On 20 April 2004, a major collapse occurred during the construction of the Circle Line in Singapore. This involved a 33m deep cut and cover tunnel section, which was being constructed adjacent to the Nicoll Highway in the M3 area of the contract. The collapse resulted in four fatalities and huge costs, requiring reconstruction of some 100m of the Nicoll Highway and the re-routing of the

railway. The ensuing public enquiry debated many issues that contributed to the failure, involving structural and geotechnical design and management. The talk will highlight the important lessons that can be drawn from this incident about soil behaviour, numerical modelling, factors of safety, use of the “observational method”, geotechnical monitoring and structural design.

Dr Brian Simpson is an Arup Fellow, a principal of Arup Geotechnics and an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK. He completed his PhD in Cambridge in 1971 – one of the first applications of finite element analysis to the highly non-linear behaviour of soils. Since then, he has worked on a wide range of geotechnical and ground-structure interaction problems, maintaining particular interests in numerical modelling, retaining structures, foundations and tunnels. He presented the BGA Rankine Lecture in 1992 and a State-of-the-Art report on Geotechnical Analysis and Design at the 2009 international conference of ISSMGE. Since the early 1980’s, he has been involved in the development of Eurocode 7 (Geotechnical Design), having been a member of its drafting panels and vicechairman of the CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) committee on Eurocode 7 (SC7). He has authored two commentaries on Eurocode 7 and several papers on various related issues. He is the current chair of ISSMGE Technical Committee TC205 on Safety and serviceability in geotechnical engineering. In 2004-5 he was one of the expert witnesses called to the Public Enquiry in Singapore following the collapse of the Nicoll Highway Station during construction.

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Social: 8.30 pm Trinity College bar (takes a few coins with you. They do not accept cards).

Coupled THMC Analysis in Energy and Environmental Geomechanics by Dr Marcelo Sanchez

The involvement of geotechnical and geomechanical engineers in problems comprising unprecedented Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Chemical (THMC) conditions is every time more frequent, particularly in applications related to geo-environmental and geo-energy problems. The prediction of geo-engineering systems behavior under coupled THMC conditions represents huge challenges for our profession, but also extraordinary opportunities to gain a better understanding of soils and rocks behavior under such complex extremes. In this lecture, recent improvements in our understanding of geomaterials behavior subjected to simultaneous THMC perturbations will be presented, as well as the incorporation of the main features associated with the THMC behavior of soils and rocks in constitutive and numerical models. Some of the applications to be briefly discussed in this seminar include: behavior of swelling clays and pelletized mixtures typically used in the design of engineered barriers and seals; behavior of hydrate bearing sediments; fault reactivation triggered by gas injection; geo-thermal structures; design of underground compressed air storage system; and formation and propagation of desiccation cracks in soils.

Dr. Marcelo Sanchez was appointed as an Associated Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering TAMU in September 2009. He obtained his first degree in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina). His Master and Ph.D. (2004) degrees are from the Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC, Barcelona, Spain). His expertise lies in the analysis of Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Chemical (THMC) coupled problems in geological media. He is also interested in unsaturated soils mechanics, in both experimental and numerical investigations. He is the Chairman of the ISSMGE Technical Committee TC308 on “Energy Geotechnics”.

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In May 2006, the Glyn Bends section of the A5 trunk road was closed to traffic because there was concern regarding the stability of the rock cutting, supported by anchorages at 70° from horizontal.  Many of the original anchorages were at risk of failure due to corrosion because of as installed details.  Following road closure, it was necessary to re-engineer the cutting by re-grading the north face to a safe angle that did not require anchorage support, and re-anchoraging of the south face. 

This presentation discusses the findings of the investigation of the failures of the original anchorages and the re-engineering of the cutting. The solution adopted was the one with the lowest level of risk, in terms of cost, programme and safety issues

The road was reopened to traffic in July 2007

- LIMITED NUMBER OF PLACES - 

Please contact  Yingyan Jin to enrol.

Overview of visit:

Canary Wharf railway station is currently under construction in the Isle of Dogs in east London, as part of the Crossrail project. Construction began in May 2009 and the station is expected to open in 2018. The station is being constructed beneath and within the West India North Dock. The station extends from east of the Docklands Light Railway bridge to the east end of the dock. It is constructed within a 475 m long concrete box with a 245 m long island platform. The two construction sites we will visit are Canary Wharf Wood Wharf site and Canary Wharf Bank Street site. The construction progress of each site is: Wood Wharf: combi wall and piles for dock reclamation and basement excavation. Bank Street: cofferdam and CFA piling

Schedule: 

- 12:00: Meeting in Cambridge Train Station 

- 14:00: Meeting in the west entrance to Canary Wharf JLE Station

- 14:00-15:00: Canary Wharf project overview talk

- 15:00-17:00: Wood Wharf and Back Street site visit (Visitors will be split into two groups. Each group will visit Wood Wharf and Back Street site separately and then swap.)

Notes:

PPE will be provided on site if required.

The capacity for each visit group is 8. Only 16 will be accommodated.

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If you would like to know more about the society or meet some of the members, come along to the drinks and socials at the Mill Pub.

Seminar overview:

Recent seismic events (e.g. L'Aquila 2009, Italy; Christchurch 2010-2011, New Zealand; Tohoku 2011, Japan) have shown that the effects of earthquakes on the urban environment can be catastrophic even in countries with up to date seismic codes and an advanced construction industry. In most of these cases, the ground response is responsible for a significant part of the observed damage. Areas of urban development are often located in the vicinity of irregular topography (close to cliffs or within narrow valleys) and are therefore exposed to topographic amplification of the ground motion and/or are founded on fluvial deposits which are prone to soil liquefaction. 

