When AI Meets DIGGS � The Birth of a New Site Characterization Paradigm?
Drilling and sampling to obtain borehole logs, together with various in-situ testing, are usually performed to determine subsurface soil and rock profiles and their associated engineering properties. However,...
Pay Now, Or Pay Later � Using A Risk-Informed Mindset for Site Investigation Decisions
How much subsurface investigation is adequate to aid in the planning and design of a construction project? It�s a question every geo-professional must grapple with, particularly in an era where cost efficiency...
Years of Planning for the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project: Now It�s Time to Build! Rapidly but Gently!
When a complicated project is completed, and you ask the engineers, "What was the most challenging part of this project?" a couple of difficulties usually come to mind. We�ve all heard war stories from...
Beyond the Water�s Edge: Geotechnics in the Wet
Gaining insight into the subsurface and developing an understanding of what�s hidden below ground is a key to the design and construction process. Geotechnical engineers and geologists often develop their...
Subsurface Utility Engineering and Megaprojects: Avoiding Underground Conflicts Helps Speed Project Delivery
Experienced project owners realize that utility conflicts can be risky and pose unexpected impacts on the cost and delivery of projects, especially in urban settings. To help overcome these impacts, Subsurface...
Trenchless Goes Hybrid: Old Tricks Are Finding New Applications
The International Society for Trenchless Technology defines trenchless technology as "Underground construction methods of utility installation, rehabilitation, inspection, location and leak detection,...
Poison Oak, Mistakes, and Lessons
When things go wrong in geotechnicalengineering ? like ground movements andearthwork construction delays ? failureinvestigations are often performed. In a typical geotechnical project, the path is relatively...
Public Utility Operators Care about Service
Public utility operators care about and strive to maintain infrastructure for the benefit of the public....
Applying Scanning Technology to Tunnel Inspections: Leveraging Technology to Reduce the Public Agita
A large number of transit and vehicular tunnels in the New York Metropolitan area were inundated by the tidal surge caused by Super Storm Sandy on October 29, 2012. The storm created major...
Site Conditions
The owner and the engineer should visit the proposed site during the initial planning phase and periodically throughout design to identify site conditions and constraints. A survey of...
Preliminary Geotechnical Considerations
In the planning phase of the project, a preliminary geotechnical investigation should be performed to identify the general subsurface conditions and any special subsurface conditions....
Detailed Site Investigations
This section addresses site investigation issues that are important for detailed design and construction of microtunneling projects. These site investigations include the following: Geotechnical...
Microtunneling Design Elements
The design elements and the process for a microtunneling project are generally the same as for other underground projects. Design elements include the following: General conditions; Special...
Instrumentation and Monitoring
A detailed plan for monitoring possible ground surface movements caused by the microtunneling operations should be prepared. The plan is typically prepared by the engineer in consultation...
Enhanced Detection and Mapping of Buried Utilities�A Sustainability Perspective
The social and environmental impacts and benefits of projects make up the triple bottom line that represents a modern view of sustainable project development. Rather than considering only...
Ground Freezing in a Congested Urban Area
Artificial ground freezing is a method of providing temporary earth support and ground water control for deep excavations and tunnels. The technique has been used for over 100 years in...
Design-Build and Public-Private Partnerships: Risk Allocation of Subsurface Conditions
Project Owners, especially in the public sector, are exploring and utilizing alternative project delivery methods, such as design-build (D-B) and public-private partnerships (P3s). Some...
The Best Surprise is No Surprise: The Geotechnical Engineer's Ethical Responsibility to Say No to Bidding
The subsurface characterization work that a geotechnical engineer must perform is critical to the success of every project that requires the cooperation of the ground, regardless of whether...
Sinkhole Investigation and Grouting: Novel Recommendations for a Pipeline Right-of-Way
In 2009, numerous sinkholes developed within and adjacent to a 400-ft-long section of high-pressure, petroleum pipeline right-of-way that crosses under a local creek in Plymouth Meeting,...
Groundwater Transport Modeling Using Fuzzy Sets and Fuzzy Logic
Modeling of groundwater flow and transport is inherently uncertain. The predictive capability of the model depends upon both the quantity and quality of hydrogeologic data. The introduction...
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