20
Geotechnical News • December 2016
GEOTECHNICAL INSTRUMENTATION NEWS
Introduction by John Dunnicliff, Editor
This is the 88
th
episode of GIN. Three articles this time.
Acoustic emission
The first article, a nuts-and-boltsy one,
by Alister Smith and his colleagues at
Loughborough University in England,
describes an acoustic emission (AE)
slope monitoring system. The article
compares the data favorably with
ShapeAccelArray (SAA) data. It also
includes references to publications
about AE monitoring of slopes,
how the monitoring system can be
purchased, and it invites organizations
interested in collaborating to further
commercialize the system to discuss
opportunities with the authors.
Monitoring a heritage building
restoration project
June 2016 GIN included an article by
Vincent Le Borgne of GKM Consul-
tants, “Lessons learned in vibration
monitoring”. Here’s another practical
article by Vincent about monitoring
the 150-year old Parliament Hill’s
West Block Building in Ottawa
while modernizing the building and
maintaining its heritage appearance.
Particularly interesting to me are the
examples of the effects of temperature
on monitored data and the importance
of obtaining proper baseline data.
General role of instrumentation,
and summaries of instruments
that can be considered for help-
ing to provide answers to pos-
sible geotechnical questions.
The previous four GINs included the
following articles:
• Part 1, December 2015. Braced
excavations,
• Part 2, March 2016. Embankments
on soft ground,
• Part 3, June 2016. Cut slopes and
landslides in soil and in rock
• Part 4, September 2016. Driven
piles and bored piles (drilled
shafts).
Here’s the final one in the series, Part
5, Tunnels.
Fourth International Course on
Geotechnical and Structural
Monitoring,
June 13-15, 2017
Rome, Italy.
.
com
During the last three years more than
330 people have come from 48 coun-
tries to attend the “International Course
on Geotechnical and Structural Moni-
toring” in the 1,000 year-old Castle of
Poppi in the beautiful countryside of
Tuscany. 42 international companies
have exhibited their products during
the courses.
Evaluations by attendees have shown
how very much the courses have been
appreciated, both from technical and
networking perspectives. We strive to
make each edition of the course better
than the previous one, including tech-
nical, cultural, historical and social
considerations.
For 2017 we’ve decided to take up the
challenge of moving the venue to Rome
- a city of huge historical and cultural
interest that hosts one of the oldest and
largest universities in the world: Sa-
pienza University of Rome (the Latin
word “sapientiae” means “wisdom” so
the university wisely teaches wisdom!
Also, sapiens = wise: think “homo
sapiens”!). This new venue allows us
to satisfy the continuously increasing
number of participants and make ac-
cessibility for participants easier than
in Poppi.
In 2016 we initiated sessions on “New
Monitoring Trends” and “Case Histo-
ries and Lessons Learned”, with pre-
sentations given by practitioners and
exhibitors. These were well received
and in 2017 we plan to strengthen their
content. We invite all of you to take ad-
vantage of our offer to make presenta-
tions during these sessions, by contact-
ing
.
In addition, we’re organizing some
Master Classes that will be held on
June 12, the day before the official be-
ginning of the course, led by interna-
tional experts, specifically oriented to
provide practical basic know-how on
use of the most common monitoring
systems (inclinometers, piezometers,
total stations, GNSS, extensometers,
terrestrial RADAR). Each class will
cover the following main topics: in-
stallation, data acquisition, data pro-
cessing, tricks and tips from everyday
experience.
We’re very excited about this new “ad-
venture” and we really hope you will
share the experience with us. We look
forward to meeting you.
Would you or any of your
colleagues benefit from basic
training about geotechnical
engineering?
And/or would you or any of your col-
leagues benefit from learning how to
improve verbal communication skills?
If yes, go to:
-
shed/introduction-to-soil-mechanics
These videos, by Dr. John Burland,
Professor Emeritus at Imperial College
London, help to answer:
• What is geotechnical engineering?
• What is the relationship between
civil engineering and geotechnical
engineering?
• What does a geotechnical engineer
do?
• In what civil engineering projects
do geotechnical engineers get
involved?
