Events

TOPIC: “Sustainable practices for geotechnical engineering”
Due to depletion of natural resources, increased natural disasters, waste, greenhouse gas emissions, pollutant generation, and environmental deterioration, and loss of biodiversity, geotechnical engineers are facing new challenges. While it is generally believed that the concepts of sustainable development must be followed for protecting future generations, it is much easier said than implemented. Therefore, the focus of this talk will be to focus on the application of the principles of sustainable geoengineering to projects and processes. Some tools and frameworks for evaluating and implementing sustainable practices will be presented. The use of environmental, social and economic indicators for measuring and comparing design options will be demonstrated. Best practices in carrying out Indigenous engagement and consultation will be highlighted. Finally, case studies and examples of sustainable practices in design in addition to the challenges and needs for the future will be included. The role of geotechnical engineers in sustainable development has been undervalued but is critical for future generations.

2022 Cross Canada Lecture Tour – Spring Edition

DATE: June 22, 2022 5:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER(S): Dr. Doug Stead, Ph. D.

Doug Stead began his career in geotechnical engineering in 1978 working on rock and soil slope stability at Nchanga Open Pit in the Zambian Copperbelt, Africa. This was immediately followed by periods working in engineering geology and rock mechanics consulting in the UK and Hong Kong. In 1984, after obtaining his PhD at the University of Nottingham, UK, investigating rock slope stability in UK surface coal mining, he was appointed Lecturer in Applied Geology at the University of Papua New Guinea and then in 1986 Assistant Professor in Geological Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. From 1996-2000 he was Chair in Geotechnical Engineering at Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, UK. In 2000, he returned to Canada where he was Chair in Resource Geotechnics at Simon Fraser University, B.C. until June 30th 2021. His research has focussed on experimental rock mechanics (brittle fracture and acoustic emission), open pit and underground geomechanics and rock slope engineering. In particular he has emphasised the applications of numerical modelling, remote sensing, and more recently mixed-virtual reality visualisation in rock engineering.

Doug has received several awards from the Canadian Geotechnical Society, CGS, for his contributions to geotechnical engineering, including the societies most prestigious award the RH Legget Medal (2017), the John Franklin Award for contributions to Canadian rock mechanics (2009) and the Thomas Roy Award for engineering geology, (2008). He was also awarded the Engineering Institute of Canada, John B. Stirling Medal (2019) for his leadership and services in geotechnical engineering.

Dr. Stead has authored over 300 technical papers on engineering geology and rock engineering. He has delivered numerous keynotes and invited lectures, including the 34^th Online ISRM Lecture in June 2021 and the 1^st CGS Online lecture in Spring 2022. He was co-author with Dr. Loren Lorig of the chapter on numerical modelling in the textbook “Rock Slope Engineering, 2017 5^th edition” by Dr Duncan Wyllie and was co-editor, with Dr. John Clague, of the book “Landslides: Types, mechanisms and modelling”

Dr. Stead served as both ISRM Vice-President for North America and Chair of the ISRM Technical Commissions Oversight Committee (2015-19), He is Past Vice-President Technical for the Canadian Geotechnical Society and Past President of the Canadian Geoscience Council. Dr. Stead is currently a Fellow of the International Society of Rock Mechanics, a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, a Professional Engineer (PEGBC), an Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Exeter, UK and an Honorary Professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Stead has undertaken extensive research/consultancy on a wide range of rock engineering projects in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

TOPIC: “Characterizing rock slope failure mechanisms using combined remote sensing and numerical modelling”

Slope failure mechanisms vary in complexity from simple translational slides to complex multi-block/multi-slip mechanisms. Developments in remote sensing and slope analysis techniques have seen a rapid transition from air photograph interpretation and simple limit equilibrium analyses to increasingly sophisticated and readily available ground and airborne/satellite sensing methods and 2D/3D numerical models. A focus of this talk will be on improving our understanding of complex rock slope failure mechanism through remote sensing characterization and monitoring constrained against numerical models. Using case studies of natural and engineered slopes from North America, Europe and Africa the importance of structural geology, kinematics and slope damage will be demonstrated. With the continued advent of innovative technology the need to fully optimize available data is emphasized, along with the need to ensure that the limitations of these techniques are considered and that the key role of conventional engineering geological and engineering geomorphological investigations recognized.

