Redi-Rock retaining walls look fantastic in residential development applications
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Video: New Redi-Rock Design Resource Manual Available

The Redi-Rock Design Resource Manual or DRM has everything you would need to design a Redi-Rock retaining wall, including block sizes, design charts, construction details, and setback options.  The manual also includes case studies and […]

NYDOT Geotechnical Design Manual Cover
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NYDOT Geotechnical Design Manual

The New York DOT has been working on a geotechnical design manual (GDM) since at least 2012. It is a very detailed document that covers pretty much every possible geotechnical aspect of a transportation project. […]

Cover of FHWA/NHI Manual 'Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods' by Brown, Turner and
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FHWA NHI Manual: Drilled Shafts Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods

Cover of FHWA/NHI Manual 'Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods' by Brown, Turner and

The FHWA has released for download a comprehensive update to the 1999 O’Neil and Reese manual “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods”, lovingly referred to in the industry as the “Brown Book” or the “Drilled Shaft Bible”.  This 2010 manual from the National Highway Institute (NHI) of the FHWA is entitled “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures Procedures and LRFD Design Methods” and was authored by Dan A. Brown, Ph.D, P.E. of Dan Brown and Associates, John P. Turner, Ph.D, P.E. of the University of Wyoming, and Raymond J. Castelli, P.E. From an FHWA Memo on the manual:

Distributed with this memorandum is the publication entitled "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods" (FHWA-NHI-10-016). This manual is the reference text used for the National Highway Institute (NHI) course numbered 132014 on Drilled Shafts. The publication will become the tenth in the series of geotechnical engineering guidelines called "Geotechnical Engineering Circulars." Geotechnical Engineering Circular (GEC) No. 10 is prepared as a significant revision and update to "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods" (FHWA IF-99-025), and reflects the standard of practice for the design, construction and inspection of these features. The guidance is developed following Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) procedures and will enable engineers to identify and evaluate technical feasibility and potential applications. The text is developed with a sufficiently broad scope to be of value to a wide range of transportation specialists responsible for assisting with selection, design, development of materials specifications, construction monitoring, and contracting methods for Drilled Shafts.

Click through for the download link and some preliminary comments on what has been updated in this significant new publication in the drilled shaft construction industry as well as the geotechnical engineering profession.

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Design of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes
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New FHWA Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Wall (MSE Wall) Manual

Design of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes The much anticipated LRFD update to the MSE Wall and Reinforced Soil Slope Manual is now available for download from the FHWA’s website. The full title of the document is Design of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes and it was authored by Ryan R. Berg, P.E.; Barry R. Christopher, Ph.D., P.E. and Naresh C. Samtani, Ph.D., P.E. Find the abstract and download link below. As time permits, I’ll try to post more about some of the changes in this important geotechnical publication.

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