Slope Inclinometers - Displacements Monitoring Slope inclinometers are geotechnical instruments used to measure horizontal displacements...

King Pile - Sheet Pile Wall Combinations Combined sheet pile walls are typically formed by joining a pair of sheet pile sections with...

Concrete Diaphragm Walls (Slurry Walls) The continuous diaphragm wall (also referred to as slurry wall in the US) is a structure formed...

Soil Mix Walls - Plain Concrete Piles Use of the Soil Mix Walls Soil mix walls are constructed by mixing and partly replacing the insitu...

Secant/Tangent Piles: Construction, Use, Advantages and Disadvantages Secant pile walls are formed by constructing intersecting...

Still Using 3 Different Software for your Foundation Pile Design? Pile foundation design can be time-consuming as it involves multiple...

The Museum of Science and Industry is located in 57th and Lake Shore Drive. An underground 3-level parking was constructed adjacent to...

Sheet Pile Walls - Advantages & Disadvantages Sheet pile walls are constructed by driving prefabricated sections into the ground. Soil...

Soldier Pile Walls: Information, Advantages & Disadvantages Soldier pile and lagging walls, commonly known as soldier piles, are some of...

Should geotechnical engineers charge by the hour or by the value of what they bring? I recently had what can be perceived as a heated...

Deep Excavation Project Images (2018) Projects Designed with DeepEX Software As 2018 comes to an end we have assembled a list of...

FEM or LEM? A false choice in geotechnical engineering. Computers and computerized analyses are genuinely great tools that can sometimes lead us astray from delivering a true engineering solution. Many engineers are carried away by beautiful colors from finite element analyses to represent a true analysis. Others question whether a finite element analysis or a limit-equilibrium analysis is the right way to go in geotechnical problems. The surprising answer is both and none. E

In a recent linked in poll, we asked the question who should design deep excavations and why. The motivation was the fact that in some states within the US, laws or statutes have passed that recognize only structural P.E. as the ones responsible for the design of deep excavations. The poll results above appear to indicate that the engineering community believes that an engineer should be familiar with both principles and that this requirement can only do harm. In fact, profes

The aftermath of Sandy found many underground structures such as tunnels and parking garages inundated with water. In reality there might...

The geotechnical activity index is a new index that reports on the geotechnical potential in each State within the US. The index takes into consideration the geotechnical activity and population in each state. The main objective is to track changes over time in geotechnical and foundation works. As with any index, the results do not necessarily exact but should be taken as approximations of reality. Summary The GAI index showed a marked increase in December of 2013, but a mar

Secant pile deep excavation in Cyprus From 2D and 3D excavation design, to virtual reality, and actual build Project Designed with DeepEX...

In many deep excavations, geotechnical engineers only specify the lateral earth pressures that are to be used by the shoring designer. An example such specification could go like: Lateral earth pressures are to be calculated with a rectangular earth pressure diagram of 24 H (in psf) above the water table and 12 H (in psf) below the water table. The equivalent fluid pressure for lateral earth pressures should be taken as is 21 pcf on the active side and 185 pcf on the passive

Increased congestion in urban cities has caused an increased demand for underground space (typically underground parking, infrastructure, or facilities). For typical high rise buildings the developer selects an architect who is responsible for presenting an overall concept for both the superstructure and substructure. While the superstructure is the prime turf for architects, geotechnical/foundation engineers are the experts for the substructure. Too often original architect

Unconservative designs with AASHTO LRFD methods for multi-level braced excavations. You would tend to think that AASHTO LRFD is always extremely conservative for deep excavations. After you read this article you will find out that this is not always the case. The main issue with LRFD is that it's recommendations have their origins directly in a structural engineering approach of a non-linear elastoplastic problem. AASHTO LRFD refers to FHWA apparent earth pressure diagrams th

No geotechnical data - the lack of proper geotechnical data in shoring designs. This appears to be the issue that most deep excavation/shoring designers and contractors are concerned about. Too often, a shoring designer is engaged on the last stages of a project, typically retained only by the specialty contractor. In most cases, when geotechnical data is available, it only includes SPT blow counts and limited geological background. Too often boreholes do not extend below (or