construction of the first tunnels for HS2. Launched in May, the 170m long Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) covered the first mile cutting through a mix of chalk and flint beneath the Chiltern hills just outside London. The TBM – named Florence – is one of two identical machines excavating the twin ten-mile-long tunnels. A second machine, Cecilia, is a short way behind, with both TBMs expected to break out in around three years’ time. Designed specifically for the geology of the Chilterns, each machine is a self-contained underground factory, digging the tunnel, lining it with concrete wall segments and grouting them into place as it moves forward. Welcoming the progress, HS2 Ltd Project Client Rohan Perin said: “The 10 mile Chiltern tunnel will take HS2 underneath the hills and safeguard the woodlands and wildlife habits above ground as well as significantly reducing disruption to communities during construction and operation of the new railway. “Once complete, HS2 will offer low carbon journey options linking London with the major cities of the north and releasing capacity for more freight and local trains on our existing mainlines. It’s great to see how much progress has been made over the summer and I’d like to thank the crew of Florence and all the tunneling team for their hard work.” The first two TBMs are operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick. A crew of 17 people keep the machines running, working in shifts and supported by over 100 people on the surface, managing the logistics and maintaining the smooth progress of the tunnelling operation. Align Project Director [...]

By kk42|October 1st, 2021|Geotechnical New Jersey, Geotechnical New York, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Alaska, Drilling, Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Massachusetts|0 Comments

Kentucky seeks action against West Virginia’s Governor’s coal companies

Source: Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies - LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then. The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said. Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.” Justice has said many of the violations were inherited when he acquired the properties. The companies admitted to hundreds of reclamation violations in eastern Kentucky in 2014 and agreed to monitor water quality, fix drainage problems, stabilize landslides, clean out sediment ponds and eliminate highwalls at dozens of mines. After the companies missed a deadline to fix the issues, the state sued in 2015 to enforce the earlier agreement. A new settlement was reached in 2019 setting deadlines to complete reclamation work at five mines, along with other requirements. Last year, Justice's companies agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations in a civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and [...]

By kk42|October 1st, 2021|Elizabethtown, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical West Virginia, Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Hopkinsville, Environmental, Richmond, Florence, Georgetown, Covington|0 Comments

Landslide Prevention Near Sussex

Source: 'An engineering feat': Why this key section of railway is closed | ITV News Meridian Network Rail describes it as engineering feat, a two week project to stabilize three sections of Victorian railway embankment between Brighton and Hove. Until Saturday October 2nd 120 workers each day are working from up to 15 meters high to install rock bolts, soil nails and netting. All three interventions are designed to protect debris falling onto the tracks. In recent years landslides have led to significant delays for passengers on the network and climate change has made the chalk cutting incredibly vulnerable. Project manager, Tom McNamee says, "We've seen previously catastrophic failures of the embankment and that’s an unplanned failure, we have loose material fall onto the railway and that becomes a danger to trains and essentially we have to close the line in an unplanned, unexpected manor. "We really would like to thank our lineside neighbors, it is a massive inconvenience, we are using chainsaws and rock drills, loud and noisy equipment, right at the. Back of their properties for 14 days but we’re working closely with them and taking in all their concerns and considerations. If we were unable to do this work over 14 days we would have to do this over 12 weeks of night work and that would obviously have a bigger impact on the lives of people living here." 1,012 rock bolts being installed 1,000 soil nails being drilled in £5 million spent on the project Traveling between Brighton and Hove? This is what you need to know Trains between Brighton and London are unaffected No trains will run directly between Brighton and Hove/stations towards Littlehampton Trains will run to an amended timetable between Preston Park and Littlehampton and between Littlehampton and Portsmouth Harbour/Southampton Central Southern passengers will [...]

By kk42|October 1st, 2021|Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Nevada, Geotechnical Oregon, Geotechnical Utah, Geotechnical Washington|0 Comments

South Dakota Homeowners Sue County Over Sinkhole Risks

Source: South Dakota Homeowners Sue County Over Sinkhole Risks More than 150 homeowners in a development outside Rapid City, South Dakota, are suing Meade County over risks to their properties after a sinkhole exposed an abandoned gypsum mine. The federal complaint filed Sept. 27 by Hideaway Hills residents in Black Hawk seeks damages to be determined by a jury and other relief “allowed by law or equity.” The sinkhole forced about 40 residents from 15 homes in April 2020. Geotechnical studies show there could be water flowing through the abandoned mine and toward Interstate 90 and there is the potential for future sinkholes, the Rapid City Journal reported. The complaint alleges several violations of the state Constitution. It says the decision to approve the subdivision by the county Planning Commission and the Meade County Commission put homeowners at risk. “Without the decisions to approve the subdivision, issue building permits and certificates of occupancy, the opportunity for harm would not have existed,” the complaint states. Developers allegedly informed the county in 2001 of an underground gypsum mine and discussed taking steps to determine if it was safe to build on. The commission approved the subdivision proposal in 2003. Katelyn Cook, an attorney for the county, said her legal team does not comment on pending litigation. South Dakota isn't the only area that suffers from sinkholes. Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania tend to have the most damage from sinkholes.

