We have been asked to evaluate the cause (and possible repair) of a sidewalk that has been damaged by frost heave or frost jacking. The soil below the slab consists of alluvial gravel with sand and silt. Silt content is less than 10 percent. However, the water table is reported by the client...
We use a dynamic cone penetrometer to test shallow soil strength via correlation to the Standard Penetration Test. The manufacturer's spreadsheet provided to us for this use is an old Lotus 123 version, the macros of which do not work in Excel. My question is, has anyone developed a working...
Is there a good resource for evaluating the structural capacity of a 64-year old reinforced concrete bridge pier? So far, we have identified the following issues: 1)are there discontinuities (cracks, fractures, cold joints, etc.,) where corrosion of reinforcing steel could have compromised the...
My question for the honorable forum is this: Does anyone have an opinion regarding the reliability of using a nuclear density probe device to obtain indications of density within a soil exploration test pit? We typically use them in ours within the upper 4 to 5 feet but have not heard of any...
I have always seen the role of engineers in public service as assisting the public to understand technical issues. I have also had experience in volunteer work in non-technical (John Q Citizen) capacity on local civic issues. However, if a civil engineer seeks an elected position in his or her...