The first part of this seminar will focus on recent developments in predicting how topography modifies the seismic ground motion. Recent work at Imperial College demonstrated the interaction of topographic amplification with site response, suggesting that soil and topographic amplification peaks do not occur in the same frequency range. These findings have the potential to impact upon existing code prescriptions (e.g. EC8) that propose the application of a constant topographic aggravation factor across the entire frequency range without considering the bedrock depth or the interaction with the site response. The second part of the seminar will focus on soil liquefaction and will examine evidence from the 2010-2011 Christchurch seismic sequence which suggests that the vertical component of the ground motion may have a detrimental effect on soil liquefaction. This hypothesis will be further supported by a series of numerical analyses. 

Short biography:　

Dr Stavroula Kontoe is a Senior lecturer in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. She received her degree in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 2001. Dr Kontoe continued her studies at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Imperial College, where she obtained an MSc in Soil Mechanics and Engineering Seismology in 2002 and a PhD in Computational Geomechanics in 2006. Her main research field is the development and application of numerical methods to study the performance of geotechnical structures under static, dynamic and seismic loading. Dr Kontoe has led a large number of research projects on the seismic performance of tunnels, retaining structures and dams, on site response analysis and its incorporation in seismic hazard studies, topographic effects on seismic ground motion, modelling vibrations induced by pile driving and slope stability in strain softening materials. She serves on various committees in her field (SECED, ISSMGE TC203, EAEE), sits on the editorial boards of Géotechnique (2013-2015) and Computer & Geotechnics and was awarded the 2008 BGA medal.

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SUMMARY:

Colin Eddie will be presenting his own perspective on the past, present and future of Tunnelling. Mr Eddie will explore the utilisation of underground space and the development of ever more sophisticated construction techniques. Drawing on his considerable experience of working in the congested subterranean environment, Mr Eddie will present a summary of some of the challenges encountered when tunnelling beneath urban areas and some of the novel techniques he has employed to overcome them. Looking to the future, Mr Eddie will consider what challenges will be faced in the upcoming major tunnelling projects currently proposed for London and how the UK tunnelling industry can overcome them and
maintain their position in a challenging international market.

BIOGRAPHY:

Colin is Managing Director of Underground Professional Services Ltd and has over 35 years of experience in the Tunnelling Industry. He is responsible for the management of a specialist engineering group responsible for the design of many of the UK’s most prestigious projects. He is passionate about the effective integration of design and construction to improve safety & economy and is proud to have been associated with the introduction of many innovative techniques.

Seminar overview:

Imagine a tower, founded on very soft material and slowly inclining to the point at which it is about to fall over.  Worse still, the masonry is so fragile that it could explode at any time.  This is a reasonable description of the state of the Leaning Tower of Pisa at the time that the Italian Prime Minister set up a Commission to stabilise it in early 1990.  After years of study of its history, computer modelling and field trials, stabilisation measures started in February 1999. Using a novel method of soil extraction from beneath the high side of the foundation the Tower was gently brought back to its inclination in 1838. Recent measurements show that the stabilisation methods have been successful. Professor John Burland will share some of the challenges, frustrations and more worrying moments of participating in such a high profile and difficult engineering project.

Short biography:　

Professor John Burland  studied Civil Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa before returning to England in 1961. After studying for his PhD at Cambridge University, he joined the Building Research Station in 1966. In 1980 he was appointed to the Chair of Soil Mechanics at Imperial College, where he is now Emeritus Professor.

In addition to being very active in teaching (which he loves) and research, he has been responsible for many large projects such as the underground car park at the Palace of Westminster and the foundations of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. He specialises in problems relating to the interaction between the ground and masonry buildings. He was London Underground's expert witness for the Parliamentary Select Committees on the Jubilee Line Extension and has advised on many geotechnical aspects of that project, including ensuring the stability of the Big Ben Clock Tower. He was a member of the international board of consultants advising on the stabilisation of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City and was a member of the Italian Prime Minister's Commission for stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 He has received many prestigious awards including the Kelvin Gold Medal for Outstanding contributions to Engineering, the Harry Seed Memorial Medal of the ASCE and the Gold Medals of the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Civil Engineers and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations. He has been awarded four Honorary Doctorates and he is a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. In 2002 he was President of the Engineering Section of the British Association and he was Vice President (Engineering) of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London from 2002 to 2005.

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Directions to the Junior Parlour, Trinity College

The main entrance (Great Gate) of Trinity College is found on Trinity Street, close to the end of All Saint’s Passage. To reach the Junior Parlour, you do not enter Trinity College through the Great Gate. The entrance to Whewell's Court is directly opposite the Great Gate of Trinity College, next to the old post office and Heffer's bookshop. When you enter into Whewell's Court, turn right immediately after the first arch‐way. Climb the open‐air stairs until you are just short of the top. Turn right into T staircase. The Junior Parlour is at the end of the passageway through the door.

Seminar overview

The proposed scheme by Tidal Lagoon (Swansea) plc comprises a 9.5km breakwater embankment up to 20m high, enclosing an 11.5km2 lagoon. The average Spring tide range is 8.5m and this will be harnessed to provide 320MW of electricity to 155,000 homes. In order to provide sufficient information for Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and the planning application, a Phase 1 preliminary ground investigation ensured a good understanding of the potential geological and geotechnical risks and provided greater certainty on proposed construction costs. One of the objectives was to determine properties of shallow sediments and assess suitability for hydraulic fill from insitu and laboratory tests.

