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October 26, 2012: Factors Affecting the Selection and Use of Drilled Shafts for Transportation Infrastructure Projects - 26th Central Pennsylvania Geotechnical Conference - ASCE/DFI - Hershey, Pennsylvania Other DBA Team Speaking Appearances John Turner (September 12-13, 2012): Analysis & Design of Drilled Shafts - ADSC/DFI Drilled Shaft Seminar - Denver, Colorado
John Turner (September 12-13, 2012): Techniques for Drilled Shaft Construction - ADSC/DFI Drilled Shaft Seminar - Denver, Colorado Conferences, Meetings, Seminars, Workshops
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By Robert Thompson, on October 2nd, 2011
 Greetings to all Terzaghi fans! Yes, it is that time of year again, where our thoughts turn to the anniversary of the birth of one of the greats in our field.
Last year I had a football themed post (college football, in case you were wondering…and that is American football for our fans outside the U.S.) since Terzaghi’s birthday was on a Saturday. Since I am not a big pro football fan, and since I used football last year, I figured I would do something different for this year’s weekend post.
The August 2011 edition of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering ISSMGE Bulletin is headlined with an article on the history of ISSMGE: “THE ISSMGE FROM 1936 TO 2011 A RETROSPECTIVE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 75TH PLATINUM JUBILEE ANNIVERSARY” by Kenji Ishihara and Michele Jamiolkowski. The Bulletin is in two parts at this link. The article is an outstanding work providing an excellent account of the start of ISSMGE as an international conference and its evolution into the ISSMGE we know today.
It should be no surprise that Prof. Terzaghi was very active and one of the key figures in the formation and success of ISSMGE, which began as the International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ICSMFE). Many of the giants of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering on which we base al of our work were instrumental in the start of ICSMFE and its impacts on our profession. As for that time in history (1936) and how it was important to our field:
The time had come to hold a Conference aimed at exchanging and sharing information on Earth and Foundation Engineering.
It was Professor Arthur Casagrande (assistant professor of Harvard University) who sensed the timing, conceived the idea and carried out the herculean task of running the conference all the way through, in his role of Secretary General, with K. Terzaghi (Professor of Technical University of Vienna and visiting Professor of Harvard University) as Chairman. Professor Peck once remarked “Our Society owes an enormous debt to Arthur Casagrande for his conviction that the time was right for the International Conference and to his tremendous efforts to organize it“.
…
Since the first ICMSFE was so successful, it became clear that the Conference should not remain a one-off event but should, instead, be continued within a few years, possibly being held in Holland where earthwork engineering is so crucial to the country.
It was also requested to set up a permanent international organization. Thus it was decided to establish International Committees consisting of National Committees with K. Terzaghi as President and A. Casagrande as Secretary. It was also decided that at the next Conference the International Committees would submit the draft of the Constitution and of the By-laws, which are essential for the Society to become a permanent organization.
There was at that time a widespread awareness that it was the moment to set up a common denominator institution that would group engineers with diverse backgrounds but involved in our discipline.
 Portion of group photo from 1st ICSMFE, 1936. (From ISSMGE Bulletin Vol 5, No 4, August 2011, p3)
 Photo of Terzaghi addressing the opening session of the 4th ICSMFE, 1957. (From ISSMGE Bulletin Vol 5, No 4, August 2011, p7)
And the rest, as the saying goes, is history!
As an editorial note on the first year, Ishihara and Jamiolkowski offer this observation:
It is commonly recognized that K. Terzaghi is the originator of modern soil mechanics and foundation engineering and therefore father of our profession. After tracing the history of development, the writers had a strong belief that this is true. Not only was he always a leading figure in the forefront, but he conveyed strong messages on the role and importance of the soil mechanics and foundation engineering every time he participated in the ICSMFE. We are very much impressed by his enthusiastic and heartfelt message to our community.
