Geo-StrataNovember/December 2012 Regional Geotechnics II INSIDE: 2013 GeoCongress ALSO Ten Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results Do you recommend CUT & FILL? Stop wasting money! LIME gives better results forHALF of the cost. For more information visit © 2011 Carmeuse Lime & Stone www.LimeStabilization.com Do you recommend CUT & FILL? WE HELP YOU FIX BAD GROUND. Stop wasting Practical. Adaptive. Economical. money! Sand. Clay. Fill. GEOPIER IS GROUND IMPROVEMENT.™ ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS FOR VIRTUALLY ALL SOIL TYPES & GROUNDWATER CONDITIONS soft compressible soil uplift wind turbines liquefaction mitigation slope stabilization grain bins unstable soils below groundwater lateral loads walls & embankments replace costly deep foundations storage tanks power plants & towers Work with regional engineers worldwide to solve your ground LIME gives better results improvement challenges. For more information call 800-371-7470, forHALF of the cost. e-mail [email protected] or visit geopier.com. For more information visit ©2012 Geopier Foundation Company, Inc. The Geopier® technology and brand names are protected under U.S. patents and trademarks listed at www.geopier.com/patents and other trademark applications and patents pending. Other foreign patents, patent applications, trademark registrations, and trademark applications also exist. © 2011 Carmeuse Lime & Stone www.LimeStabilization.com November/December • 2012 21 FEATURES Piedmont Residual Soils and Rocks 18 By Daniel A. Brown, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, M.ASCE and Paul W. Mayne, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE Challenging Soils in Seattle, Washington 24 By Bill Laprade, L.E.G, C.E.G., F.GSA Foundation Challenges for Tall Buildings in the Middle East 28 32 By Harry G. Poulos, D.Sc.Eng., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE Ten Practical Employee Engagement Steps 38 That Drive Results! By Bob Kelleher 36 86 ©iStockphoto.com/Igor Djurovic 39 November/December • 2012 10 DEPARTMENTS Geo-Poem: Do You Classify What I Classify? 6 By Brittney Veeck Thoughts from the President 8 By Craig Benson, Ph.D., P.E. D.GE, F.ASCE From the Editorial Board 10 By James L. Withiam, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, M.ASCE 12 Commentary: Applying Geology to Geotechnical Investigations By Roy E. Hunt, P.E., P.G., F.ASCE 12 Lessons Learned from Geo-Legends: An Interview with 14 John B. Burland, Ph.D., P.E. By Menzer Pehlivan, S.M.ASCE, Katherine Zadrozny, E.I.T, S.M.ASCE, and Onur Kacar, S.M.ASCE The GeoCurmudgeon: Foolproof Writing 42 By John P. Bachner OMC Looking Out for You/Organizational Member News 44 By Linda Bayer, IOM, A.M.ASCE Look Who's a D.GE 48 By Richard D’Ambrosia, PE, D.GE, SECB, CBIE, M.ASCE 49 COREBITS 15 By Linda Bayer, IOM, A.M.ASCE EDITORIAL BOARD 2012 – 2013 G-I BOARD OF GOVERNORS GEO-STRATA STAFF James L. Withiam, Ph.D., P.E. , D.GE, M.ASCE William K. Petersen, P.E., M.ASCE Craig Benson, Ph.D., P.E. D.GE, NAE, F.ASCE – President Stephan Jaeger D’Appolonia URS Corporation William M. Camp, III, P.E., D.GE, M.ASCE – Vice President Publisher [email protected] [email protected] 703.295.6286 Barbara Luke, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE., M.ASCE – Treasurer Veronica L. Streich, P.E., M.ASCE N. Catherine Bazán-Arias, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE Philip G. King, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE – Past President Dianne Vance, CAE Linda R. Bayer, IOM, A.M.ASCE DiGioia, Gray & Associates, LLC HNTB Corporation Allen Cadden, P.E., D.GE, M.ASCE Director of Advertising Manager and Production [email protected] [email protected] 703.295.6234 Patricia J. Culligan, Ph.D., M.ASCE [email protected] Jeff Dunn, Ph.D., P.E., G.E., M.ASCE J. Tanner Blackburn, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE Kleinfelder, Inc. Hayward Baker William F. Marcuson, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, NAE Suzanne Davenport Sean Richardson [email protected] [email protected] Kord Wissmann, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, M.ASCE Content Coordinator Production [email protected] [email protected] Beth Gross, P.E., M.ASCE Peter G. Nicholson, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE Robert Schweinfurth, A.M.ASCE – Secretary Geosyntec Consultants University of Hawaii at Manoa non-voting Board member [email protected] [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES MANAGERS Morgan Eddy, P.E., A.M.ASCE Ken Fishman, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE Chris Myers Ellen Tucker Steele Foundation, LLC McMahon & Mann Consulting Engineers 214.291.3652 214.291.3661 kfi [email protected] [email protected] Brian Hubel, P.E., G.E., M.ASCE Geo-Strata magazine designed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ISSUE NO. 6 • VOL 16 Marketing Ahead [email protected] Geo-Strata is a forum for the free expression and interchange of ideas. The opinions and positions stated within are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of Geo-Strata, the Geo-Institute, or the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Geo-Strata—ISSN 1529-2975—is published bi-monthly by ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400 and is a free ASCE/Geo-Institute membership benefit, not available by subscription. ADDRESS CHANGES: ASCE/G-I members should e-mail [email protected], or click on “My Profile” at asce.org. Copyright © 2012 by the American Society of Civil Engineers. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced or translated without written permission from ASCE. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon, VA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Geo-Strata, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400. 4 Geo-Strata l geoinstitute.org DEPARTMENTS 5524_gINT_GS_0410.indd 1 28-4-2010 10:35:57 Geo-Poem By Brittney Veeck Do You Classify What I Classify? Said the soil sample to the little tare: Said the fi ne grains to the mighty sieve: The soil, the soil, Do you see what I see Do you know what I know? Classifi ed it’s true: Falling through the sieve number 4? I am either silt or I’m clay. We can call it Elastic Silt. Do you see what I see? Do you know what I know? We can call it Elastic Silt. The gravel, the gravel The test, the test, Won’t pass through the holes. The liquid limit test AUTHOR All that’s left is sand, clay, and silt. Will determine if I’m silt or clay. All that’s left is sand, clay, and silt. Will determine if I’m silt or clay. Brittney Veeck is a senior at Tufts University. This seasonally appropriate Said the coarse grains to the fi ne Said the liquid limit test to the soil: poem was part of her fi nal project for Professor Swan’s Soil Mechanics class in grained soil: Listen to what I say. the fall semester of 2011. Do you hear what I hear? The limit is less than fi fty. They say that the sand outweighs the gravel. Listen to what I say: Consultation and minor edits were provided by Mary C. Nodine, P.E. Mary is Do you hear what I hear? P-I, P-I, a geotechnical poet and a project engineer The fi nes, the fi nes, No organics here. with GEI Consultants, Inc. in Woburn, What percent are they? P-I plots below the “A” Line. MA. She can be reached at Does the sample classify as sand? P-I plots below the “A” Line. [email protected] Does the sample classify as sand? 6 Geo-Strata l geoinstitute.org For more than 30 years, the village of Belleville, Wisconsin, had been trying to restore a local community park and surrounding 94-acre lake. Sediment discharge had decreased the lake depth, reducing oxygen levels, water quality and local fish and wildlife populations. With the help of Tensar International and TriAx® Geogrid, Glenn Joski was able to construct a 3,200 ft. long berm and pedestrian path to prevent water flows from entering the lake, thus eliminating the deposition of river sediment into the newly restored Lake Belle View. The result? A cost-eective and environmentally friendly solution that allows the animals to breathe a little easier. To read the whole story, submit your own, or to put TriAx to work for you, visit triaxstories.com/GS or call 888-826-0706. Thoughts from the President by Craig Benson The Year Ahead have been a member of ASCE all of my professional life, Geo-Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee (D&IC), and a member of the Geo-Institute since its inception. I which is ably led by Dr. Sebastian Bryson of the University was fortunate to be invited to the formative discussions of Kentucky. The purpose of the D&IC is to understand key and meetings that led to the creation of the Geo-Institute, factors that influence diversity within our profession and to de- Iwhich I contend is now the largest and most successful profes- velop strategies that will promote a more diverse community sional organization for geo-professionals worldwide. To serve of young geo-professionals who enter the Geo-Institute as new as President of the Geo-Institute for the upcoming year is a members. The D&IC hosted an extremely successful working tremendous honor, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity luncheon at the 2012 Geo-Congress in Oakland, and has been to serve the profession and our membership. As President, I active since then gathering information about factors affecting will serve our membership by maintaining focus on our core diversity in our professional pipeline. purpose – to advance the geo-professional community. As President, I am embracing the original concept of the Over the next year, the Board of Governors will focus on Geo-Institute as a large tent for the entire geo-professional key elements of the Geo-Institute’s Strategic Plan.