SHORT COURSES

RISK ASSESSMENT IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Instructors:

Gordon A. Fenton, Professor, Dalhousie University

D.V. Griffiths, Professor, Colorado School of Mines

Soils and rocks are among the most variable of all engineering materials and are, therefore, highly amenable to a probabilistic treatment. The application of statistical and probabilistic concepts to geotechnical analysis is a rapidly growing area of interest for engineers, but the course content and delivery will assume no more than an introductory understanding of probability and statistics on the part of the participants. The goal however, is to present a "user friendly" training on modern probabilistic techniques applied to classical geotechnical engineering problems such as seepage, settlement, bearing capacity and slope stability.

Topics covered include, Discussion of potential benefits of probabilistic approaches as opposed to the classical "Factor of Safety" methods; Review of sources of uncertainty in geotechnical analysis; Review of some simple statistical theories needed to develop the methodologies and how to interpret the results of probabilistic analyses; Theory behind current geotechnical Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) implementations and how LRFD differs from traditional design, and future directions in geotechnical LRFD; Examples of established probabilistic methods of analysis in geotechnical engineering, such as the First Order Second Moment (FOSM) method, and First Order Reliability Method (FORM); Introduction to the state-of-the art in probabilistic geotechnical analysis based on the Random Finite Element Method (RFEM). All participants will be given free software to start performing their own probabilistic geotechnical analyses.

FEES -

Member: $295

Non-Member: $345

Student: $99

ESTIMATION OF SOIL PROPERTIES FOR FOUNDATION DESIGN

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Instructor:

F.H. Kulhawy, Professor, Cornell University

Soil property estimation is fundamental to all of geotechnical design. On large projects with relatively generous budgets, all of the required field and laboratory tests can be conducted to evaluate the necessary geotechnical properties for design. For all other projects, testing will be more limited, and some properties will have to be estimated using correlations. Under the sponsorship of EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) and other funding agencies, significant research has been conducted at Cornell to assess soil property correlations in a realistic manner, including the uncertainty in each correlation. However, the results of these efforts are not yet available in traditional types of reference sources such as texts and manuals.

In this short course, much of this technology is presented within a consistent, coherent, and practical framework. The general topics covered include the following: soil property evaluation strategy, geologic inference in property assessment, comparative evaluation of in-situ tests, relative density assessment, in-situ stress evaluation, soil strength evaluation, and deformability estimation. This course is a much-expanded version of the well-known "Manual on Estimating Soil Properties for Foundation Design" by Kulhawy and Mayne. It has been given to many engineering and geologic professionals at sites around the world.

FEES -

Member: $295

Non-Member: $345

Student: $99

RISK AND RELIABILITY OF LEVEES AND DAMS

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Instructors:

Greg Baecher, Professor, University of Maryland

Robert B. Gilbert, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin

Marty McCann, Jr, Ph.D., Jack R. Benjamin & Associates, Inc.

The course starts with a description of the basic framework used in analyzing risk for the large and complex systems that constitute dams and levees. Topics will include uncertainty, probability theory, fault and event trees, hazard curves, fragility curves, expected consequences and decision making. Detailed techniques will be presented to characterize natural hazards, including floods, hurricane surges and earthquakes, to represent failure modes, including seepage, overtopping, static stability and seismic stability, and to integrate the available information together to assess risk. Finally, results from two recent risk analyses of major levee systems, the New Orleans Hurricane Protection System and the California Delta Levee System, will be presented and discussed. Practical, real-world examples will be used throughout the course to illustrate the major principles and ideas. An emphasis will be placed on how to interpret and use the results from a risk analysis as much as on how to assess risk.