Highlights from the 2012 Geo-Congress, including awards, the Geo-Wall competition, and interviews with attendees. It couldn’t possibly top my geo-wall video 🙂
Failures
Pile load test accident, dead load topples into street (Video)
A pile static load test went awry in Singapore when a pyramid of dozens of concrete blocks used for the reaction force toppled over into Gilstead Road. The force of the collapse caused a gas main to rupture but there were no reports of injuries. Click through for the video.
Available Resources
Video: RPI Geotechnical Engineering Centrifuge
I stumbled across this video for the geotechnical engineering centrifuge at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Centrifuge testing is a popular way to economically test models at much higher loads and pressures than you would normally be able to in the laboratory. The goal is to more accurately represent the real world conditions. Click through for the video.
Project Related
Video Tour of NY Subway Mega-Projects
The New York MTA is in the midst of a “golden era” of tunneling for the New York subway. Three separate mega-projects are currently underway totaling some $15 Billion: The Second Avenue Subway, The East Side Access Project (which features the new Grand Central Terminal), and The Number 7 Subway Line Extension Project. The short video below was published by the NY Post and included in an AP Article. It is tantalizingly short, but gives a great perspective on what the underground construction project at Grand Central looks like and a sense of the scale…the amazing huge caverns being constructed. The article says that from underneath Grand Central Terminal alone, the construction crews have removed enough material to cover Central Park almost a foot deep!
[Source: KOMO News (Seattle) via ASCE SmartBrief. Image: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer via KOMOnews.com]
Click through for the video.