2022 Annual General Meeting

DATE: May 11, 2022 5:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER(S): Gord McKenna, Ph. D., P. Eng., P. Geol.

Gord McKenna is a geotechnical engineer and geologist who builds mining landforms. He brings 34 years of experience in mine operations and international consulting for metal, oil sands, coal, potash, and diamond mines.

McKenna Geotechnical provides independent geotechnical review, design, and advice to mines, regulators, and communities. Gord sits on ten geotechnical review boards, is an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, and chairs the Landform Design Institute.

Gord is a builder. He and his teams have designed and built 26 reclaimed watersheds that cover 54 square kilometers and host 38 wetlands and 119 kilometers of streams. He has co-authored 100 technical papers and book chapters and led 40 landform design courses.

Gord’s specialties include mining geotechnique, tailings dams, soft tailings capping, and landform design. He has a BASc in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Alberta.

TOPIC: “Safe Closure for Tailings Facilities”

The 2020 Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management identifies the need to design, construct, operate, and reclaim tailings facilities to achieve “safe closure” which is defined as “a closed tailings facility that does not pose ongoing material risks to people or the environment.” We all want safe closure, but just what does safe closure of a tailings landform mean in practice? What does it mean to an operator, to a design engineer, to a regulator, to an insurance company, and to someone living at the toe of a tailings slope? How will we all agree on whether it is “safe”?

The industry will be working in the coming years to define safe closure and identify good practices for new and existing tailings facilities. This talk explores the issues, discusses the notion of acceptable residual risks, and describes the use of the landform design process to establish a clear design basis (acceptable to all), a process for designing, constructing, and monitoring the facility against the design objectives, and the use of an operation, surveillance, and monitoring program, in collaboration with local communities, to manage the long-term residual risks. Opportunities and pitfalls of particular interest to design professionals will be highlighted and discussed.

DATE: Apr 20, 2022 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER(S): Dave Bigelow, M. Sc., P. Eng.

Dave Bigelow is a Climate Risk Engineer, with the Climate Risk, Resilience and Sustainability Team at Stantec. His technical experience is in applied climate science, hydrology, and natural hazards risk assessment. He has conducted a wide variety of physical climate risk assessments from regional to site scales across Canada for clients in government, energy, transportation, and environmental services.

TOPIC: “Climate Risk Assessment”

Climate change is having immediate and direct impacts on our communities, environment, and infrastructure. It is well understood that climate change impacts should be considered in design to increase resilience, but it is not always obvious where to prioritize our efforts. These efforts are further hampered by questions of which datasets to use and how to use them. Climate risk assessments provide screening-level analyses of relevant hazards and assets to identify where to focus resilience efforts. This talk will provide a concise overview of applied climate science, showing how results from climate model projections can be used in engineering applications. It will cover the basics of how climate models work, how to handle uncertainty, where to find data, and how to use that data in a risk assessment framework.

Click Here for Dave’s Zoom Lecture.

DATE: Mar 9, 2022 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER(S):
Carie-Ann Lau, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Matt Lato, Ph. D., P. Eng.

Carie-Ann Lau has more than nine years of experience in airphoto and lidar interpretation, debris flow and debris flood geohazard assessment, terrain analysis, glaciated soil engineering geology, and site characterization in Western Canada. Her focus is on floods and landslides and the risk they pose to municipalities, pipelines, and transportation clients.

Matt Lato is a Senior Engineer and the Innovation Lead at BGC Engineering. His technical expertise is in the application of 3-dimensional remote sensing in geotechnical engineering. Matt is the lead author of the Site Investigation, Analysis, Monitoring and Treatment chapter of the Canadian Technical Guidelines and Best Practices related to landslides, and an author or co-author of over 150 journal and conference papers. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering at Queen’s University, and an Affiliate Faculty Member in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

TOPIC:

“Disaster Response: A Coordinated Response to the November 2021 Atmospheric Rivers on Infrastructure in British Columbia”

From mid to late November 2021, southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington were affected by a series of atmospheric rivers that caused widespread geohazards and destruction of critical infrastructure. Highways, pipelines, energy transmission lines, and railways all experienced damage and were inoperable – many still are. Communities were flooded, homes were lost, and livestock terminated.

