Ralph B. Peck, 1912 – 2008,
2013
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Ralph B. Peck, 1912 – 2008, Gholamreza Mesri
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Ralph B. Peck, one of the most influential engineers of the twentieth century with superb judgment and wisdom, was not only a gentleman but also a gentle man. It was, therefore, a real pleasure to work with him and it is a great pleasure remembering Ralph B. Peck.
Tunneling In Chicago Clay: Pioneering Work In Ground Control,
2013
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Tunneling In Chicago Clay: Pioneering Work In Ground Control, Edward J. Cording
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Early in his engineering career, Ralph Peck supervised the soil mechanics investigations during subway construction in the soft clays in Chicago, working under the guidance of Karl Terzaghi. A major focus was to determine what should be done to minimize surface settlements of the streets. Squeeze tests, in which clay displacements and construction events in the tunnel were observed, led to changes that significantly reduced surface settlement. Squeeze test reports prepared by Peck and his soil mechanics team are summarized and selected drawings illustrated. The work provides a first view of Peck’s observational method: “it demonstrated the enormous practical benefits …
Ralph Peck’S Circuitous Path To Professor Of Foundation Engineering (1930-48),
2013
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Ralph Peck’S Circuitous Path To Professor Of Foundation Engineering (1930-48), J. David Rogers
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
When most geoengineers hear the name of Ralph B. Peck (1912-2008) they usually associate him with the father of soil mechanics, the legendary Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963), because of their long professional association, between 1939-63. But, Peck’s professional career in geotechnics was also influenced by other engineers and geologists, whose ingenuity he admired and tried to emulate. Some of these are names easily recognized, even 100 years later, while others are all but forgotten. This article seeks to introduce the reader to some of those luminaries that played a role in shaping Ralph Peck’s career as one of the founders of …
Performance Of Two Geosynthetics-Lined Landfills In The Northridge Earthquake,
2013
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Performance Of Two Geosynthetics-Lined Landfills In The Northridge Earthquake, Edward Kavazanjian Jr., Mohamed Arab, Neven Matasovic
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Analyses of the performance of the Chiquita Canyon and Lopez Canyon landfills in the 1994 Magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake illustrate deficiencies in the current state-of-practice for seismic design of geosynthetic liner systems and the promise of a new state-of-the-art method for performance-based design, and suggest necessary modifications to construction quality assurance procedures for geosynthetic liner systems. Analyses of the Chiquita Canyon landfill case history using the conventional state-of-practice Newmark Analysis approach fail to predict the tears observed at the landfill following the earthquake in the side slope liner geomembrane at two different locations. However, the state-of-the-art finite difference based method …
Probabilistic Geotechnical Analyses For Offshore Facilities,
2013
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Norway
Probabilistic Geotechnical Analyses For Offshore Facilities, Suzanne Lacasse, Farrokh Nadim
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Society requires increasingly that the hazard and risk associated with engineered constructions be quantified. The paper presents ge-otechnical hazard assessment in the context of a risk framework. Concepts of uncertainties, reliability, safety and risk are briefly re-viewed. The use of the approach is exemplified for offshore facilities, including a piled foundation, a gravity foundation, a jack-up structure and underwater slopes. The applications demonstrate that probabilistic analyses complement the conventional deterministic safety factor and deformation-based analyses, and contribute to achieving a safer and optimum design. The conclusions emphasize the usefulness of a risk assessment, the importance of engineering judgment in the …
The Case Of The New Tagus River Leziria Bridge,
2013
COBA Engineering and Environmental Consultants, Portugal
The Case Of The New Tagus River Leziria Bridge, Pedro Sêco E Pinto, Ricardo Oliveira, Alexandre Portugal
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
A brief description of the New Tagus River Leziria Bridge composed by 1695 m North Viaduct, by 970 m Main Bridge and by South Viaduct with a length of 9200 m is presented. The observed thickness of the foundation alluvia material varies between 35m and 55m with a maximum value of 62m. Hundred eighteen boreholes were performed with a depth between 21m and 71m and eight boreholes were performed from a maritime platform. Standard penetration tests (SPT) were carried out in all boreholes 1.5 m apart. In addition CPTu tests, seismic cone tests, crosshole and downhole tests were performed. In …
Tall Building Foundation Design – The 151 Story Incheon Tower,
2013
Coffey Geotechnics, Australia
Tall Building Foundation Design – The 151 Story Incheon Tower, Harry G. Poulos
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
The 151 storey super high-rise building is located in an area of reclaimed land constructed over soft marine clay in Songdo, Korea and is currently under design. This paper describes the design process in developing the foundation system of the supertall tower.The foundation design process described includes the initial stages of geotechnical site characterization using the results of investigation boreholes and geotechnical parameter selection, and a series of detailed two- and three-dimensional numerical analysis for the Tower foundation comprising 172 bored piles of varying length using finite element and boundary element methods. This paper will also provide a summary of …
Foundation Failure Case Histories Reexamined Using Modern Geomechanics,
2013
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Foundation Failure Case Histories Reexamined Using Modern Geomechanics, Rodrigo Salgado, Andrei Lyamin, Jeehee Lim
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Case histories have played an important role in guiding development of geotechnical engineering during a time when theory was not sophisticated enough to model even simple problems with an acceptable level of rigor. As the discipline transitions from overwhelming reliance on empiricism to a greater reliance on science, it is useful to reexamine the best known case histories as a general check on modern methods of analysis. In the engineering of foundations in clay, three case histories the collapses of the Transcona and Fargo grain elevators and the near collapse of the leaning tower of Pisa stand out. …
Observational Method For The Design Of A New Ground Improvement Concept Adapted To A Large-Scale Fast-Track Project,
2013
ISSMGE, Menard, Inc.