No less important was the role played by Arthur Casagrande. He was instrumental in persuading the President of Harvard University to host the conference and carrying out all arrangements for organizing the first International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. The great success of this conference contributed greatly for establishing the place of soil mechanics in engineering practice throughout the world. He also dedicated himself to the ISSMFE as the 3rd President between the periods of 1961 in Montreal to 1965 in Paris.
There is a saying that for a great religion to be established, there always are two key-role playing giants. For Christianity Jesus Christ is the originator and his disciple Saint Paul was the great evangelist. For Greek philosophy, Socrates was the great philosopher and it was Plato who was the greatest disciple. Terzaghi and Casagrande are considered as a combination in the same context. Without Terzaghi, Casagrande would not have been so well-known. Had there not been Casagrande, the fame of Terzaghi would have developed in a different format.
Now neither I nor the authors are suggesting that soil mechanics is a religion, but their point on the timing and combination of Terzaghi’s and Casagrande’s work was critical to what we see as the field of soil mechanics/geotechnical engineering today. Without these two and others seeing a need, taking charge, and filling that need, we could very well be viewing things from a completely different framework.
So as we reflect on this celebrated day, let’s remember not only Prof. Terzaghi’s great technical achievements, but also his role as a leader (along with many others) shaping our field of practice and our professional societies.
By Robert Thompson, on October 1st, 2010
October 2nd, is the day we (or at least a lot of us geoprofessionals) have all been looking forward to all year – the birthday of Professor Karl Terzaghi, The Father of Modern Day Soil Mechanics, born October 2, 1883.
Since this historic day in geotechnical engineering history falls on a Saturday this year, I offer a cheer for those of us into college football (I mean, really, who isn’t this time of year, at least in the U.S.):
Two bits, four bits, six bits..a dollar
All for Terzaghi, stand up and holler!!!!!
On the more reflective side, each year I try to find some interesting fact or quote to write about. This year, I decided to read the preface of Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice (Terzaghi and Peck, 1948) for inspiration, and thus will quote from there:
“Unfortunately, the research activities in soil mechanics had one undesirable psychological effect. They diverted the attention of many investigators and teachers from the manifold limitations imposed by nature on the application of mathematics to problems in earthwork engineering. As a consequence, more and more emphasis has been placed on refinements in sampling and testing and on those very few problems that can be solved with accuracy. Yet, accurate solutions can be obtained only if the soil strata are practically homogeneous and continuous in horizontal directions. Furthermore, since the investigations leading to an accurate solution involve highly specialized methods of sampling and testing, they are justified only in exceptional cases. On the overwhelming majority of jobs no more than an approximate forecast is needed, and if such a forecast cannot be made by simple means it cannot be made at all.”
While our technology has allowed us to measure, analyze, test, and compute huge volumes of data, as well as investigate the highly complex nature of soil-structure systems, we sometimes get caught up in the details of precision. We try to be much more precise than the materials we work with truly allow. This is not to say we should totally throw away our technology, forsaking numerical models, design software, or sophisticated in-situ testing and return to the days of slide rules (though I can use one!). There are many times, however, that an “approximate forecast” is just as “accurate” as a calculation computed to a precise number.
So, my friends, raise your glasses this weekend to toast Professor Terzaghi and our profession!
Cheers!
Update (10/1/10): One of my (Robert’s) mentors at my first job out of grad school, Luther Boudra, P.E. at MACTEC, wrote me this morning on the subject of accuracy and precision. I asked him if I could share his comment (and he agreed) since I thought it was very insightful:
Robert, Professors Terzaghi’s comments remind me of something I read recently in a book about precision shooting, particularly at long range. The author, who incidentally is both an engineer and top level shooter, was noting the difference between “precision” and “accuracy”. Precision is exemplified by being able to repeat something to close tolerance, as exemplified in the shooting community by benchrest shooters, who are primarily interested in shooting small groups of typically 5 to 10 shots. Hitting near the center of the target, whatever it is, is of secondary importance. Accuracy, on the other hand, requires the ability to hit what you are aiming at, precisely. In other words to take this to our field of endeavor, it’s possible to be “precisely inaccurate”, which the various software packages available to calculate almost anything enhance the possibility of.
