Up until recently, the biggest steel H-Pile section you could get was an HP14 weighing up to 177 lb/ft. But ENR reports that manufacturers are now rolling steel H-Piles in 16 and 18 inch depths. The HP16 sections range from 88 to 183 lb/ft and the HP18 are available in 135 to 204 lb/ft. These new sections open up a range of possibilities for deep foundations, shoring systems and excavation bracing. The American Institute of Steel Construction listed these products in their 2010 manual and they have also been approved by ASTM. They can be found in the product literature of Nucor-Yamato Steel. [Source: ENR. Image: http://taesancorporation.trustpass.alibaba.com/productshowimg/111392582-101499462/H_Bearing_Pile.html]
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ASTM Updates August 2009
Another busy month for ASTM with 66 new, revised or otherwise updated standards related to geotechnical and geological engineering (although not as busy as last month). A couple that caught my eye include brand new standards for geospatial data requirements related to abandoned mines, a new standard for sampling of EPS or geofoam, updated standards for mortar and cement, flexural strength of concrete, LA Abrasion test for aggregates, acceptance testing of geosynthetic clay liners, electrical methods for leak detection of geomembranes with earth cover and classification of soils and soil-aggregate mixtures for highway construction purpose (AASHTO classification).
Those involved in the materials testing side of the business should take a close look at the full list as there are also a number of updated standards relating to various asphalt and and aggregate tests, capping of concrete cyllinders and other related testing standards.
For my practice, perhaps the most significant standard that was updated was D 2488 – Standard Practice for Description and Identification of Soils (Visual-Manual Procedure) which we rely on for our field USCS classifications. I’ll be curious to see what those changes entail. Click through for the full list.
ASTM Updates October 2010
Time again for a summary of changes to ASTM standards that may be of interest to geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists and those in geoconstruction and even lab testing or CQA. This month there is a new standard for a new type of geomembrane, revisions to standards relating to ultrasonic testing and general nondestructive testing terminology, evaluation of particle shape in aggregates, and re-approval of standards relating to non-asbestos fiber-cement based products. Click through for more.
Tight Pipe Supplies Pinch Drillers
According to Reuters, there is a shortage of steel pipe that the drilling industry uses to drill and case wells. I presume the shortage also applies to geotechnical and well drilling as well. The run on the pipe has been spurred by the increased surge in the U.S. onshore oil and natural gas drilling market. The situation is not helped by record high steel prices as well. (Photo by yak23flora)
I talked to our local geotechnical/geoenvironmental drilling contractor to see if he has been affected by this shortage, and he said that he had, but that the supply shortages on all manner of drilling equipment and parts has been even more challenging. He cited the booming mining sector and their desire for exploration holes as a major source of his problem. He said one of his rigs had a broken overshot for an NQ coring system, that’s the device that attaches to the wireline and retrieves the inner tube from the drill stem while coring. He said there wasn’t a single overshot in North America that he could buy!