Following a desk study phase and initial geophysical survey, the ground investigation was designed by Atkins Limited; Environmental Scientifics Group was the Principal Contractor for the £0.5M works. A variety of techniques were required, including dynamic sampling in intertidal areas, overwater boreholes from a jackup platform and CPT and vibrocoring from a survey vessel. Geological units were derived based on their origin and geotechnical properties from geotechnical laboratory and insitu testing. The spatial distribution of marine and glacial deposits together with geophysical profiles led to the development of a preliminary geological model. A central ridge of fluvio-glacial sands and gravels divides different marine deposits and large variations in rockhead level are present as a result of glacially incised rock basins.

Short biography

Simon Holt is a Principal Engineering Geologist at Atkins and has over 18 years' experience working in the Ground Engineering sector in the UK and Hong Kong. He previously managed the initial ground investigation phase for the Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon and presented the project at the 2015 European Conference for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in Edinburgh. Simon currently manages a team in Croydon providing ground engineering services to the Rail sector including earthworks within the Anglia Region.

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Seminar overview:

Shotcrete (or sprayed concrete) tunnel linings are loaded at early age as the tunnel advances. Therefore to construct sprayed concrete tunnels safely, we need to know the current stress state and the current strength of the lining, as well as its geometry and quality, with the aim of estimating the factor of safety. However, to approach the face of a tunnel puts workers at risk of falling ground or fresh shotcrete. This talk will describe a novel method of measuring shotcrete strength from a remote location using a thermal imaging camera and propose ways that this may be incorporated into an automated system for monitoring factor of safety. Along the way we will also discuss technology adoption in the construction industry and finding the right partners.

Short biography:

Benoît Jones graduated from the University of Bristol in 2000 with a First Class honours degree in Civil Engineering with Study in Europe (Polytech’ Grenoble, France). He then joined Mott MacDonald as a Graduate Tunnel Engineer. Between 2002-2006 he undertook research for an EngD at the University of Southampton with Professor Chris Clayton as his supervisor, sponsored by Mott MacDonald and the EPSRC. After working on Crossrail MDC3, in late 2007 he went to work for Morgan Est (now Morgan Sindall) as Section Engineer on the King’s Cross Underground Station Redevelopment, then as Engineering Manager on the Stoke Newington to New River Head Thames Water Ring Main Extension Tunnel. In Autumn 2010 he joined OTB Engineering, a small consultancy specialising
in tunnelling and geotechnics, working on temporary works designs for Tottenham Court Road Station Upgrade and for the Crossrail Eastern Running
Tunnels (C305). From September 2011 to December 2015 he worked at the
University of Warwick, where he set up and ran a new MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space. He joined the University of Cambridge in January 2016 as Course Director of the Construction Engineering Masters Programme.

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Seminar overview:

In 2013, a major landslide occurred on the main railway line connecting Oxford to Worcester. The presentation will provide a chronological account of the assessment of the failure mechanism, the design of the remedial works and their execution on site and close by highlighting some of the factors that led to the project being selected as a finalist in the 2015 Ground Engineering project awards.

Short biography:

Jason Boddy is an Associate Director with the Consulting Engineers, Arup, working in their Newcastle office.  He has over 20 years' experience, having worked on a wide range of projects applying a broad range of geotechnical skills with Arup. He has worked in the UK, the Far East, Africa and mainland Europe, combining practical design skills with extensive site experience.  He is currently the Chairman of the Northern Geotechnical Group, the regional group of the British Geotechnical Association for North East England.

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Summary

The stability of geotechnical structures under repeated loading depends largely on the induced cyclic shearing stresses. The design of these structures usually requires engineers to employ advanced soil models in their analyses. While a number of such models do exist, their validation against cyclic laboratory tests is still limited. In particular, the influence of the initial structure of clay and its subsequent degradation under cyclic loading appears to be insufficiently investigated from both experimental and constitutive modelling standpoint.
The work outlined in this presentation adds a new contribution to the theoretical understanding of the cyclic response of clayey materials, presenting the extensive validation of an advanced kinematic hardening model against laboratory data on a number of natural and compacted clays found in literature. The effects of overconsolidation ratio and structure degradation on the evolution of shear and hysteretic soil behaviour over a wide strain range, together with cyclic pore water pressure generation, are analysed in detail. The predictions of the model are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, thus demonstrating its capabilities in capturing important features of clay response during cyclic loading, although further investigation is suggested.

Short biography

Gaetano Elia is a Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences of Newcastle University (UK) since 2009. He graduated in Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Bari (Italy) and gained a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from the same university in 2004. He conducts research in the area of soil mechanics, with specific insight in advanced soil constitutive modelling and numerical simulation of soil dynamics problems. He acts as reviewer for a number of international journals and for EPSRC-UK. He is currently a committee member of the Northern Geotechnical Group (NGG-ICE), committee member of the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT), member of the Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics (SECED), the British Geotechnical Association (BGA) and the Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI). He also teaches geotechnics, geotechnical design, soil modelling and seismic resistant design to undergraduate and postgraduate students at Newcastle University.