Observational Method For The Design Of A New Ground Improvement Concept Adapted To A Large-Scale Fast-Track Project, Serge Varaksin, Frédéric Massé
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
In 2007, the King of Saudi Arabia launched a large scale development program for the construction of a complete university campus on an existing lagoon. The fast-track project was to be completed within a period of 24 months leaving no time for the usual preliminary investigation and design phase. The 5,600,000 m2 site was selected north of Jeddah and a proper soil inves-tigation could not be completed ahead of the start of construction due to difficult site access and challenging existing soft soil condition. In addition to that, because the structural design or even the master plan had not been …
Tied-Back Wall Failure, Boston, Ma,
2013
GeoDesign, Inc., New York, NY
Tied-Back Wall Failure, Boston, Ma, Theodore Von Rosenvinge Iv
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Excavation for Boston’s Central Artery project included one of the most interesting temporary excavation support system failures in recent history (1993). The wall moved much more than predicted at a depth of 41 feet, approximately 2/3 of the final 60 foot excavation depth. Jet grouting was used to stabilize the bottom of the excavation before proceeding to the full depth. The excavation support system provided space for a cut and cover section of Interstate I-90’s Third Harbor Tunnel approach to Logan Airport. The permanent structure is a concrete box section of the tunnel. The excavation system consisted of a tied-back …
Phytoforensics: Soil And Groundwater Sampling Without Soil Or Groundwater!,
2013
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Phytoforensics: Soil And Groundwater Sampling Without Soil Or Groundwater!, Joel G. Burken, Kendra M. Waltermire
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Plants directly interact with surrounding water, air, and soil, collecting and storing chemicals and elements from the surrounding environment. Tree coring methods have shown that groundwater contamination can be assessed without directly sampling the groundwater. In this work, two new and innovative sampling methods that place sampling devices inside the plant, i.e. “in-planta”, were developed to access this valuable data that can direct and perhaps replace traditional methods for contaminated-site investigations. Traditional site assessments may be limited due to time, site access, and expense, resulting in incomplete understanding of the contaminated plumes and inefficient remedial approaches. The new techniques presented …
Structural Damage Of A 5-Storey Building: Differential Settlement Due To Construction Of An Adjacent Building Or Because Of Construction Defects?,
2013
National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Structural Damage Of A 5-Storey Building: Differential Settlement Due To Construction Of An Adjacent Building Or Because Of Construction Defects?, Ioannis Anastasopoulos
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
The paper presents a case history of a 5-storey RC building in Athens (Greece), seriously damaged due to differential settlement. Built in 1968, the damaged structure is founded on spread footings, lying on very soft clayey soil. For more than 30 years, no damage had been observed. In 1999, construction of an adjacent 5-storey RC building begun, and shear cracks started appearing. Inclined at 45o, the cracks implied damage due to differential settlement. The owners of the damaged building filed a law suit, claiming that the damage was due to additional loading by the under-construction adjacent building. Measurements conducted in …
Natural Hazard Preparedness And Mitigation In India,
2013
BMTPC, India
Natural Hazard Preparedness And Mitigation In India, T. N. Gupta
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Indian sub-continent is highly vulnerable to geological and hydro-meteorological hazards. Occurrences of hazard events like earthquakes, cyclones, floods, landslides have, more than often turned into disasters of varying severity with devastating impact on development process destroying human lives, property, livelihoods and social fabric. Efficient management of disasters, rather than mere response to their occurrence, has in recent decades, received an increasing attention of the national planners leading to the formulation of Disaster Management Act in 2005 by Government of India. The national policy enshrined in the Act marked a paradigm shift from the erstwhile post-disaster relief-centric approach to pro-active approach …
Improvement Of Dynamic Soil Properties Induced By Preloading Verified By A Field Test And Embankment Failure,
2013
Stamatopoulos and Associates Co., Greece
Improvement Of Dynamic Soil Properties Induced By Preloading Verified By A Field Test And Embankment Failure, K. Stamatopoulos, P. Petridis, P. S. Allkja, G. Vatselas, A. Small
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
The results of an elaborate field preloading study on a liquefaction-susceptible site are presented. Preloading was applied by a temporary embankment 9m high. Prior and after preloading, borings with standard penetration tests, cone penetration tests and geophysical studies were performed. During the process of embankment construction and demolition, settlements, excess pore pressures and vertical and horizontal stresses were recorded versus time at different locations. A partial embankment failure occurred during the preloading process. A method predicting failure during the construction of the preload embankment based on excess pore pressure measurements is proposed and verified.
