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By Charles F. Seemann

It is with considerable trepidation that I set out to defend "litigation" to Design Professionals (DPs), as a better method of resolving disputes than arbitration, in the light of my personal feeling that an increasing amount of America's productive process is being squandered in litigation. Newer methods of dispute resolution, particularly arbitration, are fashionable, and opponents of these schemes risk being viewed as cynical or self-serving. My quandary is heightened since for some smaller disputes, arbitration seems clearly the better choice. I must concede, for example, that when the cost of dispute resolution--i.e., the cost of the process (such as arbitrators fees, attorneys fees, etc.), plus the cost impact of the non-productivity of involved employees--approximates the amount of the dispute, controlling that cost may be as important as a correct resolution. This principle is particularly true for small disputes arising during the progress of a project; it is probably more cost-effective for all parties to resolve their disputes quickly than permitting the dispute to drag out.

Jan 1, 1988

By Ziyad Abunada, David O’Connor, Abir Al-Tabbaa

"Abstract Contaminated land remediation using soil mix technology (SMT) is a relatively recent development which has been shown to be a cost effective and versatile system with numerous environmental advantages over other remediation techniques. The added complexities and variability associated with contaminated sites has escalated the need for field trials, field monitoring and specific QC measures to be undertaken for this setting and was the rationale behind project SMiRT (Soil Mix Remediation Technology). The main aim of project SMiRT was field validation, testing and assessment to provide stakeholder confidence in SMT and increase its uptake for land remediation in the UK. The field trials involved the treatment of 800 m3 of soil, through applying six different remediation techniques with four different SMT systems and introducing over thirty binders and binder compositions with a range of installation methodologies. Various issues were faced during the installation process and which were addressed on site. This paper presents some aspects of early age field observations, field monitoring, in-situ testing, coring and laboratory testing of cored samples and highlights some lessons learnt, providing valuable information on the issues that need to be addressed for this application of SMT.IntroductionAlthough soil mix technology (SMT) was developed in the 1960s in Japan and Sweden for geotechnical applications, its potential in geo-environmental applications became evident more recently the 1980s in the US and in the 1990s in Europe, having since increased to provide a range of remediation systems (Al-Tabbaa and Evans, 2003; Al-Tabbaa et al., 2011). The most common applications to date have been (a) the construction of low permeability containment walls or cut-off walls to contain a contaminated site; (b) stabilisation/solidification (S/S) treatment, with cementitious binders, for physical and chemical encapsulation of contaminants in soils and (c) the installation of permeable reactive barriers (RPBs), which are permeable walls that intercept the groundwater flow and remove contaminants from it, by mixing special additives with the native soil. Contaminated land remediation using SMT is a cost effective and versatile approach with numerous technical and environmental advantages over other remediation techniques. These advantages include the use of simple and well established techniques and equipment, speedy implementation, applicability to sites of any size and to multiple contaminants, elimination of off-site disposal, low risk and low emissions. There is a lack of competing alternative technologies that offer the same level of versatility and economic, environmental and social benefits, under current environmental legislation constraints. In addition, most currently available contaminated land remediation techniques are only partially effective, and are relatively contaminant-specific. This makes SMT a promising and timely contender to lead the market place in offering a cost-effective, efficient and low risk solution to contaminated soil and groundwater remediation and has resulted in a range of recent innovations."

