Drilled shaft rig falls into hole – Iowa
Failures
Baltimore landslide: Is it covered?
This is a different perspective on landslides than what I usually blog about on GeoPrac. This banking and insurance website blog post discusses what should and shouldn’t be covered on a car owner’s insurance policy. […]
Failures
Subway Tunnel Collapse in Cologne Germany
Early 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)
Miscellaneous
Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg – In Memorium
Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg, inventor of the Osterberg Cell or "O-Cell" used for drilled shaft load tests has passed away at the age of 93. According to the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors or ADSC, he died peacefully in his sleep on June 1, 2008. The geotechnical community has lost a truly legendary figure in our field.
Osterberg held degrees from Columbia, Harvard and Cornell Universities. He was a Professor Emeritus from Northwestern University. He was a former Chairman of the Soil Mechanics and Foundation Division of the ASCE, an Honorary Member of ASCE, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He delivered the Terzaghi Lecture in 1985, and later received the Terzaghi Award. He was one of the last surviving founding members of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Deep Foundations Institute and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors. (Adapted from a bio for the 2001 Burmister Lecture, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University). Read on for more.