Description:

Arguably the next advent for the geotechnical engineering profession is to recognize that soil itself is a living ecosystem.  For example, more than 10⁶ bacteria are typically present in 1 cm³ of poorly graded quarry sand typically used as backfill or roadway subgrade materials in engineering works. The living nature of soil can involve biological and chemical changes that challenge our traditional understanding/assumptions regarding the time-dependent stability in soils. Over the past 15 years, geotechnical researchers have formed interdisciplinary teams with microbiologists and geochemists to merge their knowledge and identify bio-mediated processes that may be accelerated in time to induce changes in soil that result in significant improvements in engineering soil properties.  More recently, researchers have started to study biological systems, which have optimized their functions over the millennia within their local ecological constraints, to identify the forms, functions, and principles of these systems that may lead to bio-inspired engineering solutions that are more efficient and sustainable than those currently used in engineering practice.

This presentation will first present an overview of the emerging field of sustainable biogeotechnics by describing frameworks for exploring bio-mediated and bio-inspired technologies, complimented with several examples.  Recent technical advances in the bio-mediated processes of biocementation and biofilm formation will then be presented in detail.  Biocementation technology, enabled by microbially induced calcite precipitation at particles contacts in granular soils, is developing rapidly as it can induce step changes in soil strength, stiffness, permeability, modulus, etc. Upscaling from the laboratory to full scale implementation on industry projects requires overcoming challenges regarding biostimulation of native bacteria, improving treatment uniformity, and developing metrics to verify successful treatment.  Results from recent prototype tests are used to present advances in these issues.  Biofilm formation, enabled by the formation of EPS in the granular pore space, is promising as it can temporarily reduce the permeability of sands by 500+ times.  Results from recent laboratory tests are presented to explore the treatment effectiveness, treatment permanence, and use of native bacteria in applying the treatment. 

Short biography:

Jason T. DeJong is a Professor at the University of California, Davis.  He received a B.S.C.E. from UC Davis and an M.S.C.E. and Ph.D. at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  After working at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the University of Western Australia and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Jason moved back to his hometown of Davis, CA in 2005.

Through the Soil Interactions Laboratory he directs research in the areas of bio-mediated soils processes, advanced site characterization, behavior of intermediate and gravelly soils, sustainable geotechnical practice, and deep foundation performance.

His work has been funded through grants totaling more than $5 million and results have been disseminated through more than 100 publications.  His work has been recognized through the ASTM International Hogentogler Award, the ASCE Huber Research Prize and the Casagrande Professional Development Award, and the Prakash Research Award, among others.

Summary:

This presentation will compare and contrast the challenges faced during the construction of three large gravity dams in Asia.  The main features of each dam’s design and construction will be described, with particular emphasis on the nature of the foundation and abutment rocks and the conditions required to ensure stability.

In all three cases the geological conditions exposed during construction were, in places, worse than had been foreseen at the design stage, thus invalidating certain design assumptions. The presentation will cover how these geological conditions were investigated and tested and what practical measures were put in place to overcome the problems.  In all cases, adjustments to the design philosophy were also required to arrive at a satisfactory solution.

In summing up, some general comments will be offered about the need for an appropriate ground profile model to be established early in the design process to ensure that, to paraphrase Professor Burland “the geotechnical triangle is kept in balance”.

Short Biography

Tim Blower is a Technical Director of Mott MacDonald, and is a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Geologist.  He is currently responsible for the technical direction of all ground engineering activities in the Cambridge office.  His principle area of activity is providing engineering geology and ground engineering advice to the Environment and Water Divisions, particularly on dams, barrages, reservoirs, pipelines and water treatment works.  Accordingly, he is involved in a broad range of projects, both in the UK and overseas, and has recently been working on dams projects in Albania, Georgia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Zambia as well as in the UK.

Summary

Tim will talk about explaining geotechnical risks to clients and other people who don't always appreciate us. We frequently as a profession complain that our clients don't understand the value of what we do - or invest in the vital risk mitigation measures that we propose, such as properly funding ground investigations (or geotechnical research!). So it is important we put our risks into a context in which they can understand. In a typical building project, geotechnical engineers are just one of almost 20 technical disciplines vying for the client's attention (and time and money). Tim will show that the nature of geotechnical risks are different to most others; many non-geotechnical risks are amenable to management by leaving a contingency, they can be ignored and dealt with as they happen. But geotechnical risks can be catastrophic for programme, and so can critically undermine the financial models on which the project depends. They need to be mitigated at source, or risk spiralling out of control. Tim's talk will encompass Hammurabi, the Titanic, Black Swans and Heathrow Terminal 5 in the journey towards geotechnical risk explanation. The talk will parallel the content in MOGE Chapter 7 " Geotechnical risks and their context for the whole project".

Short biography

Tim is an Arup Director leading its London Infrastructure Design group. He has extensive experience in the design of big infrastructure and large buildings including almost 30 years of design of underground London. He has worked on many major London projects including Crossrail, Canary Wharf and the London Olympics. Tim was chair of the CIRIA Ground Engineering Advisory Panel and the ICE Committees on Critical Infrastructure and Carbon reduction in design. He was a main editor and author of the ICE Manual of Geotechnical Engineering (MOGE). He provided the technical justification for planning guidance for basements in London. He has published extensively and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014.

Abstract

Professor Kenichi Soga started his academic career at Cambridge in
November 1994. The talk will cover his past research activities in the area of fundamental geomechnics, environmental geotechnics, geotechnical construction processes, sensors and monitoring, and deep geomechanics. He will also present his recent research interests.

