Category Archives: EC7

NEWS ON NEW STANDARDS

The following changes to British Standards commonly used by geotechnical and structural engineers have been published:

  • Amendment to BS EN 1991-1-1: 2003 + A1: 2015. Eurocode 1. Actions on structures. General actions. Snow loads.
  • Amendment to BS EN 1993-1-4: 2006 + A1: 2015. Eurocode 3. Design of steel structures. General rules. Supplementary rules for stainless steels.
  • PD 6688-1-4: 2015. Background information to the National Annex to BS EN 1991-1-4 and additional guidance (supersedes PD 6688-1-4: 2009)

In addition the following standards have been confirmed as being of continued currency:

  • BS EN ISO 12236:2006. Geosynthetics. Static puncture test (CBR test).
  • BS EN ISO 13431:1999. Geotextiles and geotextiles related products. Determination of tensile creep and creep rupture behaviour.
  • BS EN ISO 13433:2006. Geosynthetics. Dynamic perforation test (cone drop test).

Finally, you may be interested to know that the following BS implementation of ISO text has been made without any change to the international standard:

  • BS ISO 18325:2015. Geosynthetics. Test method for the determination of water discharge capacity for prefabricated vertical drains.

Readers are referred to the BSI for further details about the standards.

NEW SLOPE STABILITY PROJECT

We are pleased to announce that we are about to commence a new project in Yorkshire for retail, commercial and leisure facilities. The confidential site requires construction of a development plateau through a cut and fill exercise across the sloping site. One part of the site will require a large excavation into a dipping rock mass, and Surepath have been retained as a sub-consultant to address the stability issues posed by the proposed works. The ground investigation is underway, which will include deep trial pitting to facilitate insitu logging of the rock mass structure to complement rotary cored drillholes. We aim to be able to release further details of the project in the coming weeks.

 

GI DESIGN TO EC7…… AND THE NEW BS5930 & BS 8004!

EC7 has already impacted general design practice but its impact on ground investigation design has been less evident despite Eurocodes having been brought into Building Regulations in 2013. However the revisions in late 2015 of BS5930:2015 and BS8004:2015 means that changes in current practice may now be required sooner rather than later.

A new half day course  by Surepath Training, Ground Investigation Design to EC7 – The Essentials, aims to address the likely impacts of these codes on ground investigation design. Taught against a background introduction to EC7, the key focus of the course will be on EC7 design requirements for GI’s, including a design exercise to examine the scale of changes that could be required. The course will introduce also changes to logging and reporting requirements to suit EC7.

The course is running in Chesterfield on 18 January 2016 and costs only £125 + VAT per delegate. Discounts are available for group bookings or delegates attending more than one course. Please call or email us to reserve your place on a course.

 

HIGH WALL SLOPE STABILITY REVIEW SERVICES

We recently provided sub-consultancy support in connection with the stability of proposed high walls to a coal extraction facility. The work required the appraisal of the geology, hydrogeology and past mining at the confidential site in Yorkshire,  before an appraisal of the stability issues was completed to support preliminary slope design recommendations. The assessment required the ground risk around the proposed works to be zoned, and required too consideration of the potential impact of the coal extraction on third party infrastructure.