Speaking of slide rules, their greatest attribute is that you have to be able to estimate the answer, rather than just writing down what shows up on the display screen.
By Robert Thompson, on May 12th, 2010
The Professor Ralph Peck Legacy Website has been launched by Geoengineer.org:
Geoengineer.org is pleased to announce the launch of "Professor Ralph Peck’s Legacy Website". The Website has been developed to celebrate the life and legacy of one of the Heroes of the geotechnical engineering field and honor a distinguished geotechnical engineer for his dedication and contributions to the society as a teacher, author, and engineer. The Website includes a lot of resources such as biographical data, quotes, photos, powerpoints, and even videos of lectures by Professor Peck. The Shamsher Prakash Foundation has generously sponsored this activity. The website has been developed in collaboration with Mrs. Nancy Peck-Young, Prof. Peck’s daughter and was supervised by an international Advisory Committee of distinguished members of our community that had the luxury of knowing Prof. Peck and consists of Prof. Dobry, Prof. Cording, Prof. Prakash and Dr. Lacasse. The content of the website is divided in three parts: "About his life", "Publications" and "Resources". We hope that this resource will be a source of inspiration for the future generations of geotechnical engineers. We also encourage you to provide us with any additional resources/content and we will be glad to include it in the website’s content.
Such a website is a fitting tribute to such an icon in the geotechnical engineering and construction industry. Make sure and check it out. I have added a link on our sidebar in the Geotechnical Resources section.
By Robert Thompson, on October 2nd, 2009
Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963)
Photograph From the World Wide Web of Geotechnical Engineering Hall of Fame (http://www.ejge.com/People/Terzaghi/Terzaghi.htm)
Yes, my geotechnical friends, another year has passed and it is again that special date in geotechnical engineering history: Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday!
Each year we pause to recognize the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics. For those of you that this is the first year you have received this message, let me welcome you to my annual tribute to Professor Terzaghi and the geotechnical engineering profession. (If you do not want this annual greeting, please let me know and I will drop you from my list!).
For this year’s reflection, I thought I would share a story from Professor Terzaghi’s biography: “Karl Terzaghi – The Engineer as Artist” by Richard E. Goodman (quotes in italics). Terzaghi was in the U.S. in the fall of 1938 working on securing an appointment at Harvard. He received a lot of invitations to speak once word spread he was in the U.S. He organized them into something like a tour. “But he did not defer the invitation from Dean Grinter, of the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, because Karl knew that construction of new subway tunnels through soft clay was about to start under the heart of Chicago. At Armour Institute, he wisely chose to speak about the dangers of tunneling in soft clay beneath cities.” The lecture was on December 1, 1938. Representatives of the property owners along the subway right-of-way as well as the chief engineer of the subway department were in attendance. Both parties sought out Terzaghi as consultant and made offers. He eventually chose the offer to work for the city after requiring several conditions that including hiring Professor Ralph Peck, “beginning a job that propelled the young field of soils engineering.” The rest, as they say, is history. This story illustrates how the right words (a lecture, a presentation, etc.) at the right time in front of the right audience can pay huge dividends, both professionally and financially.
Remember that every day is a great day to be in the field of geotechnical engineering and construction! Have a great Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday!
By Robert Thompson, on September 16th, 2009
I wanted to make a quick post on the passing of Dr. Lymon Reese – Dan’s mentor, Ph.D. advisor, and a great engineer. I’ll post more later as it becomes available. (and catch up posts on our normal activities that I am way behind on). Below is from an e-mail sent by the ADSC.