Short biography 

Kenichi Soga is Chancellor's Professor of the University of California-Berkeley and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Cambridge (until July 2016). He is a founding member of the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction and leads the sensor and data analysis group. He is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He obtained his BEng and MEng from Kyoto University in Japan and PhD from the
University of California- Berkeley. His current research activities are innovative monitoring and long-term performance of civil engineering infrastructure, energy geomechanics, and modeling of underground construction processes. He has published more than 300 journal and conference papers. He is recipient of awards including George Stephenson Medal and Telford Gold Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers and Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from
the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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Lunch will be provided !

Summary:

In the Northern part of The Netherlands, the 7^th largest gas field in the world has been in production for over 40 years. The related seismicity has increased significantly over the last decade, which has led to large societal impact in the region. Since 2013, several studies have been performed by Dutch Research Institute Deltares for several parties, including the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the field operator NAM (Shell+Exxon). Relevant questions are: What are the risks for people, buildings, industry and infrastructure? What kind of strengthening measures for the buildings and infrastructures in the area are necessary and how should they be prioritized. How can the influence of the subsurface be taken into account? Uncertainties from the source of the earthquake, the deep subsurface, the shallow subsurface, the transfer to the structure and the structural fragility together determine the overall risk in the area. This lecture deals with the geotechnical aspects of these studies and the link between the geotechnical risk management and the societal issues.

Short Biography

Mandy Korff received her PhD from University of Cambridge in 2013, where she worked with Professor Lord Robert Mair on the Response of Piled Buildings to the Construction of Deep Excavations. Mandy Korff graduated from Delft University of Technology as MSc. in 1999 in Civil Engineering. In 2000 she joined GeoDelft as a consultant and researcher in the field of foundations and underground construction. She gained experience in geotechnical risk management. Many of her projects included some sort of forensic engineering and impact assessment related to underground construction works. Since Deltares was formed in 2008 she works as a strategic advisor, mainly for underground construction.

At present, Mandy Korff works as expert in the field of risk management, forensic geo-engineering, soil structure interaction and impact of construction activities and earthquakes on structures. She currently contributes to projects such as the Groningen earthquake studies, Amsterdam subway (North South line), the Delft railway tunnel and projects in Singapore. Since 2013 Mandy Korff is member of the Deltares Scientific Council and Chair of the Junior Scientific Council.

Mandy  Korff is chair of the Geotechnical department of the Royal Institute of Engineers (KIVI) and the country representative for the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). She is member of ISSMGE’s TC204 and TC207 on Underground construction and Soil Structure interaction. In 2011 Mandy  Korff chaired the 21st European Conference for Young Geotechnical Engineers.

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Seminar overview: 

The talk covers the whole span of Professor Schofield career (see short biography below). It will start with the development of the Critical State Soil Mechanics, starting with Coulomb’s frictional laws and ending with the Original Cam-Clay model. This talk is a reminder of the fundamental ideas which drove Professor Schofield in establishing the ‘modern’ trend in geomechanics. It will  also cover  some aspects and illustration of centrifuge testing, which is Professor Schofield second contribution to ‘modern’ soil mechanics.

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Short biography:　

 Professor Andrew Schofield studied engineering and graduated from Christ's College Cambridge in 1951. He worked in Central Africa with consultants Scott and Wilson using novel air photo interpretation to locate lateritic gavel for low cost pavement construction. He returned to Cambridge to work with Professor Kenneth H. Roscoe for his PhD which he completed in 1961. He became a Lecturer in 1961, was a Fulbright Fellow at Caltech in 1963-4 and on his return was elected a Fellow of Churchill College. After publishing Schofield and Wroth (1968) “Critical State Soil Mechanics” he accepted a Chair at the Institute of Science and Technology in Manchester (UMIST) where he built and developed an early geotechnical centrifuge.

Professor Roscoe had begun building a larger machine in Cambridge but at the time of his death it was not yet commissioned. Schofield returned to Cambridge in 1974, modified and commissioned that machine and used it until retiring in 1997. He then published Schofield (2005) “Disturbed soil properties and Geotechnical design”. During a first part of his career up to 1963, Professor Schofield developed Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM). Unlike earlier conceptual frameworks, CSSM provided a theory for behaviour of soils that correctly predicted stress-strain behaviour. In the second part of his career he developed centrifuge testing of geotechnical models made of disturbed soil and introduced them into wide use in practice.

Professor Schofield was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1986 and of the Royoal Society in 1992.

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All members of the society are welcome to attend and vote at the AGM. The agenda will include:

1)      Approving the accounts of the society for the preceding year.

2)      Voting on a few matters regarding the running of the society (e.g. membership fee policy).

3)      Electing the new committee for the coming academic year.

In regards to the new committee, all of the elected members must be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate members of the University of Cambridge. Candidates must be proposed and seconded by two other members of the society. The society will welcome emails proposing and seconding eligible candidates until midnight (UK time) of Sunday, May 22. The available positions are:

1) Chair: The Chair will be responsible for the coordination and representation of the society, will chair meetings of the committee, contact and invite speakers for seminars and aid other committee members, for instance with search for sponsorship.

2) Secretary: The Secretary will be responsible for communication and advertising, will manage the website of the society and send email updates to members. The Secretary will also aid other committee members when required, take minutes of the committee’s meetings and chair meetings in the absence of the Chair.

3)  Junior Treasurer: The Junior Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the society. They will manage the society’s bank account, the search for sponsorship and they will work closely with other members of the committee in planning expenses.

4-5) Seminar Coordinators: Two positions will be available for Seminar Coordinators. They will book the venues and the catering for seminars and, along with the Chair, contact and invite speakers.

6) Site Visits Coordinator: The Site Visits coordinator will plan site visits for the members of the society. The goal is to have about one site visit per term.  Contacts with industry would be useful for this position.

