Short Courses
Saturday, February 20
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
All Short Courses are $295 and include moring and afternoon breaks and lunch.
*Note: An error on the registration form in the Preliminary Program incorrectly noted the courses being on Sunday, February 21. The correct date is Saturday, February 20.
#1 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF STATE-OF-THE-ART
GEOSYNTHETICALLY-CONFINED SOIL WALLS AND ABUTMENTS
Michael Adams
FHWA Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center
Robert Barrett
TerraTask, LLC
Blaise Fitzpatrick, P.E.
Fitzpatrick Engineering Associates
This course presents a summary of 40 years of geotechnical research in retaining walls, bridge abutments, open bottom box culverts, reinforced soils, landslides and rock fall. This research was performed by Colorado DOT, the U.S. Forest Service, the Federal Highway Administration and several agencies and universities. Expenditures on this research effort exceeded 25 million dollars. This research concluded that smaller, lighter inclusions in granular soil produce stronger composite behavior than do heavier, stiffer elements on wider spacing. Full scale demonstrations show that variations in spacing of the inclusions approaches exponentialfactors in some cases.
This course includes analytical methods for designing state of the art geocomposites. Examples of field constructions and including cost estimating will be presented. Key quality control measures will also
be discussed. There will be discussion on deficiencies in current MSE design including reasons for the failure rate in these constructions. Several new tools, methods and techniques will be presented that
are not as yet in standard practice. Earthquake Wings (a new and better way to build abutments in seismic regions) will be presented. The presentation concludes with recent constructions with the Soil
Nail Launcher, including Launched Nails and Launched Micropiles forfoundations and for repair of walls and abutments.
#2 FUNDAMENTALS OF GEOTECHNICAL AND GEOENVIRONMENTAL DATA MANAGEMENT
Salvatore Caronna, P.E.
gINT Software
Scott Deaton, Ph.D.
Dataforensics
Ronaldo Luna, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE
Missouri University of Science & Technology
All geotechnical and environmental projects rely on data, which traditionally are recorded on paper and then input into various applications for reporting, analysis, visualization, and billing. For example on a typical project, one may input data into a program for borehole log generation; then input the same data onto a paper based work order that describes the soil/rock/environmental samples and the desired tests to be performed by the laboratory; then input the same data into a CAD software package for creating cross sections, profiles, and plan views; then input the same data into a software program for analysis
and/or design; lastly input the same data to generate a drilling quantity report that is provided to accounting for invoicing purposes. This traditional process is very inefficient because each of the steps requires
manual data input and quality control procedures. Using technology to streamline this process allows engineers to input the data once and use it in various formats as required by the project, thus eliminating
the duplicated effort for data input and quality assurance/quality control which can be very time consuming and fraught with errors. Fundamentals of database design, report generation, automated data validation, data transfer, and integration of software tools are discussed. These concepts provide the basis for managing geotechnical data using readily available, state-of-the art software tools.
#3 PRACTICAL GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES FOR ENGINEERS
Rick A. Hoover, P.G., M.ASCE
Dawood Engineering
The objective of this course is to provide fundamental concepts and practical applications of geophysical methods to engineering and environmental projects. No prior knowledge of geophysics is required,
although it is assumed that the participants will have an interest in applying geophysical methods. Class participants will be exposed to a variety of geophysical methods, including seismic, resistivity,
electromagnetic and magnetic, ground penetrating radar, borehole, and a number of other geophysical methods commonly in use. Instructor will explain how different geophysical methods are used, advantages and disadvantages of the method, and define key parameters for specific applications.
#4 FINITE ELEMENTS IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
D.V. Griffiths, Ph.D., D.Sc., P.E.,F.ASCE
Colorado School of Mines
Based on the successful textbook co-authored by the instructor (“Programming the finite element
method” by I.M. Smith and D.V. Griffiths, 4th ed., Wiley, 2004), the course will introduce
participants to a powerful suite of finite element programs relating to practical geotechnical engineering
applications. The course will remove some of the mystique of “blackbox” proprietary geotechnical software by giving attendees an insight how the finite element method works and the way in which programs are
put together. The course will discuss the selection of soil properties for geotechnical analysis by finite elements and demonstrate finite element applications to classical geotechnical problems that include settlement, seepage and stability. In particular, one session will be devoted to a description and
demonstration of thewidely disseminated finite element slope stability program slope1.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers so they can install some of the finite elements programs and get them running during the course.