Jan 1, 2014

By Chris G. Leach

"Abstract A seven storey Northbridge area of Perth, Western Australia presented residential apartment complex located in the an opportunity for a novel application of Cutter Soil Mix technology (CSM). The development included a two-level basement for car parking which covered the full site area. However, the basement was also required to extend under an existing single story heritage building. Soil conditions comprised 2m of fill overlying medium dense to dense sands that in turn were overlying a very stiff clay stratum at approximately 14-16m depth. The ground water table was located at a depth of approximately 1m below the natural surface level.A site boundary consisting of a reinforced CSM retention system and was designed and installed to allow the excavation to proceed to basement level. Two rows of temporary soils anchors or inclined struts were required to achieve this. A CSM support system for the heritage building was also designed and constructed to provide temporary support during excavation and permanent construction works. The brief for the contract works emphasised that it was vital that settlements of the heritage building be kept within strict limits.CSM is a relatively new introduction to the Australian construction market, using a modified trench cutter to mix a binder slurry with in situ soils, generally to form cut-off walls, retaining walls and soil improvement works. This project is understood to be first application of the CSM for underpinning work in Australia.This paper discusses the site background details leading to the decision by the client to adopt CSM technology, and the design and construction aspects to meet the challenges offered by this project.Introduction190 Newcastle St is a 7-level residential apartment complex located in the Northbridge area of Perth, Western Australia. The development includes a 2 level basement for car parking, which covers the full site area. The basement also extends under a single story heritage building, which remained in-situ throughout the building works.A site boundary retention system was required to allow the excavation to basement level to proceed. In addition, a support system for the heritage building was required to provide temporary support during excavation and permanent construction works."

Jan 1, 2014

By George G. Goble

The use of augercast piles has been limited by the engineer's concern for the structural quality of the installed pile. The nature of the pile is such that its final structural continuity is very dependent on the skill of the personnel that do the installation. Thus, NDT methods have been used to verify integrity and when problems are indicated the available solutions are usually quite costly. If information were available during the pile installation so that immediate steps could be taken to correct perceived problems, the concerns of the engineer could be addressed and the system would gain increased reliability. Pile Dynamics, Inc. has developed a quality control system, the Pile Installation Recorder for Augered Cast-in-Place piles (PIR CFA). This system consists of the following devices as shown in Figure 1. 1) The Control Unit powers the sensors, conditions the signals from the sensors, records all measurements, takes input information from the operator, displays the results, and stores the recorded data on a flash card for later permanent storage and processing. During the use of the system all of the results obtained during a test are seen during recording and can be reviewed on the screen again after completion of the installation. The ability to review the measured information makes it unnecessary to print a copy in the field. Since printers often give difficulty in the construction site environment the ability to review the results quickly after completion of the installation is an important capability.

Jan 1, 1997

By Gray Mullins

This paper presents results from model and full-scale tests to assess the interface bond between a cast-in-place concrete seal slab and steel H-piles in cofferdams. Three different seal slab placement conditions - fresh water, salt water and bentonite slurry - were evaluated and the results compared against controls where no fluid was displaced by the concrete. Normal pile surfaces were investigated. Additionally, the situation of ?soil caked? piles was also tested. In the model tests, eight 15 cm deep, W6 x 15 sections were used for two different embedment depths of 1.5d and 2d, d being the depth of the section. In the full-scale tests, 16 specimens 35 cm deep (W14 x 90 sections) were tested with the embedment varied between 0.5d-2d. The results show that significant bond stresses developed even in the worst placement condition. Recommendations made for revising current values in specifications have already been implemented by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Jan 1, 2013

By J. Moskowitz

Construction of the new JFK International Airport Light Rail System (LRS) began in 1998 with a pre-construction load test program. This $1.2 billion design-build project consists of approximately 13 kilometers of elevated twin rail. The elevated rail system is supported on nearly 500 piers requiring deep foundations. The presence of underlying compressible and liquefiable soils as well as space constraints precluded the use of large spread footings. In the 1980's the Port Authority undertook extensive testing to evaluate various piles and drilled shafts types. The LRS piling sub-contractor and the Geotechnical Engineer conducted additional tests for this project to identify the most cost effective deep foundation type. Candidate piles types included: Monotube®, Tapertube®, and closed ended pipe piles. The tapered pile types were found to be the most cost effective and the project utilized both the Monotube® and Tapertube® piles. This paper presents the results of the load test program and the issues related to pile driving induced vibrations and ground movement.

Jan 1, 2000

By W. Y. Xu

In comparison with shallow foundation, usually higher bearing capacity, smaller average settlement and better stability are the engineering characteristics of pile foundation. Besides, a smaller differential settlement and a lower settlement rate which will converge quickly are more important characteristics. The superstructure of the building with pile foundation may not meet with significant differential settlement. In this paper, settlement records and other data of different kinds of buildings are chosen to illustrate the characteristics of pile foundation. Moreover, some technical problems in connection with foundation engineering solved in consideration of the above mentioned characteristics of pile foundation are also introduced.