7) Social Coordinator: The Social Coordinator will organize social events for the members of the society. These will include the customary pub visits after seminars and could be expanded to more activities for the coming academic year.

We are looking forward to receiving your proposals for candidates and seeing many of you at the AGM!

Kind regards,

Orestis Adamidis

In regards to the new committee, all of the elected members must be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate members of the University of Cambridge. Candidates must be proposed and seconded by two other members of the society. The society will welcome emails proposing and seconding eligible candidates until midnight (UK time) of Sunday, May 22. The available positions are:

1) Chair: The Chair will be responsible for the coordination and representation of the society, will chair meetings of the committee, contact and invite speakers for seminars and aid other committee members, for instance with search for sponsorship.

2) Secretary: The Secretary will be responsible for communication and advertising, will manage the website of the society and send email updates to members. The Secretary will also aid other committee members when required, take minutes of the committee’s meetings and chair meetings in the absence of the Chair.

3)  Junior Treasurer: The Junior Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the society. They will manage the society’s bank account, the search for sponsorship and they will work closely with other members of the committee in planning expenses.

4-5) Seminar Coordinators: Two positions will be available for Seminar Coordinators. They will book the venues and the catering for seminars and, along with the Chair, contact and invite speakers.

6) Site Visits Coordinator: The Site Visits coordinator will plan site visits for the members of the society. The goal is to have about one site visit per term.  Contacts with industry would be useful for this position.

7) Social Coordinator: The Social Coordinator will organize social events for the members of the society. These will include the customary pub visits after seminars and could be expanded to more activities for the coming academic year.

We are looking forward to receiving your proposals for candidates and seeing many of you at the AGM!

Abstract

This talk will present observations and analysis results from an EEFIT reconnaissance mission to Nepal after the earthquake in April 2015. The talk will consider the effects of the earthquake from both a structural and geotechnical engineering perspective, including discussion of heritage structures, foundation failures, the unique characteristics of the ground motion recorded in Kathmandu, and local amplification of ground motion within the Kathmandu valley.

Short biography

Dr Ghosh is a senior principal engineer at Mott MacDonald with specialism in Geoseismic hazards. Previously, Barnali worked for Arup as a seismic engineer, was  Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and obtained a PhD from the University of Cambridge. She carried out a M.Tech in geotechnical engineering at the Jadavpur University and an undergraduate degree from the Bhagalpur Engineering College. Her main experiences are designing foundations in seismic areas, identifying and calculating seismic hazards and performing detailed dynamic soil-structure interaction simulations. Barnali also teaches parts of the Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Course at UCL, London.

Dr DeJong is a Senior Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow and Director of Studies in Engineering at St Catharine's College. Previously, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Delft and completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis, and worked as a structural design engineer in California.

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Seminar overview

There are many cases of vessels foundering when carrying cargoes of nickel ore, iron ore fines and one case of a vessel carrying bauxite ore. Cargo liquefaction is often cited in the shipping world as the cause of the loss. This supposition will be questioned in the talk, taking into account the potential modes of instability of the cargo heaps, the properties of the unsaturated and uncompacted ores, and the complex stress paths to which they are subjected.

Biography

Professor Hight is a Senior Consultant and Founding Director of the Geotechnical Consulting Group. He has vast experience in both industry and academia. He was a lecturer at Imperial College London, the National University of Singapore and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has published widely on the subjects of soil behaviour, offshore geotechnics, soil sampling, laboratory testing, stability problems, earthworks and foundations. He delivered the 38th Rankine Lecture in 1998. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2001 and he was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society

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Seminar Overview

The new Oxford Westgate shopping centre involved the construction of a 20,000 sq. m double height basement, within an archaeologically sensitive development site.  This talk will discuss the geotechnical challenges and constraints encountered and the design solutions put forward by main contractor Laing O'Rourke to tackle this large element of work whilst effectively dealing with issues including heave, flotation, water ingress and materials sorting.

Biographies 

Dr Wilson Kesse

Dr Wilson Kesse is a Temporary Works Project Lead Engineer at Laing O'Rourke.  He specialises in design for construction of structures that involve complex soil-structure interactions, encompassing top-down construction, deep basement propping and ground movement assessment. 

Having obtained his undergraduate degree in University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, he went on to complete a PhD with the  Structures  Group at the University of Cambridge. His PhD research was on the use of Prestresed CFRP straps for enhancing shear capacity of RC Beams.

Prior to joining Laing O'Rourke in 2008, he worked with the Advanced Composites Group at Tony Gee & Partners on the strengthening of existing structures with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics.

Mr Corin Walford

Corin Walford studied engineering at the University of Cambridge, before joining bridge consultancy Robert Benaim & Associates in 2002 as a graduate structural engineer.  He worked on several large highway structures including the A876 Clackmannanshire Bridge across the Forth Estuary in Scotland, and the N8 Blackwater Viaduct in Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland, both built using the incremental launching technique.

He joined Laing O'Rourke in 2007 and is General Manager of the Temporary Works department, leading a team of 30 engineers providing in-house engineering and constructability advice for all their UK projects.

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The first site visit of term is arranged for Friday 28th October to visit the Stephen Perse Foundation project in Cambridge. A large single storey basement is currently being constructed by Smith and Wallwork Engineers.

Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Sign up will close on Friday 14th October. Please bring your own PPE if available. Arrangements will be made for individuals who require PPE.

