Going Against the Grain
Conventional wisdom has it that granular soils perform better in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall systems. Their properties are well known and simple to express in mathematical...
Stabilizing a Crater Rim
A geocell and geogrid reinforced soil slope concept was selected to stabilize approximately 120 m of eroding and unstable portions of the crater rim at the National Memorial Cemetery of...
Towering Achievement
A new headquarters complex being constructed for Goldman Sachs in New York City will rise where a Colgate factory once stood. The complex will incude a high-rise main building, a mixed-use...
Bridge to the Future
An arched footbridge under construction in Seoul, South Korea, that is reconnecting the metropolis with a tranquil island, will demonstrate the compressive strength and sleek design potential...
Dam within a Dam
A routine inspection of the Rock Run Dam, an 84-year-old Ambursen-type structure in Chester County, Pennsylvania, revealed major stress cracks and water stains on the inside face of the...
Raising the Bar of BART
Although it was originally designed to withstand a strong earthquake, and did so admirably in 1989, the Bay Area Transit (BART) system was recently evaluated to determine its ability to...
Deep Foundations In the Future (Available in Geo-Environmental Special Issue only)
The design and construction of deep foundations has gone from an art form to a scientifically based engineering practice. Research in this field has improved over the past century and...
Keeping It Together
A new framing system for precast concrete columns and beams will allow tall buildings to withstand large earthquakes without damage to the structural integrity of the building. By using...
Sum of the Parts
As with all of the bay bridges that serve as life lines to the San Francisco peninsula, the 32-year-old San Mateo Bridge needs strengthening to withstand a maximum credible earthquake...
Soil Sampling
This manual addresses the principles, equipment, procedures, limitations for obtaining, handling, and preserving soil samples for geotechical investigations in support of civil and military...
Scenic-Bridge Strengthening (Available in Structural Engineering Special Issue only)
Built in 1937, California's Big Creek Bridge�a double-arch crossing with half-arch side spans�was due for a seismic retrofit. Challenged by the structure's unique...
On Martian Soil
Discussions are ongoing about how and when to build human settlements on other worlds. Many scientific discussions have focused on settlements on Mars, and how the initial colonists would...
Inside Job
River Mill Dam is a large Ambursen (buttress type) dam constructed in 1911 on the Clackamas River in Oregon. The preliminary and final design phase of the seismic upgrade project coincided...
Added Protection
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is modifying the 335 ft (102 m) high Casitas Dam in Ventura County, California, to withstand a magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The modification includes strengthening...
Digging for Answers (Available in Geoenvironmental Engineering Special Issue only)
Research at the six facilities that make up the National Geotechnical Experimentation Sites (NGES) has included tests on minipiles, groups of driven piles, shafts drilled in rock, and...
Another Direction
Soil and groundwater contamination continues to be a problem throughout the United States, and on-site remedies are often time-consuming and costly. When such contamination lies underneath...
Natural Tracers of Coastal Sediments
The properties of natural sediments can be used to determine their sources and to trace their transport paths through coastal environments. These properties include the mineralogies of...
San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is proposing the San Diego Regional Beach Sand Project to replenish the County's beaches. SANDAG represents the Cities within San Diego...
Humboldt Beach and Dune Monitoring
Since 1881, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has maintained the entrance channel to Humboldt Bay on the Northern California Coast. This is accomplished through the annual dredging of approximately...
Beachscape Abstract
The Surfrider Foundation is currently developing a volunteer-based mapping program to document the physical characteristics, land use patterns, pollution sources, public access, erosion,...
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