Jan 1, 2010

Port Gaspé is located on the back side of Gaspé bay and is protected by a natural sand barrier with a length of 2,5 km, from which it got its name, Gaspé Sandy Beach (1). Since 1904 the Gaspé region had a deep water wharf, initially very different, in fact, from the one existing just before the recent reconstruction (2). This wharf with a length of 228 m and a width of 23 m was build of timber cribs. The outside walls of these cribs had been doubled with a wooden wall, creosote impregnated to provide resistance to decay and to the attack of marine organisms (limnorias) (3). Fifteen years ago the upper part of the wood construction had to be removed, because of progressing rottenness and was replaced by an L-shaped reinforced concrete structure (4).

Jan 1, 1987

By A. R. Jambekar

City of Bombay has been developed out of former 7 islands. Landmass of 434 sq.km. of Bombay, started looking inadequate for further growth and expansion of Bombay City. In order to develope twin city of New Bombay, State Government formed fully owned Company "City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited", (CIDCO) in 1971 and entrusted it with planning and development including social and physical infrastructure of New Bombay.Hence, Trans - Thane Creek area is being planned and developed, to serve as counter-magnet to Bombay. Area of 343 sq.km located on the main land, is fast developing into a satellite community, for India's overcrowded financial capital. Thane Creek, running in almost North-South direction, separates Bombay City from main land and posed a significant barrier, to further expansion of city's sprawling suburbs, until, it was bridged for the first time in 1972. On the basis of traffic study, CIDCO decided to construct an additional road link across Thane creek to cope up with future projected traffic. This bridge will connect Airoli in New Bombay and Eastern Express highway near Mulund. Bridging the vast, exposed tidal Thane Creek, have always posed challenging conditions, during constructions of these bridges. In this paper, case history of deep open foundations provided for Airoli Bridge is presented.

Jan 1, 1996

By Dan Brown

This paper presents a case study of a cyclic lateral pile load testing program performed on two 18-in square prestressed concrete piles (PSC) in Savannah, Georgia. The load test program was developed to simulate the lateral behavior of a single pile under seismic loading conditions for the design and construction of a large LNG storage tank. The lateral load tests included cyclic loading to measure possible degradation in soil response followed by static loading to large displacements (around 6 inches at the loading point). The lateral load was applied through a reciprocating jack positioned to push and pull the piles against each other. The test piles were instrumented with multiple displacement transducers, downhole inclinometer, and strain gauges. This paper provides an interpretation of the test results regarding the pile performance and soil response to monotonic and cyclic lateral loading. A backfitted computational model of the soil resistance was developed to match the test results using the LPILE computer program. The load-deflection and deflection/moment versus depth comparisons suggest that this model appears to capture the behavior relatively well within the general range of suitability for design purposes. New design curves were developed based on the soil parameters derived from the lateral load test results.

Jan 1, 2003

By Harry Schnabel

A 6200 m² cement deep soil mixed (CDSM) wall was constructed for an addition to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. The addition was located along the east side of the existing museum within an existing courtyard and in the area of a recently demolished structure. The basement for the new addition extended up to 9.1 m below the floor slabs of the adjacent buildings. The adjacent buildings are supported on a variety of foundations including; shallow spread footings on alluvial sand deposits, low capacity piles bearing in the alluvial sands and Boston blue clay, and caissons bearing on the alluvial sands and clay. Groundwater was less than one meter below the top of the CDSM wall. The new addition was founded on shallow foundations in the desiccated crust of the Boston Blue Clay. The CDSM wall was selected as the most economical means to control deep seated ground movements, limit movements of adjacent structures, and inhibit groundwater flow into the excavation. Braces and a continuous wale were used to support the CDSM wall where it was located adjacent to structures. Tiebacks were used where there were no structures. Other geotechnical construction at the site included: ? Jet grouting (JG) to improve the ground and provide an impervious subgrade layer at the west end of the addition, ? Concrete pier underpinning was used to support an existing structure on the west end of the site, and ? A secant pile wall using alternating drilled shafts and jet grout columns was used for earth support and a barrier to groundwater flow to allow for the installation of a storage tank at the south end of the site. Inclinometers, total station surveying, vibrating wire strain gauges on the braces and wales and load cells on the tiebacks were used to monitor performance of the excavation support system. The excavation support system performed better than required limiting lateral movements of the adjacent structures to less than 13 mm and vertical settlement to less than 8 mm. No settlements or movement were detected during the construction of the wall. Lateral movement of the CDSM wall was typically below 15 mm with the maximum movement occurring near subgrade.