Please use the following link to sign up: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoz-aJSzd1GTMRpSeYQ1W_6XLoi-lxn8SbbSzquBZfLvwp6A/viewform

Seminar overview:

Infrastructure slopes and embankments are integral parts of the UK road and rail networks. The latter structures are also utilised as flood defences along river banks and parts of the UK coastline. The design, sustainability and long-term resilience of these structures present some major challenges to geotechnical engineers. The talk will discuss and demonstrate the role of advanced numerical analysis in addressing some of these challenges.

Biography:

Lidija Zdravkovic is a Professor and Head of the Geotechnics Section at Imperial College London. Her research interests are focused on the development of numerical tools for advanced analysis of geotechnical structures. Currently she leads research projects on the analysis and design of offshore wind turbine foundations, deep nuclear waste disposal and infrastructure embankments and slopes. She teaches elements of geotechnical analysis to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has published widely and co-authored two text books on finite element analysis in geotechnical engineering. She has received prizes for her work from the ICE and BGA and delivered the Géotechnique Lecture in 2013. Her work for industry involves projects such as Crossrail, The Shard and Gerrards Cross tunnel collapse. She has served as an elected member on the BGA Executive Committee.

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Seminar overview:

This seminar is divided into two parts: (1) ‘Inside NGI’ by Dr Lars Andresen and (2) ‘Assessing Risk – what can it tell us’ by Professor Dr Suzanne Lacasse.

(1) NGI was established in 1953 and is today a leading international centre for research, technology development and expert consulting within geotechnical engineering. With about 260 employees working from Oslo, Trondheim, Houston and Perth it is also one of the larger geotechnical specialist companies. Working at NGI means working in a truly international environment with colleagues from more than 35 different countries. NGI receives yearly more than 1000 job applications from all around the world. Why is NGI attractive for the geotechnical engineer and how is it to work at NGI? In this talk Dr Andresen will share some of the secrets of NGI and present NGI employees in project work, research work and in social settings.

(2) More and more, society requires to know the risk to which people, property and the environment are exposed. The geotechnical engineer/engineering geologist should increasingly aim at reducing exposure to threats, reducing risk and protecting people. Hazard, risk and reliability assessments can assist in design and decision-making in civil engineering. The lecture presents "real life" case studies where hazard, vulnerability and risk assessments have benefited society. In the examples, specific engineering questions had to be answered, and risk and reliability applications provided insight for informed decision-making. The examples come from slope stability assessment, dam design and offshore geotechnical engineering, where the geotechnical engineer’s role is to take an active part in the evaluation of hazard, vulnerability and risk.

Biography:

Dr Lars Andresen

Dr Andresen has expertise within numerical and constitutive modelling for a broad range of geomechanical problems.  He has 20 years of experience working as a consultant and researcher at NGI. Projects have included design of anchors and foundations for offshore structures, design of support systems for deep excavations in soft soil, analysis of progressive failure and localisation of sensitive clay, and analysis of tailing dams. Since 2007 he has been in the management group of NGI and since January 1st 2012 NGI’s Managing Director.

Professor Dr Suzanne Lacasse

Site visit to Thames Tideway - Kirtling Street construction site. Further details about this site can be found here

Please use this form to sign up for the visit

This talk will consist of two parts; the first part aims to highlight the importance of understanding soil classification and it’s limitations on pipe-soil interaction design. The second part presents a case study on how a live gas pipeline was lowered by 6 m for a length of about 350 m, which is the world’s first such lowering. The second part of the talk will present a project case study of a live gas pipeline lowering. A live gas pipeline was crossing a shipping channel and was buried at 3 m below seabed. 

Biography

Dr Thusyanthan is a Chartered Engineer with extensive design and consultancy experience in various aspects of geotechnical and pipeline engineering. Dr Thusyanthan has a First class BA/MEng and PhD degree from University of Cambridge, UK, where he also served as University Lecturer in Geotechnics. He has project experience around the world covering South East Asia, Australia, North Sea UK, Middle East, West Africa, Adriatic Sea, Caspian Sea and Gulf of Mexico. He has worked as Consultant, Head of R&D and Project Manager on pipeline projects with clients, operators, contractors and certification bodies. He was also the recipient of Cambridge Gates Scholarship, “Bill Curtin Medal” from Institution of Civil Engineers for the Best Paper in ICE Civil Engineering Journal and “Roscoe Prize” for soil mechanics.

Following the Rankine Lecture at Imperial College London on Wednesday the 15th of March, which we anticipate a considerable number of members will attend, we invite you to join us for dinner at a local restaurant. Please fill in this link to register your interest by the 1st of March so that a reservation can be made.

Seminar overview:

Technologies developed in the last three decades have made it possible to safely construct tunnels and to use urban underground space in effective, economic and innovative ways. The tunnel industry in London continues to boom with the Northern Line Extension following on from Crossrail, and station improvements at Bank, Victoria and London Bridge following on from Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street. Thames Tideway works are now underway, HS2 Design and Construct contract awards are imminent, and Crossrail 2 design is shortly to be on the cards. Flyunders to solve the conflict between traffic and living are being seriously considered by TfL and have been widely successful internationally.

Worldwide, metro projects abound, the likes of Hyperloop and Vactrain, partially evacuated tunnels in which maglev trains will run, are receiving serious consideration and a 100km new loop at CERN is proposed. What’s not to like about becoming a tunnel engineer? But is it an art or a science? Surely its engineering at its most advanced, demanding both structural and geotechnical expertise, but with still enough of a “black art” to give a frisson of excitement.

