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A Darwinian Link to Geotechnical Engineering

ecuscino | Created: 07 Mar 2024 | Updated: 08 Mar 2024
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Review: On the horizontal thrust of a mass of sand (G. Darwin, 1883) By Michael Bennett, P.E., M.ASCE (A.G.E.S., Inc., King of Prussia, PA) In 1883, the British Empire stood...

An ethereal discovery: the connection between soil mechanics and the dawn of relativity in physics

ecuscino | Created: 15 May 2024 | Updated: 17 May 2024
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Scientific discoveries sometimes seem to come right out of the ether - sometimes literally! Meet Osborne Reynolds (of fluid mechanics fame) and learn about the surprising connections between his work on the dilatancy of granular materials and the beginnings of the science of soil mechanics.

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering, Part 3: Foundations, featuring Yankee Stadium

ecuscino | Created: 19 Dec 2023 | Updated: 09 Sep 2024
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What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? Member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing." Part 3 covers Foundations and includes a case study of the 1923 Yankee Stadium.

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering: Part 2, Excavation, featuring the Lincoln Memorial

ecuscino | Created: 20 Nov 2023 | Updated: 20 Dec 2023
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What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 2: "Excavation"

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering: Part 4, Foundations and Piles

ecuscino | Created: 02 Jul 2024 | Updated: 09 Sep 2024
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Review of Foundations, abutments and footings (Hool and Kinne, Eds., 1923), Section 3: Foundations (Part B) By Michael Bennett, P.E., M.ASCE (Gannett Fleming – Audubon, PA) The second half of...

Jazz Age Geotechnical Engineering: Section 1, Soil Investigation

ecuscino | Created: 25 May 2023 | Updated: 20 Nov 2023
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What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 1: "Soil Investigation"

Slope Stability in the Age of Steam

ecuscino | Created: 23 Aug 2024 | Updated: 26 Aug 2024
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Our member blogger looks at at Charles Gregory’s seminal 1844 paper “On railway cuttings and embankments”, examining two slope failures on a London railroad cut in the winter of 1841-42.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 1)

ecuscino | Created: 13 Jan 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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First post in our new Geotechnical History blog, and part 1 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood. In this post: The why, when, and how of the construction of the dam that eventually became known as the South Fork Dam. (This post revised Feb. 16, 2023)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 2)

ecuscino | Created: 24 Feb 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 2 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the replacement, breach, and abandonment of the Western Reservoir, and its rebuilding as the South Fork Dam.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 3)

ecuscino | Created: 04 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 3 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the weakening of the South Fork Dam, the increasing frequency of floods in Johnstown, and an approaching storm.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 4)

ecuscino | Created: 17 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The efforts to save the dam, its failure, the possible geotechnical mechanisms of the failure, and the horrific consequences.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 5)

ecuscino | Created: 18 Apr 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The aftermath of the Johnstown Flood: relief efforts, journalism, analysis, and lessons learned. This post is the conclusion of the series and includes references.

Why Study Geo-History?

ecuscino | Created: 03 May 2024 | Updated: 06 May 2024
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As we approach the centenary of Terzaghi's pioneering work Erdbaumechanik, looking back can bring big benefits for the future.