Tag Archives: ASCE

Article by Dan in Geo-Strata

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An article coauthored by Dan and Dr. Paul Mayne, P.E. of Georgia Tech on geotechnical engineering in the Piedmont appeared in the November/December issue of  the Geo-Institute’s Geo-Strata Magazine.  The four page piece includes a brief overview of Piedmont geology, a discussion on sampling and testing of Piedmont soil and rock, a description of some of the unique engineering properties of Piedmont geomaterials, a discussion on the standard of practice for foundation design within the region, and a discussion on the value of engineering experience.  Examples and data from research and construction projects Dan and Dr. Mayne have been involved in are scattered throughout.  To read the article yourself, click here or pickup the latest copy of Geo-Strata.

Huey P. Long Bridge Designated ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark

Photo Credit: Eliot Kamenitz, The Times-Picayune archive (via NOLA.com)

The Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River in New Orleans was recently designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. From NOLA.com (via ASCE SmartBrief):

Representatives with the Society of Civil Engineers, including national president Andrew Herrmann, along with state Transportation Secretary Sherri LeBas are expected to attend. They will place a plaque on the bridge, distinguishing it as one of 250 such historic landmarks around the world. The honor places the Depression-era built bridge in the company of the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal, the Hoover Dam and the U.S. Capitol.

The $1.2 Billion bridge improvement project is one of several being managed by the Louisiana TIMED Program:

The TIMED (Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development) Program is the single largest transportation program in state history. The TIMED Program was created by Act 16 of the 1989 Louisiana Legislature and was voted for by the people. The $5 billion improvement program includes widening 536 miles of state highways to four lanes on 11 project corridors, widening and/or new construction on three major bridges and improvements to both the Port of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong International Airport. The Program is designed to enhance economic development in Louisiana through an investment in transportation projects.

DBA was involved in the test shaft and base grouting program for the drilled shafts supporting the new pier added to supplement the existing piers of the bridge.  Check out previous posts here.

Drilled Shaft Article by Dan in Geo-Strata

Constructability Considerations When Designing Drilled Shaft Foundations for Bridges

The May/June 2011 issue of ASCE’s Geo-Strata focuses on bridge geotechnics.  Dan contributed an article to this issue summarizing key constructability considerations for bridge drilled shaft designers.  Specifically, the article focuses on fresh concrete properties and reinforcement design.  Discussion of self consolidating concrete (SCC) and column-shaft connections is also included.  The article has been added to our publications page and is available through the link above.  Additional details related to bridge drilled shaft constructability can be found in the 2010 FHWA Drilled Shaft Manual here.

Dr. John Turner, P.E. joins DBA!

We are pleased to announce that John P. Turner, Ph.D., P.E., has joined our firm as a Senior Principal. Turner is Professor Emeritus, University of Wyoming, where he spent the past 25 years teaching and conducting research in geotechnical engineering. He has undergraduate degrees in both Geology and Civil Engineering and earned his doctorate in Geotechnical Engineering from Cornell University. John will bring his considerable expertise in design and construction of deep foundations to our practice. He is a co-author of the 2010 FHWA manual “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods” and the author of NCHRP Synthesis 360, “Rock-Socketed Shafts for Highway Structure Foundations”, as well as over 100 technical publications on the topics of deep foundations, earth retention, and landslide stabilization. Early in his career John was an engineering geologist with Herbert and Associates and he maintained his involvement in consulting throughout his academic career. Recent projects include design of rock-socketed drilled shafts for bridges at Pitkins Curve in Big Sur and the Antlers Bridge on I-5 in northern California. John is a recipient of the President’s Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the ADSC: International Association of Foundation Drilling. He has maintained active membership in ASCE for over 30 years and is a past chairman of the Committee on Deep Foundations of the Geo-Institute of ASCE.

LRFD Design Procedures Case Histories – Iowa ASCE Geotechnical Conference

Paul gave a presentation recently at the Iowa ASCE Geotechnical Conference where he discussed two project case histories for LRFD design of bridge foundations.  The meeting was held March 3, 2011 in Ames, Iowa.  In his presentation, Paul gave an overview of the LRFD design procedure as it applies to foundations, reminding them that LRFD is not difficult and that it provides a logical framework for incorporating reliability into foundation design.  Paul talked about our experiences using LRFD for foundation design for two bridges over the Mississippi River: the Hastings Bridge in Hasting Minnesota and the new I-70 bridge in St. Louis, Missouri.  Both bridges are currently under construction.

A PDF of his presentation can be found at the link through the image below, or on our Presentations page.

PJA_Iowa ASCE_3 MAR 2011

Previous Hastings posts

Previous I-70 posts

Tim Siegel to Teach Karst Seminar in Tennessee, awarded Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering

Our own Tim Siegel, P.E., D.GE. will be part of the seminar Foundation Design in Karst Terrain in two locations:  Johnson City, TN (also known as the Tri-Cities) on June 16th, and in Chattanooga on August 27th.  Tim will be instructing on evaluating karst terrain and designing foundations in such terrain.  If you are interested in the seminar, information can be found here.

 

We also want to say Congratulations! to Tim for receiving the specialty certification Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering (D.GE) from The Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP).  Tim received the designation at the recent Geo-Institute conference Geo-Florida 2010 at West Palm Beach.  The excerpt below comes form the AGP web site.  Tim is on the second row, far left.

 

Latest Class of D.GEs Inducted in West Palm Beach, FL


(Back Row, Left to Right: Timothy Siegel, Melvin Esrig, John Wolosick, Thomas Zimmie, Kenneth Stokoe, II, Roberto Sanchez, Marco Boscardin, Allen Cadden, Thomas Witherspoon, Daniel Pradel, Edward Ulrich, Jr., Robert Lukas; Front Row, Left to Right: Peter Nicholson, Derek Cornforth, Don Dotson, Larry Jedele, Delon Hampton, Joram Amir, Anand Puppala, Larry Madrid, Ivan Contreras, Craig Benson, Tuncer Edil)

The Academy of Geo-Professional (AGP), held its latest induction ceremony on February 21st in West Palm Beach, Florida at the GeoFlorida 2010. If you have at least 8 years (post-licensure) in the geotechnical field, a P.E., and a Masters or equivalent, then you may qualify to become a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering (D.GE). Above is a picture of the Diplomates who were present to receive their certification plaque and pin.