Biography:

Peter Wright is a director in the Tunnels and Earth Engineering Practice of CH2M, based in Hammersmith. His career has been both as an academic and a practitioner, and he has been involved with the analysis and design of underground works for the last 15 or so years.

Seminar overview:

Most geomechanical interests and issues in the petroleum industry lie at much greater depths in the Earth than those usually addressed by geotechnical engineering. The stresses involved are those generated not by the weight of the rock being examined, but by the weight of thousands of metres of rock above it. During oil or gas production various kinds of excavations are made under these large stresses, fractures generated, and pore pressures and fluid chemistry in the reservoir and elsewhere are changed. During the seminar three of the consequences of these actions will be discussed – the production of sand from the reservoir along with the hydrocarbons; instability of the wellbore and its consequences; and the deformation mechanisms induced by the cutter of a modern drill bit.

Biography:

John Cook is a Scientific Advisor for the oilfield services company Schlumberger, and works in one of their research labs in the tent-like structure on the West Cambridge site. His academic background is in materials science and physics, but since joining Schlumberger in 1983 he has worked on many of the ways in which the behaviour of rocks - physical, chemical and mechanical - influence the production of oil and gas. These have included seismic response, swelling of shales, stability of holes during drilling and production, perforating, hydraulic fracturing, and currently the complex deformation responses under the cutters of a rock bit.

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Seminar overview:

From time to time chemicals naturally present in the ground or introduced into it are involved in reactions which are sufficiently severe to cause risks to the health and safety of construction workers and/or end users of construction work and/or damage to structures.  These reactions are often mediated by or accelerated by micro-organisms.

When investigating chemicals in the ground, site investigations tend to focus on sulphur species (because of the known effects of sulphates on Portland cements), pH and species recognised as associated with historic land contamination. 

These species should not cause problems (though they still do) as there are well-established management procedures.  A subtler problem is the change of speciation of some chemicals following change of the redox conditions in the ground.  For example, a change from reducing to oxidising conditions can convert soluble iron Fe2+ species to the insoluble Fe3+ state.  Fe3+ often precipitates as part of a voluminous biological slime which amongst other effects can cause biofouling of wells.  In contrast reducing conditions can result in sulphate reduction to hydrogen sulphide – a very toxic and flammable gas.

Construction work can significantly alter the redox conditions: dewatering by desaturating soils may allow air and so oxygen entry into the ground whereas flooding will prevent it.  Underground structures such a tunnels may introduce oxygen into soils which have been anoxic for geological time whilst introducing biodegradable organic species can scavenge oxygen.

All biological life requires energy to function and for bacteria this must be drawn from redox reactions, light or possibly thermal gradients.  Therefore, it should be no surprise that bacteria are found where there is a redox gradient to exploit.

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All members of the society are invited to attend the Cambridge University Geotechnical Society Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will summarise the past year's activities, discuss any improvements and new ideas, and elect the new committee. It is is an opportunity for all members to help shape the future of the Society.

At the AGM the new committee for the 2017-2018 academic year will be appointed. All the events of the Society are organised by the committee, therefore it is vital for the continuation of, and to the success of, the society for a new committee to be appointed. Committee members must be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students at the University. It is a fun and rewarding committee to be part of, and we encourage student members to get involved. More information about the positions can be found on the following flyer

How to apply
Send: an email to sr671@cam.ac.uk or feh22@cam.ac.uk
Email content: your name, email, committee position to be considered for, and proposer and seconder.
Deadline: midday Monday 29th of May

Event overview:

Two of the most prominent names in geotechnical engineering will present and discuss their thoughts and experience regarding knowledge development and transfer in geotechnical engineering.

- How is knowledge created in geotechnical engineering?

- What is the role of industry and academia in developing knowledge?

- How can we effectively transfer established knowledge between organisations and institutes?

An extended discussion will follow the presentations, chaired by Professor Giulia Viggiani (University of Cambridge). We encourage people to submit questions for the discussion in advance, please email feh22@cam.ac.uk

The event will conclude with a drinks and nibbles reception. The event is free to attend but registration is required: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/knowledge-development-and-transfer-in-geotechnical-engineering-tickets-37038138068

Deadline for registration: midday Friday 22nd September

Summary:

Nick O’Riordan: 

Civil, and its slightly younger offspring Geotechnical, Engineering is, at its best and most enjoyable, a team sport. Unlike most sports each project is unique (the ball changes shape and size, sometimes there is no ball, the pitch changes during the match and so on), it generally has a long timeline from concept through delivery to use, and team membership changes all the time. So how do we provide the confidence and desire to innovate to a project team so that clients and stakeholders are delighted rather than dismayed?

My presentation will provide examples of geotechnical knowledge development and transfer at various levels of scale: global/regional, country, company, project, individual. It will set out some of the challenges and differences in priority that exist in industry and academia in knowledge development, transfer and application. It will include ways in which inverse analysis, data analytics and curation, and artificial intelligence can improve outcomes and reduce loss of knowledge and confidence.

Professor Malcolm Bolton:

Academics hope to develop radical ideas. Practitioners hope to solve practical problems. Working together, they may secure both. Three examples are introduced with quite different origins, each represented by a Geotechnique paper: Bolton (1986) The strength and dilatancy of sands; Take & Bolton (2011) Seasonal ratcheting and softening in clay slopes, leading to first-time failure; Bolton & Whittle (1999) A non-linear elastic perfectly-plastic analysis for plane strain undrained expansion tests. Each development faced, and still faces, some challenging hurdles.

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