Bertha Repair Plan Will Involve Vertical Shaft In Front of Machine

February 20, 2014 rockman Comments Off

WSDOT announced on Valentine’s Day that the plan to repair the damaged Bertha TBM was not ready yet, as engineers from Hitachi Zosen, the machine’s manufacturer, would need until the end of the month to […]

Aerial footage of Italian Rockfall Event

February 20, 2014 rockman Comments Off

The remarkable story of the bus-sized boulders that rolled through an Italian farm at the beginning of February now has some amazing aerial video footage to go with it. Check it out. [Source: YouTube via […]

“Foamjacking” Solution for Seneca Rocks USFS Visitor’s Center

February 14, 2014 rockman Comments Off

U.S. Forestry Service Saves Thousands with Use of TerraThane Geotechnical Foam by NCFI Polyurethanes at Seneca Rocks Discovery Center

MOUNT AIRY, NC— Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, the visitor’s center for the eastern U.S.’s most popular rock-climbing destination located in Pendleton County, WV, had a growing problem common to concrete slab foundations: erosion of the soil beneath the slabs created voids that left areas of the center with uneven spots and settled anywhere from one-to three inches. That led to cracks in interior walls, uneven floors, and trip hazards for the thousands of visitors to the area’s most popular scenic attraction. Seneca Rocks is a striking 900 ft peak that features over 375 mapped climbing routes varying in degree of difficulty from easier 5.0 to the hardest 5.13, and attracts climbers from around the world.

[Editor] Click through to find out how geotechnical foam manufactured by GeoPrac.net’s sponsor, NCFI Polyurethanes, was used to repair this important structure! [/Editor]

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Retaining Wall failure at Ho Ching Yuen, Malaysia

February 12, 2014 rockman Comments Off

This retaining wall failure occurred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2009. The failure was caught on video, albeit with a crappy camera phone. But it’s well worth a look! Dave Petley of the Landslide Blog […]

Sinkhole swallows Corvettes in Bowling Green, Kentucky

Sinkhole Beneath National Corvette Museum Devours 8 Cars

February 12, 2014 rockman 2

A 40 foot diameter sinkhole 30 feet deep opened up beneath the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and swallowed 8 of the Corvettes on display. The museum’s security company alerted the staff members […]

Feb. 7 Bertha update: Two factors contributed to tunnel stoppage

February 11, 2014 rockman Comments Off

WSDOT released an update on February 7 with some conclusions regarding the blockage that has stopped the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel Boring Machine, Bertha’s progress since December 6. Now they don’t think it was necessarily the well casing after all.

They cite two factors that contributed to the blockage. First, the cutterhead was clogged with material. You can see an cool short video of a worker unclogging the cutterhead. Not terribly dramatic, but still cool. The second factor was increased temperatures inside the equipment. STP discovered damage to a seal that protects the machine’s main bearing. They are still determining how the repairs will be done.

If you want to follow the chronology of this issue, read below for summaries and links to previous updates from WSDOT. And Check out the videos too! [Source: WSDOT]

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Weekend CUP for February 3, 2014

February 4, 2014 rockman Comments Off

It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of my catch-up-posts or CUPs. The pipes were getting a bit clogged, so here are some articles that folks might find interesting. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to blog about them in more detail.

10 Leaning Towers of the World – Source: weather.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Bertha’s nemesis: 119-foot steel pipe – Source: The Seattle Times
Landslide engulfs car in China – video – Source: theguardian.com
Pennsylvania to deploy drones to monitor sinkholes – Source: PennLive.com
ICE Publishing announces the launch of two geotechnical journals! – Source: LinkedIn geotechnical engineers group
Who’s afraid of nuclear waste?: WIPPing transuranics into shape – Source: The Curious Wavefunction via AEG Insider
ISSMGE’s Case Histories’ Journal releases Special Issue on Deep Foundations! – Source: Geoengineer.org

Read on for the rest of this list!

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A giant boulder smashes through a barn of an Italian farmhouse

Giant Boulder Smashes Through Italian Farm

February 3, 2014 rockman 1

A giant boulder smashes through a barn of an Italian farmhouse

An Italian farmer and his family had an unbelievably close call with some house-sized boulders. You have to see the pictures to believe it. The boulders were dislodged during a landslide on January 21 in Northern Italy. One of the boulders smashed through the barn and courtyard of the farm and cut a swath through their vineyard before stopping near a boulder from some previous rockfall / landslide event. That older boulder is even bigger, about the same size as the entire farmhouse and big enough to be seen on Google Earth! See below or download the KMZ file.

More Photos

[Editor] See more after the break. [/Editor]

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Buildings are one with the rock in the Spanish town of Setenil De Las Bodegas

Spanish City is One With the Rocks

February 3, 2014 rockman Comments Off

I had never heard of this town before seeing the post on Geoengineer.org. Setenil de las Bodegas is a small town of about 3,000 people in the Spanish province of Cadiz. The town is built […]

John Bachner celebrates his 40th anniversary with ASFE/GBA

Bachner Honored for 40+ Years of Service

January 30, 2014 rockman Comments Off

John Bachner celebrated his 40th anniversary with ASFE: The Geoprofessional Business Association. He has worked tirelessly during that time to help geoprofessionals with the softer side of our business, including improving our writing, understanding contracts […]