Jan 1, 2011

By Shamsher Prakash

Equivalent spring constants for analysis of footings is a function of Young's modulus of pile material (Ep), shear modulus of soil (Gs), and geometry of the footing and/or piles. Shear modulus is strongly strain dependent in soils. Therefore, the spring constants are strain dependent, which is acceptable to the Geotechnical engineers. However, structural engineers prefer to use spring constants as a function of displacement, rather than strain. In order to develop these relationships, appropriate relationships between strain and displacement are needed. Also, modulus degradation with strain needs be built into these relationships. Description of spring constants kx , ky, and kz in x, y, and z direction and k?, k?, k?, about x, y, and z directions are relatively simple. However, description of kxø and ky?, the cross-coupling spring constants depend on 2 - components of displacement and rotation. Thus, there are 8 spring constants and likewise there are 8 damping constants. Approximate strain-displacement relationships on which displacement dependant k's and c's are based are presented with appropriate equations, and a numerical example is included illustrating k's and c's as functions of displacement.

Jan 1, 2002

By Liqun Liang

Various nondestructive testing (NDT) inspection methods are available to evaluate the structural integrity of cast-in-place shafts. The widely used methods include Cross Hole Sonic Logging Testing and Low Strain Testing. Due to its advantages such as low cost, easy operation, quickness and flexibility (no need to plan ahead and prepare inspection tubes or other devices), Low Strain Test is frequently specified in quality assurance programs of many countries or when doubts arise as to the integrity of the finished shafts/piles. The method is well suited for small to middle sized shafts. However it is an indirect NDT testing method and has certain limitations. Data interpretation requires proper training, experience and judgment and, therefore, inconsistent conclusions and reporting may be provided by different testers. To avoid or reduce such inconsistencies, it is best to follow a standardized data interpretation and record classification system. In this paper, a new classification method is presented with examples. A step-by-step data evaluation and interpretation procedure is proposed with examples of real cases to help understand the LST data. The paper also makes recommendations for measures to be taken when anomalies are detected in tested production piles.

Jan 1, 2011

By C. J. Kirkland

For two thousand years and more, we insular Britons have been grateful for the existence of the narrow strip of water that separates us from mainland Europe. It has given us a sense of security against invaders, though it has been breached many times. The first recorded serious consideration of a fixed crossing of the English Channel was in around 1802, when it was suggested to Napoleon I. The motive was not entirely peaceable and the British Navy, who saw themselves as defenders of our shores, were decidedly unenthusiastic A whole series of imaginative schemes were proposed in the course of the nineteenth century, embracing viaducts, immersed tubes, artificial islands as resting places for the horses which were to draw carriages, as well as mechanically bored tunnels. The first Channel Tunnel Company was formed in 1872, and an application for permission to construct a tunnel was made to the British parliament. A Colonel Beaumont, of the Corps of Royal Engineers designed and constructed a machine which, in around 1882, bored over a mile of tunnel out to sea from Britain which exists to this day.