By kk42|October 1st, 2021|Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Tennessee, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Florida, Geotechnical South Dakota, Geotechnical Texas|0 Comments

Going Deep to Anchor Pump Stations

Source: Going Deep to Anchor Pump Stations | WaterWorld Prime contractor Lakeshore Engineering used a crane with rigging to lower the Beretta T46 Drilling Rig into the excavation as UMA’s team provided direction. You need to build a stable foundation for improvements to a pump station but you’re located in a five-foot water table within proximity to a creek. How do you keep the foundation from rising? Georgia isn't the only place that struggles with a high water table. California, Arkansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Idaho all have large amount of groundwater. One Georgia county’s engineer chose to pin it down with rock anchors with the help of UMA Geotechnical Construction. Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority outsourced this pump station improvement project to Atlanta-based Lakeshore Engineering, a heavy civil contractor that focuses on industrial, municipal, and environmental projects. UMA served as the geotechnical subcontractor. Located within proximity to Blankets Creek in Canton, Georgia, the water table is known to fluctuate. UMA’s sole function was to install a rock anchor system to keep the pump station’s concrete slab pinned down. The components to be built on top of the slab would be a diesel engine-driven centrifugal pump and a concrete cast-in-place emergency storage tank. “The rock anchors are there for when the structure is empty,” explains UMA’s senior engineer and estimating manager Mitch Crayton. “When it’s empty and the groundwater table is above the bottom of the structure, if the rock anchors aren't there, it could push up out of the ground like a boat. These buoyant forces are exactly what the rock anchors are there to resist.” Working Down in the Hole One of the biggest challenges for UMA’s team was working in an excavation that was 23 feet deep and 56 feet wide. Lakeshore Engineering had excavated [...]

By kk42|October 1st, 2021|Geotechnical Georgia, Geotechnical Nebraska, Geotechnical Arkansas, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical Idaho|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 Indiana, Environmental Indiana, Geotechnical Illinois, Geotechnical Michigan, Geotechnical Missouri, Geotechnical Minnesota, Geotechnical Iowa, Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical Nebraska|0 Comments

Researchers in Tasmania design special drill for million year old ice core project

Source: Researchers in Tasmania design special drill for million-year old ice core project to help find answers to climate crisis | The Singleton Argus | Singleton, NSW Answers to the world's climate crisis may be discovered in a 2.8 kilometer pole of million-year-old ice that is set to be extracted from Antarctica and delivered back to research labs in Tasmania for atmospheric testing. Australian Antarctic Division researchers in Tasmania have designed and manufactured a 400-kilogram drill for the million year old ice core project which is capable of operating in minus 55 degree temperatures. It will bore down into 2.8 kilometers of ice, which is believed to be up to 1.5 million years old, to extract three meter sections of ice, or ice core, at any one time. Up to 8 tons of ice will then be brought back to research labs for AAD researchers to extract data and information about past temperatures, sea ice levels and wind patterns in Antarctica. Australian Antarctic Division engineers spent two months preparing blocks of ice that would replicate Antarctic ice, which were then used to test the specially designed drill. Picture: Australian Antarctic Division It will also be used to answer a "long standing mystery" in Antarctic research about the frequency of ice ages. The project is part of this year's Antarctic research season which has been dubbed the most ambitious season that the AAD have ever undertaken, with 500 scientists and up to 800 tons of cargo to be shipped to Antarctica. Australian Antarctic Division chief scientist Nicole Webster said the million year ice core project is an incredible milestone for climate research. She said layers in the ice core are like "pages in a diary", where tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice core contain atmosphere and other [...]

By kk42|September 29th, 2021|Geotechnical Colorado, Geotechnical Idaho, Geotechnical Montana, Geotechnical Utah, Geotechnical Alaska|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|Geotechnical Pennsylvania, Geotechnical West Virginia, Geotechnical Wyoming, Geotechnical Kentucky, Geotechnical Illinois, Drilling Illinois, Drilling Kentucky|0 Comments

Mitigating carbon may have unintended consequences

Source: Mitigating carbon may have unintended consequences | Penn State University UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Controlling carbon release into the atmosphere will reduce carbon dioxide and slow global warming, but could there be unintended consequences for human health? Now, thanks to a three-year grant of about $400,000 from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State will investigate potential positives and negatives of decarbonization. "There can be unintended health co-harms from some carbon mitigation strategies," said Wei Peng, assistant professor of international affairs and civil and environmental engineering and principal investigator on the project. "For instance, large-scale bioenergy production may drive up food prices, which leads to nutrition-related health co-harms." Of course, mitigating carbon can also bring health benefits, including a reduction of pollution in the atmosphere. "Tangible human health co-benefits can motivate stronger support for climate policy," said Peng. The researchers aim to improve understanding of what factors determine the size and scope of health outcomes from decarbonization and to identify strategies most likely to yield overall health benefits. Focusing on the U.S., Peng and her team will develop a framework integrating energy, food and health. They will improve health variables in a state-level integrated assessment model and connect it to a fine-resolution, health impact assessment model. They will also develop a large number of scenarios of decarbonization to encompass future uncertainties, technology and markets. This project is the extension of two seed grants from Penn State's Institutes of Energy and the Environment and Institute for Computational and Data Sciences. Vivek Srikrishnan, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering, Cornell University, is the co-principal investigator (PI) on this project. Peng is also a co-PI on a project looking to model the interactions of climate change, air quality and social inequalities. This five-year, $1.5 million NSF grant, co-led by Mark [...]

By kk42|September 29th, 2021|Geotechnical Oklahoma, Geotechnical Oregon, Geotechnical Texas, Geotechnical Washington, Geotechnical Alabama, Geotechnical Iowa, Geotechnical Kansas, Geotechnical North Carolina, Geotechnical California, Geotechnical New York|0 Comments