Drilled Shaft Foundation Industry Giant
Dr. Lymon C. Reese Passes
Drilled Shaft Foundation Industry Giant Dr. Lymon C. Reese Passes
We are sad to report that Dr. Lymon C. Reese, Professor Emeritus, University of Texas, Austin, and one of the world’s leading drilled foundation experts, passed away on Monday, September 13, 2009. Dr. Reese was an ADSC Honorary Technical Affiliate Member and a great friend to the ADSC and to the drilled foundation industry. His seminal drilled shaft foundation research conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation and his subsequent writings are among the most important work ever conducted in the field. His graduate students have achieved international acclaim in their own right, and include: Dr. Michael W. O’Neill (deceased), Dr. Dan A. Brown, Larry Olson, Dr. Magued Iskander, Dr. James Long, and many others, all of whom have had a major impact on the advancement of the drilled shaft foundation industry. Dr. Reese was one of the last surviving early “giants” of our industry. At age 92, he remained a vibrant contributor to the profession. To say he will be sorely missed is an understatement. We have lost a most beloved friend.
Further details regarding a Memorial Service will be posted on the ADSC website as they become available.
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By Robert Thompson, on January 14th, 2009
I have been too busy to post more photos from my trips to New Roads, LA in the fall to help Steve with the work at the Audubon Bridge project. It has been a flurry of activity as they worked to finish installing, tip-routing, and load testing all of the shafts in the river (done in December!). They have also completed and tested the land test shaft on the west side of the river and begun installing the land shafts. Throw in a lot of pile driving, including some 5-foot diameter pipe piles for temporary bents, and it has been a very busy site. All of the various tip-grouting, O-cell load tests on drilled shafts, and PDA testing of the pre-cast piles has been successful. As of today, the Mississippi River has come up and slowed things down a bit, but they should get all of the foundation completed within the next couple of months.
Some pictures I took on some of my trips are setup below. I have also experimented with embedding some video I took with my camera. The camera was not set on a very high video capture resolution, but I think they are good enough for you to get the idea of the shaft excavation and the pile driving activities.
More pictures here.
Previous posts here.
East Pier Construction – September 2008:
East Temporary Bent Pile Driving – September 2008:
West Side Construction and Other Stuff – October 2008:
By Robert Thompson, on November 2nd, 2008
The folks at Geoengineer.org are developing a website to honor the legacy of Professor Ralph B. Peck who passed away earlier this year. The development team is offering an invitation for contributions:
To honor a distinguished geotechnical engineer, for his dedication and contributions to the society as a teacher, author, and engineer, we invite his friends, students and colleagues to send us any material relevant for inclusion in this website. Photos, videos, notes, or other material of historical value is more than welcome. Your contribution to this effort is vital and will be acknowledged.
The team behind the website includes:
The website is being developed in collaboration with Mrs. Nancy Peck-Young, Prof. Peck’s daughter and is supervised by an international Advisory Committee of distinguished members of the engineering community that have worked closely with Prof. Peck. The Advisory Committee presently consists of:
- Professor Ricardo Dobry, Professor, RPI.
- Dr. Suzanne Lacasse, Director, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)
- Prof. Shamsher Prakash, Emeritus Professor, University of Missouri-Rolla
- Prof. Edward Cording, Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
More information can be found at the Geoengineer.org website here.
By Robert Thompson, on October 1st, 2008
Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963)
Photograph From the World Wide Web of Geotechnical Engineering Hall of Fame (http://www.ejge.com/People/Terzaghi/Terzaghi.htm)
Good day and Happy Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday! Today is a celebrated day on the geotechnical calendar each and every year, and this year is special as it is the 125th year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics. For those of you that this is the first year you have received this message, let me welcome you to my annual tribute to Professor Terzaghi and the geotechnical engineering profession. (If you do not want this annual greeting, please let me know and I will drop you from my list!).
This year I am writing from a hotel room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana preparing to be on a bridge site in the morning to observe an O-cell load test. I wish I could say I spent some time perusing Professor Terzaghi’s biography: “Karl Terzaghi – The Engineer as Artist” by Richard E. Goodman in order to prepare something that reflects on some event or achievement of Professor Terzaghi. Alas the last two weeks have been terribly busy with trips back and forth between Alabama and Louisiana, long days on the project site, and staying on top of everything else as usual.
