Category Archives: Geotechnics

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.

 

MORE NEW GEOTECHNICAL STANDARDS

The BSI have announced changes to a number of geotechnical engineering related standards in recent months. Though by no means exhaustive the list of changes affecting this sector includes:

  • BS 8002:2015 Code of practice for earth retaining structures.
  • BS 8004:2015 Code of practice for foundations.
  • BS 5930:2015 Code of practice for ground investigations.
  • BS 8081:2015 Code of practice for grouted anchors.
  • BS EN 1536:2010 Amendment 1, Execution of special geotechnical work. Bored piles.
  • BS EN 1538:2010 Amendment 1, Execution of special geotechnical work. Diaphragm walls.
  • BS EN 1992-1-1:2004 Amendment 1, Eurocode 2. Design of concrete structures.
  • BS EN 1993-1-1:2005 Amendment 1, Eurocode 3. Design of steel structures.
  • BS EN ISO 17628:2015 Geotechnical investigation and testing. Geothermal testing.
  • BS EN ISO 25619-2:2015 Geosynthetics. Determination of compression behaviour.

EUROPEAN CONFERENCE PAPER

In September 2015 we had a technical paper published at the XVI European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in Edinburgh. The paper is based on work undertaken in support of URS (now AECOM) in the design of a coastal protection scheme. Titled “The design of an anchored pile retaining structure to control landslide regression at Lyme Regis, UK”, the authors are Corrado Candian (formerly URS, now COWI), our Andy Goodwin, and Dimitri Daskalopoulos (URS).  We are very pleased to have worked with our partners on this paper and look forward to working with them further.

VISION DESIGN ALLIANCE UPDATE

As one of the founder members of the Vision Design Alliance, a group of small to medium sized companies in the East Midlands region that have come together to offer a one-stop shop of civil engineering, building and construction related consultancy services, Surepath Consulting are pleased to re-cap some of the VDA news also available through the VDA web site.

  • Ecotech recently successfully completed a project on a site development in a floodplain in Bottesford, near Grantham.
  • Groundsmiths (UK) Ltd were recently appointed by GK Group Ltd, Chesterfield, to carry out a Phase I/II geo-environmental appraisal and intrusive ground investigation of land located at their workshop site in Chesterfield.
  • Ecotech were appointed to design and specify earthworks to widen an existing highway embankment under a Section 278 agreement for a site in Papplewick, near Nottingham.
  • Groundsmiths (UK) Ltd recently carried out an appraisal of land located within the Pearson Industrial Estate, Old Whittington, Chesterfield.

The collective goal of the VDA is to provide Clients with access to a network of specialists who are used to working together collaboratively to provide an integrated service based on expertise, innovation and enthusiasm. Further news on the launch of the VDA and its web site will follow soon.