A Comprehensive Model For Anaerobic Degradation In Bio-Reactor Landfills,
2013
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ
A Comprehensive Model For Anaerobic Degradation In Bio-Reactor Landfills, Jay N. Meegoda, S. Bhuvaneshwari, P. A. Hettiaratchi, H. Hettiarachchi
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
A new generation of sustainable landfill was designed and constructed in the City of Calgary, Canada to achieve sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) management. This sustainable landfill called “biocell” involves sequential operation of a landfill cell to produce methane gas during the first stage of anaerobic degradation and in-situ composting within the cell footprint. Once methane recovery is minimal, the second stage aerobic degradation initiated by injecting air through methane recovery system and finally landfill is mined for resource and space recovery in the third stage. The resources that can be recovered include compost like material and recyclables such as …
An Assessment Of Soil Collapsibility Due Dissolution Of Salts,
2013
Fahad Bin Sultan University, Saudi Arabia
An Assessment Of Soil Collapsibility Due Dissolution Of Salts, Omar Alhattamleh
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Since the building of first dike in the Dead Sea (DS) 60 years ago, the DS harsh environment sparks new geotechnical challenges. The DS level as well as the surrounding ground water table continued to drop severely. The DS level drops 35 m from 392 mbsl in late 1950s to around 423 mbsl in 2011. Recently, the rate of descending is 1.2 m/year and is on brink to increase. The dramatically dropping of the DS level pushes fresh water brackish water divide and generates numerous sink holes in the southern part of the east coast of the DS. The thing …
Application Of Nanomaterial To Stabilize A Weak Soil,
2013
Iran University of Science and Technology, Iran
Application Of Nanomaterial To Stabilize A Weak Soil, Seyedi Gelsefidi Seyed Alireza, Mirkazemi Seyed Mohammad, Baziar Mohammad Hasan
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
There are little investigations in the literature on the nanotechnology's application in the geothecnical field. Since, lots of soil and rock minerals are nanomaterial and their chemical reactions are in the nano-scale, there is a great potential for the use of this technology in different fields of geothecnical engineering such as seepage, grouting, soil stabilization and etc. In this study the stabilization of a weak soil was investigated using nanomaterial. The weak soil was obtained from Boodian Road in North of Iran and classified as low plasticity clay. Fifty CBR tests were conducted in this study. At the first step …
Arsenic Contamination Of Groundwater At The Middle Basin Of Ganges In India,
2013
University of Miyazaki, Japan
Arsenic Contamination Of Groundwater At The Middle Basin Of Ganges In India, Yasunori Yano, Kenichi Ito, Hiroshi Yokota, Koichiro Shiomori, Shigeki Tomomatsu, Mitsuhiro Sezaki
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
This paper shows the situation and mechanism of arsenic contamination of groundwater at the worst contaminated areas in UP (Uttar Pradesh) state, India, which is obtained from the integrated arsenic mitigation project by University of Miyazaki under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Partnership Program (JPP). The project has been executed from 2008 until now. The integrated mitigation, such as the raising awareness of villager, installing of alternative water supply units and healthcare of arsenocosis patients, have been executed at the 2 villages. The symptom of the arsenocosis patients was not so severe, which will be, therefore, improved by drinking …
Case Studies On Application Of Coir Geotextiles For Soil Stabilization,
2013
Cochin University of Science And Technology, India
Case Studies On Application Of Coir Geotextiles For Soil Stabilization, K. S. Beena
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Coir geotextiles (Coir Bhoovastra) is one of the non-traditional highly demanded and promising coir product with multi usages as eco-friendly, sustainable and substitutable product for many Civil Engineering applications especially in Geotechnical Engineering. Coir Geo-textiles is an emerging area of coir industry. Kerala, the major coir producing state in India is fast growing in the development and application of Coir Geotextile. Coir Geotextile development program is also intended to popularize the coir products as geotextile material in National & International level and to provide internationally accepted standardization for coir geotextile. The use of Coir geotextile is well established in areas …
Closure And Post-Closure Redevelopment Of The Mccoll Superfund Site,
2013
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Closure And Post-Closure Redevelopment Of The Mccoll Superfund Site, Edward Kavazanjian Jr.
International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
The McColl Superfund site was one of the highest-profile hazardous waste sites in the USA in the 1980’s. The 12 unlined pits containing refinery waste from World War II presented unique challenges for closure construction and post-closure redevelopment due the caustic nature, low bearing capacity, and high odor potential of the waste, the proximity of residences, and a mandate to restore portions of a golf course over several of the pits. Closure design included special testing to demonstrate the durability of materials that could potentially come in contact with the waste and to evaluate the potential for migration of waste …