Jan 1, 1991

By Wolfgang G. Brunner

The center of Berlin is currently a huge jobsite, where international architects, designers, consultants, construction and ground engineers as well as investors take on the challenge of the biggest and probably most complicated projects in terms of soil conditions in Europe. The Berlin sand is generally suitable for foundation measures, but can be very tricky in deep excavation pits below the high ground water level. The reason for this is its uniform grading, medium dense stratification and lack of cohesion. The requirements for these deep pits are: - measurements in the range of up to 120 000 m2 per pit - depths up to 19 m below ground water level - lack of dense horizontal geological layers - no permission for lowering ground water levels - toughest ever European competition in construction. Sheet pile walls, sheet piles set into cut - off walls, secant pile walls, diaphragm walls, all with tie backs under high water pressure, are used as retaining sytems. The pits are closed at the bottom against water either by under water concrete, deep lying grouted cut - offs or high lying jet - grouted cut - off slabs. The huge dimensions of these excavation pits are a new challenge for ground engineers, and new technology had to solve the upcoming problems and resulted in new experience.

Jan 1, 1999

Jan 1, 1997

By Brian D. Barkauskas, Terence P. Holman

A major combined nuclear and coal-fired power plant, located in on the western coast of Florida has undergone multiple upgrades in recent years to increase power output and enhance environmental controls. Construction of new elements within the existing plant structure required working in highly congested conditions and heavy crane lifts with large picking radii. The largest crane pick involved the use of an 1800 metric tonne capacity Mammoet PTC ring crane for a single long-radius, high altitude lift of a precipitator unit. Original bid tender documents had called for drilled shaft foundation support, but the presence of many critical utilities and unfavorable access for cost effective construction led specialty contractor Moretrench American Corporation to propose an alternate micropile foundation on the basis that high capacities could be achieved in the weak limestone geology and that the smaller size of micropiles would allow for more surgical installation in the utility-congested areas. This case history describes the design and construction of seventy three (73) high capacity micropiles for the value engineering alternative and the crane foundation for this critical lift. Each micropile was founded in a competent dolomitic fossiliferous limestone unit at typical depths of 23 m below existing ground surface. Strain gauge instrumented load testing was used to validate the geotechnical design parameters in the weak limestone bedrock and resulted in the finding that the entire test load was being carried in the upper half of the bond zone. Construction of the production micropiles required numerous relocations due to utility conflicts and local reanalysis and redesign of the 1.2 m thick reinforced concrete ring beam cap. Crane foundation performance was satisfactory and the effective life of this temporary foundation was only 6 months before decommissioning and demolition.

Jan 1, 2017

By William Van Impe

A most renewing and promissing soil displacement screw pile is called the O-pile. The O-screw pile is a soil displacement auger pile based on a screwing in - screwing out procedure. The displacement auger head consists of a discontinuously diameter - increasing steel tip, on top of which the continuous screw flange with variable pitch is mounted. The soil displacement is kinematically ensured by downwardly oriented slots mounted on the auger head at different well chosen locations on the flanges. This leads to a very efficient lower energy screwing-in sequence of the pile and consequently to a high penetration rate. A test loading program of instrumented O-piles has been carried out in order to evaluate the load settlement behaviour, the shaft and tip capacity of the O-pile, including its specific installation parameters.

Jan 1, 1996

By Allan Sylvester

This paper will discuss the design, construction, and performance of the support of excavation on the San Diego State University LRT Station. The vertical elements of the system include drilled secant piles and drilled soldier piles. We will discuss the geo-technical characteristics, design and construction considerations, loading criteria, construction techniques, schedule constraints, and performance of the pile and support of excavation systems. In consideration of the conference theme, there will be a discussion of the successful accomplishment of meeting the interim milestone dates of the Contract. The project team cooperatively worked to design and install approximately 1,100 drilled secant and soldier piles as well as excavate and install the balance of the support of excavation elements in such a manner as to minimize the disruption to campus students and operations.

Jan 1, 2002

By N. Q. Huy

This paper describes the application of finite element analysis to simulate the static and quasi-static pile load tests in different drainage conditions. The possible effect of excess pore water pressure will be studied from the simulations results. The results show that the drainage condition has effect on the bearing capacity of a pile derived from the quasi-static pile load test. The excess of pore pressure reduces the pile toe resistance while it increases the pile shaft resistance. The factors which influence the effect of excess pore pressure are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2006