Therefore, I will keep this post brief and encourage you to celebrate today wherever work finds you today. Every day is a great day to be a geotechnical engineer, foundation contractor, professor, sales engineer, or other part of the geo-industry. Go out and have fun today, and make sure and remind everyone in your office, etc. that today is Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday!
By Robert Thompson, on October 1st, 2007
Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963)
Photograph From the World Wide Web of Geotechnical Engineering Hall of Fame (http://www.ejge.com/People/Terzaghi/Terzaghi.htm)
Yes, my friends, another year has passed and it is once again that joyous day amongst geotechnical engineers and the geo-industry…Karl Terzaghi’s Birthday! Today marks the 124th year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics. As I pondered what to say today to mark the occasion, I pulled my copy of “Karl Terzaghi – The Engineer as Artist” by Richard E. Goodman off my shelf for inspiration.
As I flipped through the pages covering Professor Terzaghi’s early life, I found the section on his service in WWI. Since we are at war, and as a veteran U.S. Army Combat Engineer (Essayons!), I felt it appropriate to highlight Professor Terzaghi’s service as an engineer in the Austrian Army. He received a commission as Oberleutnant and was placed in charge of a 250-man engineer brigade, one of four within a “Land Storm” battalion. He quickly took the reigns of leadership and organized his men into a disciplined and effective unit, so well, in fact, that he was made Land Storm Commander in charge of the entire 1,000 man battalion. While on the Serbian front, he was tested as a designer and builder of trenches, works, and fortifications due to the soft soils and high groundwater conditions. After a time in
Serbia
, he was reassigned to manage an airfield where he completed his military service.
So today, as you raise your mug, glass, bottle, or can to toast Professor Terzaghi the Engineer, remember that he also took the path of countless others in honorable service to their country. (And, as we are honoring Professor Terzaghi, we will not today entertain discussions or debates of the geo-political events of his day, including the many causes of WWI and the side on which
Austria
was involved).
Some links of interest for you today: a list of Terzaghi quotes , a post about his honorary doctorate at the Instanbul Technical University, advice from Professor Terzaghi, and the World Wide Web of Geotechnical Engineering Hall of Fame,
I hope you enjoy the rest of your day working in the greatest and most fun field in civil engineering. Just think, you get to be a geotechnical engineer (or geo-professional)!!!!!!!!
Robert
Technorati : Engineering Research, Foundations, Geotechnical Engineering, Soil Mechanics
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By Robert Thompson, on October 2nd, 2006
Today marks the 123rd year since the birth of the Father of Modern Soil Mechanics, the Sultan of Soils, an Engineer’s Engineer: Karl Terzaghi! So let us raise our coffee mugs (or whatever vessel contains your morning beverage of choice) this morning in honor of the man that helped define what we do as a field unto itself in civil engineering. Later this evening, after you have spent another great day as a geotechnical engineer teaching students, visiting a site to observe or test foundation construction, performing settlement analysis, telling that architect yet again why he can’t use shallow foundations for his 10-story building like he planned, working like crazy to finish that bid on a complex _____ (pile, shaft, soil nail, etc.) installation, or figuring out how to handle the outrageous axial and lateral load combinations the structural engineer gave you this week, raise a toast of beer, wine, or other beverage of your choice to Professor Terzaghi and his work. You got to spend another day in the most fun and exciting field in civil engineering (really, who wants to sit at a desk designing moment connections all day?).
To reflect on the contributions of Professor Terzaghi, click here to go to an on-line reprint (by permission) of an article by Dr. Richard Goodman, P.E. from the October, 2002 issue of Geo-Strata.
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Greetings to all Terzaghi fans! Yes, it is that time of year again, where our thoughts turn to the anniversary of the birth of one of the greats in our field.
Portion of group photo from 1st ICSMFE, 1936. (From ISSMGE Bulletin Vol 5, No 4, August 2011, p3)
Photo of Terzaghi addressing the opening session of the 4th ICSMFE, 1957. (From ISSMGE Bulletin Vol 5, No 4, August 2011, p7)
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