All participants will receive a complete set of course notes and a CD holding source code to over 50 finite element programs. Optional purchase of the textbook will be available on-site at the discounted rate of $65.
#5 DAM SAFETY RISK ANALYSIS—A G OTECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE
Karl M. Dise, P.E., M. ASCE
Bureau of Reclamation
Gregg A. Scott, P.E., F. ASCE
Bureau of Reclamation
Nathan J. Snorteland, P.E.
Corps of Engineers
The dam safety profession has been steadily moving toward risk-based methods for making important decisions with regard to operations and structural modifications at dams. The Bureau of Reclamation, owner of major Federal dams in the western U.S. including Hoover and Grand Coulee Dams (as well as many smaller structures), has been performing risk analyses as the primary dam safety decision tool for over 15 years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has also been pursuing risk-based methods for dam safety decision making over the past several years in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation. This course will cover
basic and practical dam safety risk analysis approaches from the training program developed
for Bureau of Reclamation staff, with focus on geotechnical failure modes. Topics to be covered include failure mode analysis, hazard analysis, event tree development, reliability analysis, subjective probability and expert elicitation, seismic and internal erosion risks for embankment dams, combining and portraying
risks, building the “dam safety case” from a risk perspective, public risk tolerance and risk guidelines, and qualitative/ semiquantitative methods.
#6 ESTIMATION OF ROCK PROPERTIES FOR FOUNDATION DESIGN
Professor Fred H. Kulhawy, Ph.D., P.E., G.E., Dist.M.ASCE
Cornell University
Rock property estimation is fundamental to most of geotechnical design. On large projects with relatively generous budgets, 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 and others, significant research
has been conducted at Cornell to assess rock property correlations in a realistic manner, including the
uncertainty in each correlation. In addition, various classification systems have been developed that have become part of the evaluation process, for better or worse. All of these results are scattered widely in the literature.
In this short course, much of this technology is presented within a consistent, coherent, and practical framework so that one can build upon basic geologic knowledge to evaluate the rock mass and estimate
its key properties. The general topics covered include the following: basic geologic issues, structural geologic features, rock drilling-core logging-RQD, geophysical exploration, the soil-rock boundary, in-situ
stresses, rock mass classification, characterization via Hoek and Brown, rock strength and deformation properties, and uncertainty in basic rock properties. For this course, comprehensive notes are used that facilitate technology transfer. These include organized copies of the course presentation materials and supplemental readings to provide further details.
#7 RELIABILITY ANALYSIS AND DESIGN IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Kok-Kwang Phoon, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE
National University of Singapore
Jianye Ching, Ph.D.
National Taiwan University
Reliability analysis is increasingly being used to calibrate multiple factor code formats, such as LRFD and partial factor approach. It is useful for practitioners to appreciate the theoretical basis that underlies these relatively new design codes. It is possible for practitioners to use reliability-based design beyond the simple closed-form lognormal reliability formula without an in-depth knowledge of probabilistic methods. This course can be considered as a reliability primer for the lay-person with emphasis on “how to calculate” and “how to apply”. The first-order reliability method (FORM) will be taught using a relatively painless spreadsheet approach. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops so that they can follow the hands-on EXCEL demonstrations and to try additional worked examples given in the course CD. This course is based in part on the textbook “Reliability-Based Design in Geotechnical Engineering: Computations and
Applications” by KK Phoon (ed.), Taylor & Francis, 2008. A course CD will be provided containing all presentation slides in PPS, selective public domain publications, and EXCEL examples. Participants will have the option of buying copies of KK Phoon’s textbook at a 15% discount.
#8 INTRODUCTION TO INSTRUMENTATION AND MONITORING IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Magued Iskander, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Polytechnic Institute of NYU
The use of field instrumentation to monitor the insitu behavior of foundation soils, embankments and structures is being required more and more on many construction projects. However, few universities offer
a course on instrumentation as part of the civil engineering curriculum and so many engineers learn on-the-job and through the school of ‘hard knocks’. This one-day seminar will provide a comprehensive introduction to instrumentation and monitoring of civil engineering projects including planning, design of instrumentation programs, and performance of commonly used sensors, data acquisition, signal conditioning, error
analysis, information management and case histories. The seminar will combine elements from civil, mechanical and electrical engineering together with some management concepts.
|
 |
