Category Archives: GI

SETTLEMENT OF ALLUVIAL CLAY AND PEAT

In late 2017 we had the pleasure of working with a new client on the assessment of the likely settlement beneath the roads, drives and driveways at a proposed housing development site in Yorkshire.  The ground comprised soft alluvial clays and peats, and some land-raising was required.  Movements were estimated based on available information supported by published data and correlations.  Due to the magnitude of movements, a range of treatment options were suggested and the design of the development is presently being advanced.

If you think we could assist you with similar issues you may be having on a site then please contact Dr Andy Goodwin on 01246 807808.

 

SETTLEMENT OF OPENCAST BACKFILL

Over recent months we have been working with a developer on the assessment of the likely settlement of backfill placed during previous coal extraction works on a site in Derbyshire.  The assessment resulted in movement predictions across the site both if the ground was not treated and if the ground was treated using vibro methods.  The work showed that vibro techniques offered a potential cost-effective treatment solution and work is now progressing to develop the treatment design.

If you think we could assist you with similar issues you may be having on a site then please contact Dr Andy Goodwin on 01246 807808.

 

IS 70:20:10 RIGHT?

During a recent mentoring session, a mentee asked: “what is the most effective way to learn and develop?”  The stock answer is the 70:20:10 model, which suggests that 70% of knowledge and understanding is gained from on-the-job experience, 20% from self-study, mentoring and learning from others, and 10% from training courses and the like.  This model originated in the 1980’s based on research into what helped successful managers develop.  So is it valid for the construction industry?  We have been thinking about this further as part of our mentoring work and we have prepared a short article on it, mainly aimed at graduates but others may find it useful too.  If you are interested to read it then just click here.

DESIGNERS GEOTECHNICAL ADVISOR APPOINTMENT

Over recent months we have been working for a developer on the geotechnical design of an acoustic bund adjacent to the M1.  We have been liaising with Highways England (HE) on behalf of the Client, to help them steer through the HD22/08 process as their Designers Geotechnical Advisor.  The aim of the work is to secure the HE’s approval of the development in due course, as the project is ongoing.

 

HOWARD MEDAL AWARDED

As announced previously, we are very pleased and honoured to announce that on 6 October 2017 our Dr Andy Goodwin, Simon Ellis (Mott Macdonald), Prof Liz Laycock (Sheffield Hallam University) and Dr Chris Hurst (Mott MacDonald) were all awarded the Howard Medal by ICE Publishing for a paper jointly published in 2016.  The awards dinner was held at the ICE headquarters near Westminster. The happy recipients are shown below on stage, and both before and after perhaps a little too much champagne!

Entitled “Use of crushed brick in reinforced earth railway structures”, the paper was published in ICE’s Construction Materials Journal.  Targeted at improving the sustainability of the development, the work reported on a short practically-focused research project undertaken in association with Sheffield Hallam University with a clear focus on assessing the suitability of crushed bricks to be sourced from a viaduct for re-use as engineered fill.  It shows the benefits that can be gained from integrating focused research into a large project.  

More details of the project can be seen in the paper, which can be downloaded for free from http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/10.1680/coma.15.00014.