Screenshot from SRWall 4.0 software from the NCMA used for designing segmental retaining walls.
Standards and Codes

New NCMA Segmental Retaining Wall Design Manual and Software

April 14, 2009 rockman 4

Screenshot from SRWall 4.0 software from the NCMA used for designing segmental retaining walls. This summer, the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) will release the third edition of its Design Manual for Segmental Retaining Walls (DMSRW) along with SRWall 4.0 software for the design of segmental retaining walls. SRW walls with higher wall heights often make use of geotextile or geogrid reinforcement putting them in the category of mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls or MSE Walls. The first edition of the manual was published in 1993 and is routinely used for everything from landscaping walls to multi-tiered commercial and residential retaining walls. This summer is shaping up to be a busy one for those in the retaining wall business as the FHWA NHI 2009 MSE Wall Manual is set to be released around the same time frame as well. Read on for more info on the DMSRW. (Screen shot by Gabriela Mariscal from NCMA via CE News)

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Standards and Codes

JTFAP Document Will Affect Every Geotechnical Engineer and Engineering Geologist

April 7, 2009 rockman Comments Off on JTFAP Document Will Affect Every Geotechnical Engineer and Engineering Geologist

image A document entitled “Engineering and Geology Practice Guidelines” has been prepared by the JTFAP or Joint Task Force on Areas of Practice. The JFTAP was comprised of representatives from The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) and the Geo-Institute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). A draft of the document was published in February of 2009 and members of AEG have already been providing comments to their board through the Section Chairs for possible revisions to the document or for opinions on whether or not AEG should adopt it. A recent email to AEG Members from the President of AEG, Mark Molinari, indicates that the G-I has released the document to their membership for review and comments. Read on for more info.

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GeoPrac.net turns two! Geology cake stratigraphy by Khol-y (Flickr) after original design by Tim Babb.
Rockman's Ramblings

GeoPrac Turns Two!

April 5, 2009 rockman Comments Off on GeoPrac Turns Two!

GeoPrac.net is now well into its toddler years! Today marks the second anniversary of the site. The past year has seen a major upgrade to the content management system, a new design, Geothreads, Delicious geotech, […]

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 2

April 2, 2009 rockman Comments Off on Side Hill Retaining Walls – Part 2

Completed side-hill retaining wall for the SR 264 Second Mesa project in Arizona. Photo by Bharat Khandel, ADOT by way of NCS Consultants, LLCIn this part 2 of 2, various types of retaining walls are examined as possible alternatives in a side-hill retaining wall situation. These include conventional wall types such as CIP walls, MSE walls, gravity walls and soldier pile walls and some less conventional approaches such as lighweight concrete fill, hybrid soil-nail and geofoam wall systems, ground improvement and micropile walls.

Part 1 of this Side Hill Retaining Wall article covered the definition, significance, problems and failure modes, investigation techniques, analysis, and construction considerations of side hill walls. A PDF version is now available for download as well. Click through for the article and the download link!

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Rockfall on I-70
Geologic Hazards

Rockfall Hazards Overview by Colorado Geologic Survey

March 31, 2009 rockman Comments Off on Rockfall Hazards Overview by Colorado Geologic Survey

Rockfall on I-70The Colorado Geologic Survey has a very comprehensive overview of the geologic hazard of rockfall in all its many forms in their latest issue of RockTalk newsletter. The entire 24-page newsletter is devoted to various aspects of the problem, mitigation options and case studies all with excellent photos. I highly recommend that you check it out. Click through for the link. (Photo by CGS)

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American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM
Standards and Codes

ASTM Updates March 2009

March 30, 2009 rockman Comments Off on ASTM Updates March 2009

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTMOur monthly update on new and revised ASTM standards that relate to geotechnical engineering, materials testing, hydrogeology, geosynthetics and related disciplines. This month there are a few notable revisions, including D1452 for Auger Borings, D3385 for Double-Ring Infiltrometer and D4595 for determining tensile properties of geotextiles by the wide-width strip method. There are also a few other geotextile, groundwater, lime, masonry and terminology standards that were added or updated. Click through for the full list.

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