Drilling equipment at the 2009 IFCEE
Miscellaneous

2009 International Foundation Congress and Equipment Exposition

Drilling equipment at the 2009 IFCEE[Editor] Last week was the International Foundation Congress and Equipment Exposition in Orlando, Florida. The event was co-sponsored by the Geo-Institute, ADSC and PDCA. Perhaps at the next event I’ll be able to attend and provide some comprehesive coverage via GeoPrac. In the meantime, I am very appreciative of Robert Thompson of Dan Brown and Associates, PLLC. who was among the attendees (and a presenter?). He was kind enough to provide GeoPrac readers a summary of the event. Click through for more on this tremendous conference. (Photo by Robert Thompson, Dan Brown and Associates, Inc. ) [/Editor]

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Failures

Cologne Tunnel Collapse: Investigations Focus on Tiebacks and Groundwater

image The latest information to come out of the collapse of a subway tunnel excavation in Cologne, Germany is that investigators are evaluating the ground anchors or tiebacks that were holding open the subway tunnel excavation. There doesn’t appear to be much information available to the public yet, and the New Civil Engineer article mostly quoted academics saying an anchor failure “could” have caused the collapse. Apparently at the time of the collapse, the excavation had reached the bottom depth after the slurry walls had been constructed along with the ground anchor system. Crews were supposedly working on the base slab which would have undoubtedly stiffened up the whole system. For what its worth, an anonymous comment left at the bottom of that article indicated that after half of the debris had been excavated, the diaphragm walls were still intact and without apparent displacement. So what other theories have been floated? Read on for more info.  (Image Credit: New Civil Engineer)

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Failures

Video: Freeport Maine Culvert Failure and Road Collapse

imageA colleague of mine sent me an amazing video of a culvert failure and subsequent road collapse in Freeport Maine during a storm. The culvert was unable to accommodate the high volume of water, and it was backing up behind the roadway embankment like a dam, and spilling out onto the roadway. In a span of about 3 minutes, the entire section of road collapsed and was washed downstream. I don’t know the exact date the video was taken, but it appears to be in August of 2008. Click through for the video.

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Image of a sandhog inside the new water supply tunnel number 3 for the City of New York. Photo by History.com.
Project Related

New Water Supply Tunnels Underneath New York City

Image of a sandhog inside the new water supply tunnel number 3 for the City of New York. Photo by History.com. Urban miners have been busy constructing a new water supply tunnel underneath New York City to supply the megalopolis with the water it needs. The miners, or sandhogs as they are known, are about halfway complete with the new tunnel which is expected to be in service by the year 2020. Work on the 60-mile tunnel began in 1970 and the total projected cost is $6 billion and is widely regarded as one of the most complex public works projects in the western hemisphere. When complete, it will help deliver 1.2 billion gallons DAILY to 8 million New Yorkers. The city currently gets its drinking water from two water supply tunnels that were constructed in the early 20th century and have not been inspected or repaired since then. More after the break. (Image credit History.com)

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USGS Documentary Riding the Storm - Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area
Geologic Hazards

USGS Landslide Documentary Video

USGS Documentary Riding the Storm - Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area The USGS has a documentary on landslide video on landslide danger in the San Francisco Bay area entitled “Riding the Storm”. I think the target audience is more general than geologist or engineer, but it is still interesting. The bullet points from the USGS site:

  • A catastrophic 1982 rainstorm triggered 18,000 landslides in the Bay Area, claiming 25 lives and causing $66 million in property damage
  • The combination of steep slopes, weak rocks, and intense winter storms make Bay Area uplands an ideal setting for landslides
  • Landslides include both swift, potentially deadly debris flows and slower, but destructive deepseated slides
  • Learn what USGS scientists have discovered about landslide dynamics and which slopes are most susceptible to sliding
  • Hear the devastating stories of Bay Area residents affected by landslides and learn to recognize the danger signs

Click through to view the trailer and for links to download the full video. (Image credit: USGS)

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International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo
Miscellaneous

IFCEE 2009 This Week in Orlando, FL

The International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo is underway in Orlando, FL. This is one of the biggest geo-conferences out there and is sponsored by ADSC, The Geo-Institute and PDCA with the cooperation of 15 […]

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Uncategorized

GeoPrac.net Monthly Newsletter Info

Your Source for Geotechnical, Geological and Geoconstruction related news! GeoPrac.net offers a monthly newsletter as another way of delivering high quality geotechnical, geological and geoconstruction content to the industry. We highlight the most popular content […]

Completed side-hill retaining wall for the SR 264 Second Mesa project in Arizona. Photo by Bharat Khandel, ADOT by way of NCS Consultants, LLC
Articles

Side Hill Retaining Walls – Part 1

Completed side-hill retaining wall for the SR 264 Second Mesa project in Arizona. Photo by Bharat Khandel, ADOT by way of NCS Consultants, LLCSide-hill retaining walls refer primarily to fill-walls built partway down the sides of an existing slope or embankment. They are encountered in roadway and rail widening projects as well as site development but usually in steep terrain. This article provides an overview of the problems, failure mechanisms, investigation approaches, analysis tools and wall type alternatives for these structures. Click through to read the article!

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Destruction from the collapse of a subway tunnel in Cologne, Germany which swallowed Cologne's Historical Archive
Failures

Subway Tunnel Collapse in Cologne Germany

Destruction from the collapse of a subway tunnel in Cologne, Germany which swallowed Cologne's Historical ArchiveEarly indications are that a collapse of a subway tunnel station still under construction was to blame for the sinkhole that destroyed Cologne’s Historical Archive, home to documents dating back to 922 A.D. More info after the break. (Photo by DPA via Spiegel Online)

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Rugged Tablet PC, the Trimble Yuma
Available Resources

Your New Field PC – A Rugged Tablet from Trimble?

Rugged Tablet PC, the Trimble YumaLast week, GPS technology company Trimble announced a new rugged tablet PC that they appear to be targeting at a variety of industries and market sectors. The Yuma is billed as having an ingress protection rating of 67 (6=dust tight; 7= protection against effects of immersion from 15cm to 1m). It also comes with integrated GPS (naturally), 2 integrated cameras (nice for geotagging), WiFi b/g and 7″ sunlight readable touchscreen display. I can see this gadget being useful for GIS professionals, geologists mapping in the field, and anyone keeping an inventory of things in the field. Its sort of like a netbook for field guys! More details after the break. (Photo by Trimble)

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