Geotechnical Technology Research Articles

Slope reinforcing by means of new geotechnical technology and their impact on other projects. Case Study: Highway “Fier – Tepelene”

AbstractAlbania is a relatively small country that has recently gone through several transitional phases. As such it has a growing economy and in the last few years infrastructure projects, play an important role, in development. Due to a need for connection corridors in the country as well as internationally, new roads are being opened. The country has a difficult terrain that often can become a hindrance to such projects. This has lead the way to the use of new geotechnical and engineering solutions and technology. The Fier‐Tepelene junction is one of the first projects where new engineering methods were utilized, notwithstanding the fact that this is one of the largest projects in Albania. This will be a study of how slopes were reinforces throughout this road axes and what has been the impact of these technologies in following projects.

One of Geotechnological Technologies for Ensuring the Stability of the Boiler of the Pit

.When building buildings and structures on unstable slopes, it becomes necessary to develop geotechnical technologies that ensure their stability. In addition, geotechnical techniques should be developed to ensure the safe operation of existing facilities built on them. Therefore, the main purpose of the work is to study one of the geotechnical technologies to ensure the stability of the fence fencing. As a rule, the opening of any foundation pit entails the emergence of additional efforts reducing the stability of the slopes. The task of ensuring the stability of the pit walls together with the loads on its bumps, as well as the general stability of the slope as a whole, is an urgent task of modern geotechnical construction. It is established that the structural solutions of the buried structures represent a special auxiliary containment structure, fence constructions, ground anchors that are arranged after the first stage of the excavation.

Ground Ancher Produced by Electric Discharge Technology, as Monolithic Reinforced Concrete Structure

The construction of territories with problematic engineering and geological conditions in the presence of unstable, crossed relief is a complex geotechnical task. Therefore, the main purpose of the work is to study the features of the ground anchor, which is made by electric discharge technology, as a monolithic reinforced concrete structure. The questions related to the provision of safe methods of construction and erection works for the erection of any facility in such territories are related to a multifactor problem connected, primarily with the need to develop special geotechnical technologies tied to real engineering and geological conditions, loads from previously erected buildings and structures and, secondly, the actual implementation of them on a particular construction site. The case considered in the article from the geotechnical practice of construction of the facility is confirmed by the fact that due to the availability of modern design and construction and construction works, it is possible to solve any complex problems related to the issues of ensuring the stability of slopes.

Methodology of Dynamic Monitoring of Structures in the Vicinity of Hydrotechnical Works – Selected Case Studies

Abstract The constant development of geotechnical technologies imposes the necessity of monitoring techniques to provide a proper quality and the safe execution of geotechnical works. Several monitoring methods enable the preliminary design of work process and current control of hydrotechnical works (pile driving, sheet piling, ground improvement methods). Wave parameter measurements and/or continuous histogram recording of shocks and vibrations and its dynamic impact on engineering structures in the close vicinity of the building site enable the modification of the technology parameters, such as vibrator frequency or hammer drop height. Many examples of practical applications have already been published and provide a basis for the formulation of guidelines, for work on the following sites. In the current work the author’s experience gained during sheet piling works for the reconstruction of City Channel in Wrocław (Poland) was presented. The examples chosen describe ways of proceedings in the case of new and old residential buildings where the concrete or masonry walls were exposed to vibrations and in the case of the hydrotechnical structures (sluices, bridges).

Role to Be Played by Independent Geotechnical Supervision in the Foundation for Bridge Construction

Some remarks concerning the necessity of employing an independent and over all ethical geotechnical survey were presented in the paper. Starting from the design phase, through the whole construction process, the importance of geotechnical engineer is stated in legal acts. Numerous testing technologies serve for the calibration of geotechnical technologies and allow for confirming the quality and capacity of piles. Special emphasis was payed to the involvement of scientifical and research institutions which can not only serve services but also can postprocess and methodize collected data. Such databases enable for new codes, methods and recommendations. Selection of deep foundations for bridge-type structures is most often dependent on complex geotechnical conditions, concentrated loads and constraints for pier displacements. Besides the last ones, prior to more common introduction of the design-construct system, could be a convenient justification for design engineer, who imposed deep foundation because he did not want or was not able to estimate the effect of pier settlement on civil engineering structure. The paper provides some notes about the need to engage a geotechnical supervising service of high competency and ethical quality during engineering and construction stages of foundations for bridge-type structures where legal requirements are of special consideration. Successive stages of projects are reviewed and research methods used for current calibration of geotechnical technologies and verification of geotechnical work quality are analysed. Special attention is given to potential involvement of independent R&D institutions which, apart from rendering specific services, also collect and systemize the research results thus enabling, in the long term, to revise engineering standards, instructions and guidelines.

Geotechnical Technology Based on Electrochemical Explosion and Equipment for Its Implementation

A geotechnical procedure for the installation of blast-shaped pedestals of the shafts of cast-in-place piles and the roots of soil anchors based on an electrochemical explosion is discussed. Optimal characteristics are determined for the electrochemical explosion and the equipment used for its implementation. Performance factors are defined for the soil beneath the lower end and lateral surface of the finished piles. A method is proposed for deep compaction of soils using electrochemical explosions.

GEOTECHNICAL PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR MATURE BASINS: A CASE STUDY OF THE GIPPSLAND BASIN

During the 1990s, exploitation and exploration processes in the Gippsland Basin have been expanded to cater to a surge in mature field redevelopment activity, and have supported continued activity in the more traditional functions of exploration and development of new resources.The first major field redevelopment project was initiated in 1991 on the West Kingfish Field. Since 1991, similar programs conducted on the Mackerel, Perch, Fortescue and Kingfish Fields have significantly mitigated oil production decline in the basin. The success of the field redevelopment programs has been attributed to the use of multi-disciplinary field teams, the use of high end geophysical interpretation technologies, and the ability of the field teams to integrate and synthesise often voluminous quantities of production and geotechnical information to identify drilling opportunities.Areas where we continue to improve field redevelopment geotechnical processes include decreasing data acquisition and analysis cycle time, and advancing the precision of geotechnical predictions.With over 30 years of intensive exploration activity in the Gippsland Basin placing it in a mature phase of development, focus on the risk management of exploration activities has increased. Focussed research efforts to both develop new geotechnical technologies and more accurately assess the limitations of currently utilised technologies have also been undertaken to ensure an economically viable exploitation and exploration strategy for the basin.The structure of geotechnical teams in the 1990s has seen production and exploration functions amalgamate to ensure that the benefits of operations synergies provided by the high level of platform drilling activity are fully realised. This is enabling the knowledge from intensive field drilling programs to be more readily applied to the evaluation of exploration opportunities. Field re-development drilling activities are at historically high levels and are predicted to remain so into the foreseeable future. Given the mature nature of exploration in the basin, future exploration activities will be undertaken within the defined limits of our technologies to ensure the opportunity to achieve continued economic success is maximised.

Examples of open pit mining instability

Abstract Geotechnical technology for surface mining has become increasingly sophisticated as lower grade ore deposits are being developed. With larger and deeper open pits, more detailed and accurate investigation has become necessary during the past decade. Many variables influence successful open pit operations. These include ore grade, metal price, development costs, construction costs, mine design, stability and operating costs. With the great increase in the size of open pits to depths over 600 ∼ 800 meters, the determination of pit slope angle and control of wall stability has a major influence on project economics. This paper briefly discusses preliminary considerations for pit slopes from a geotechnical standpoint to optimize economics and safety, describes recent developments in stability engineering and to illustrate a wide range of stability problems, typical examples are briefly reviewed.