Short Courses

Jean-Louis Briaud (Texas A&M University), Beatrice Hunt (Hardesty & Hanover), Gerarda Shields (New York City College of Technology)

Scour of bridge foundations is a complex soil-water-structure interaction problem that traditional geotechnical engineering does not address in depth. Yet 25,000 of the 500,000 bridges over water in the country have been declared scour critical. Addressing this problem and finding solutions will be big business for years to come. This short course will introduce geotechnical engineers to the causes and mechanisms of scour, as well as how potential scour problems can be identified and mitigated in project design. It will include scour concepts and definitions, scour depth calculations, scour countermeasures, scour design philosophies, and useful references. There is an industry need for geotechnical engineers to be engaged in scour related engineering problems and this course is designed to equip engineers for participation.

D. Vaughan Griffiths (Colorado School of Mines)

This course introduces participants to a powerful suite of finite element programs relating to practical geotechnical engineering applications. The course will remove some of the mystique of "black-box" geotechnical software by giving participants an insight into the workings of the finite element method and the basic architecture of the programs. The course will discuss the selection of soil properties for geotechnical finite element applications and demonstrate finite element analysis of classical geotechnical problems such as settlement, seepage, consolidation and slope stability. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers so they can upload and interact with the finite elements programs during the course.

An additional text, Programming the Finite Element Method, by I.M. Smith and D.V. Griffiths, 4th Ed., 2004, is recommended for this course. Copies will be available on site for $60.

Paul W. Mayne (Georgia Institute of Technology)

The seismic piezocone (SCPT) is of fundamental use to all geotechnical investigations involving foundations, pilings, walls, tunnels, excavations, and pavements. The usefulness of the small-strain shear modulus obtained from the SCPT is documented as an initial state parameter representing the beginning of all stress-strain-strength curves. Up to five independent readings on soil response are collected in a single SCPT sounding, particularly the tip stress, sleeve friction, porewater pressure, time dissipations, and downhole shear wave velocity. Interpretative methods are reviewed for geostratification and obtaining a full suite of soil parameters and properties often required in geotechnical analyses, especially numerical modeling simulations. Numerous case studies are interwoven to show the general applicability of the approaches in soil behavior, as well as direct applications to full-scale foundation response.

Gregory B. Baecher (University of Maryland) and John T. Christian (Consulting Engineer)

The course is an introduction to the use of statistical techniques in dealing with geotechnical measurements and databases. It begins with a refresher on statistical principles, followed by practical second-moment methods for characterizing errors and uncertainties in soil properties. The majority of the course is devoted to statistical methods for interpreting sensor data, characterizing spatial variation, and managing databases. Modern software tools for exploratory data analysis and visualization are reviewed, as are methods of data mining. The course is designed for practicing professionals who need to understand statistical concepts and methods for collecting, interpreting, and managing geotechnical information.
Its objectives are to:
1. provide an overview of practical statistical methods for geotechnical measurements, sampling, and information management,
   
2. develop an ability to judge the relevance of statistical methods and statistical conclusions in application to geotechnical information and the management of that information, and
   
3. develop an understanding of the impact of geotechnical uncertainties on model predictions and design decisions.

Salvatore Caronna (gINT Software) and Scott Deaton (dataforensics, L.L.C.)

All geotechnical and environmental projects rely on data which are traditionally recorded on paper and then input into various and numerous applications for reporting, analysis, visualization, and billing. This traditional process requires multiple repetitive inputs which is very inefficient because each of the steps requires manual data input and quality control procedures. Using technology to streamline this process allows engineers to input the data once and use it in various formats as required by theproject, thus eliminating the duplicated effort for data input and quality assurance/quality control which can be very time consuming and fraught with errors. Fundamentals of database design, report generation, automated data validation, data transfer, and integration of software tools are discussed. These concepts during the course provide the basis for managing geotechnical data using readily available state-of-the-art software tools.