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Geotechnical News • September 2012
Geotechnical Instrumentation
for Field Measurements
Cocoa Beach, Florida
April 7-9, 2013
This continuing education course
will include presentations by users of
instrumentation from USA, England,
Canada, France and Italy. There
will also be technical presentations
and instrument displays by major
manufacturers of geotechnical instru-
mentation from USA, Canada and
Switzerland.
The course will include planning
monitoring programs, hardware and
software, recent developments such
as web-based monitoring and wireless
monitoring, remote methods for moni-
toring deformation, case histories, and
lessons learned. Online sources will be
included, together with an open forum
for questions and discussion
Emphasis will be given to obtain-
ing high quality data to help answer
specific geotechnical questions for the
management of RISK.
The Course Director is
Douglas Baker joins RST
Instruments
Douglas G. Baker, P.Geo., has recently
joined RST Instruments Ltd. as a
Technical Specialist. Doug graduated
with a B.Sc. in Geology, from the Uni-
versity of British Columbia. He brings
35 years of practical hands-on experi-
ence in geotechnical investigations,
instrumentation design, geotechnics,
field performance monitoring, project
management and construction from his
prior position with British Columbia
Hydro Engineering. In his new role at
RST, Doug will be closely involved
within our technical design and sales
team as we work toward providing our
clients with practical advice and inno-
vative instrumentation solutions to
civil and geotechnical challenges.For
more information visit:
ments.com
New accessory for Cross Hole
Sonic Logging makes testing
more comfortable
Cross Hole Sonic Logging (CSL)
is one of the most popular testing
methods to evaluate integrity of drilled
shafts. It involves inserting probes
– two at a time – in tubes built into
the shafts especially for the test. The
probes, on spooled cables, are lowered
to the bottom of the shafts and pulled
back up. As they travel along the shaft,
one of the probes emits a sonic wave,
and the receiver probe picks it up after
it travels through the concrete. The
intensity and time of arrival of the
wave at the receiver probe is indica-
tive of concrete quality. The test is
typically performed in shafts with at
least 4 access tubes, but sometimes as
many as 10. Test procedures require
filling the tubes with water, and test-
ing all possible paths between tubes.
Remember your combinatorial analy-
sis and you’ll figure out that those
probes will be pulled many times (15
for a shaft with 6 tubes). Even rugged
field engineers wearing water resistant
gloves become quite uncomfortable
after pulling the wet cables by hand a
few times.
Pile Dynamics Inc has solved this
problem by designing a Motorized
Probe Deployment System (Auto-
mated Reels) that works with its CSL
testing equipment, the Cross Hole
Analyzer.
In addition to sparing the testing engi-
neer from constantly handling wet and
often cold cables, the Motorized Probe
Deployment System keeps the cables
neatly organized on the spool, and
allows the tester to gather information
at a consistent speed ( this reduces the
possibility of missed data points due to
too fast a pull). The system is powered
by either an 8 hour duration battery or
by an external 12 V power source.
In addition to the Cross Hole Analyzer
and its Motorized Probe Deployment
System, Pile Dynamics produces
several other quality assurance and
quality control products for the deep
foundations industry. Its products are
recognized throughout the world as
the ultimate solutions for testing and
monitoring of deep foundations. The
company is based in Cleveland OH
and has commercial representatives
worldwide. For more information visit
THESIS ABSTRACTS
SHORT COU SES
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