I thought I would post this qestion in the electrical forum rather than geotechnical and I would appreciate your electrical perpspectives and comments.
We are working in a dry area exposed to high seasonal fluctuations resulting in high resitivity values (unacceptable) during summer months. The...
We are involved with a range of lateral support projects, which are generally related to warm weather conditions (Southern Africa).
We recently have been asked to work on a rock slope project in weather temperatures that do not get over the 0 to 2 degree Celcius mark in winter - in fact...
We are looking at using kimberlite rock for fill embankments and road layerworks. The kimberlite can be variable (strength, composition) depending on the parent rock it has 'penetrated' through, so some forms can contain clay minerals that are problematic while others remain competent.
Can...
Following all the seismic activity the world has experienced so far this year, I wanted to put the following questions out there to see what the different opinions are. If no seismic or dynamic soil properties are available, would you still design foundations/structures based on static test...
Greetings,
We are currently undertaking a borehole investigation in a drought affected area in South Africa, so our water usage is important. We will be doing extensive laboratory testing on the recovered samples (geotechnical and chemical tests). We have been asked why we cannot use recycled...
We undertake regular monitoring/survey of targets during installation of lateral support (as well as for a certain time period after completion to check that there is not movement, although we all know that with any form of excavation, some form of movement will occur). It has become practice...
A recent survey undertaken in South Africa has shown that of the practicing civil engineers in the country, 70% of civil engineers are over the age of 50.
I was wondering whether this was happening in other countries and possibly what the percentages are? It would appear that there is a shift...
We are currently undertaking rock slope remediation works to stabilise 30 year old rock slopes for a mountain pass. Concrete retaining walls were built at locations along the pass to collect/block rock falls. The natural bedding plane is unfavourable (dips down towards the road) and large rock...
We have just become involved with assisting the Air Force to design new landing strips for new attack helicopters.
They want the landing strip to blend in with the surroundings so have opted for a reinforced grass or synthetic grass strip.
The problem arises from the way the helicopter makes...
We have just experienced a problem with a subbase layer for a road pavement design. The material is decomposed granite and has been extensively used in roads in the past (well at least in South Africa). The material sails through all the test specifications (CBR, swell, grading, etc) and does...
My client plans on imploding a nine-storey building on the site we did geotechnical investigations for.
My concern is whether the shock waves generated by the implosion will or will not affect surrounding buildings (historic buildings). The underlying soils comprise of sand up to 8.0 metre...
Many projects I work with often comprise of dynamic probing (superheavy) and standard penetration testing. Can the two different in situ tests be related? If so, how? and are there specific conversions one can use on dynamic probe results to convert to SPT blow counts? Are there specifications...
Hello All!
I'm looking at the stability assessment of a tailings dam and may possibly need lime piles to strengthen the slopes. Lime piling would be ideal for short and long term stabilisation as the ground (red mud, perhaps prone to liquifaction) has lower shear strength compared to expected...
Hi all!
We have come up with a problem - readings that were taken from a vibrating wire piezometer were in "contact" with the atmosphere and it is believed that our readings may have been influenced - can anyone please help me with regards to what/how to apply an atmospheric/barometric...
I have been investigating the possibilities of freeze-thaw testing of a uniform material (milled material) with the idea of modeling its soil behaviour (stress path behaviour), but I'm having problems with regards to: How best to undertake such testing? and what are the consequences to freezing...