In the immediate aftermath of the event, BGC worked collaboratively with numerous clients spanning multiple sectors to develop an understanding of the damage and help chart a path to recovery. Our response effort involved field-based staff to collect observations and photographs while working in tandem with office-based staff to process and analyze instrumentation, remote sensing, and historical datasets to understand, quantify, and design remediations.

We will describe the intensity and duration of the atmospheric rivers including rainfall and snowmelt and their relationship to observed flood magnitudes and how advancements in photogrammetric and airborne lidar change detection processing and digital delivery of the results have supported the immediate response and are helping asset owners begin operations.

DATE:
Feb 9, 2022 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Doug Dewar, M.Sc., P.Eng. (BC, AB, SK)

Doug Dewar is a middle-aged practicing engineer who manages Pembina Pipelines’s geohazard management program. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from the University of New Brunswick prior to being deported from the Maritimes to complete a Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Alberta under Dr. David Cruden.

Doug has spent over 25 years working for consultants and the pipeline industry as a landslide mechanics/geohazard management specialist. Interests include leveraging inline inspection inertial measurement (IMU) and axial strain technologies to improve the geohazard management. Conference paper and joint industry practice publications include IMU feature, AXIAL strain feature and soil/pipeline interactions classification systems. His only real claim to fame is developing the first real time watercourse depth of cover tracking system in 2013. He volunteers as the chair for the International Pipeline Conference Geohazards track and torments perspective authors as a technical reviewer.

Doug is married with two teenage boys and has 3 standard Dachshunds – Sir Lincolnshire, Heinz and Genoa. To the best of his knowledge, Doug has never been hired for his looks.

TOPIC:

“The Ground Contouring Metal Slope Inclinometer, A.K.A. a Pipeline. The Integration of Pipeline Data in Landslide Geohazard Management”

Soil compaction is a common practice in engineering projects to improve soil strength and stiffness. However, compacted soil is usually unsaturated and subjected to matric suction, which also contributes to part of soil strength. Relation between preconsolidation pressure and undrained shear strength for normally consolidated and overconsolidated saturated soils has been mathematically expressed based on the critical state soil mechanics. For unsaturated soil, the relation between these two parameters is more complicated because of matric suction. In this study, a series of constant-rate-of-strain consolidation tests were conducted on compacted silty sand to determine the preconsolidation pressure at various soil water contents, while confined undrained triaxial compression tests were performed to derive the undrained shear strength. A special emphasis was placed on the relation between preconsolidation pressure and undrained shear strength of the tested silty sand in unsaturated condition.

Click Here for Doug’s Zoom Lecture

Click Here for Doug’s Presentation Slides

DATE: Dec 15, 2021 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER: Dr. Yadong Zhang, Ph.D.

Dr. Yadong Zhang is currently working as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Calgary, from where he has recently obtained his Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Ron Wong. His research interests are unsaturated soil mechanics and soil-pipe interaction problems by applying both experimental and numerical tools. In particular, he has designed and performed full-scale tests on large diameter buried pipes to investigate the impact of soil compaction and external load on pipe deformations.

TOPIC: “Preconsolidation pressure and undrained shear strength of compacted silty sand”

Soil compaction is a common practice in engineering projects to improve soil strength and stiffness. However, compacted soil is usually unsaturated and subjected to matric suction, which also contributes to part of soil strength. Relation between preconsolidation pressure and undrained shear strength for normally consolidated and overconsolidated saturated soils has been mathematically expressed based on the critical state soil mechanics. For unsaturated soil, the relation between these two parameters is more complicated because of matric suction. In this study, a series of constant-rate-of-strain consolidation tests were conducted on compacted silty sand to determine the preconsolidation pressure at various soil water contents, while confined undrained triaxial compression tests were performed to derive the undrained shear strength. A special emphasis was placed on the relation between preconsolidation pressure and undrained shear strength of the tested silty sand in unsaturated condition.

Click Here for Dr. Zhang’s Zoom Lecture

DATE: Nov 24, 2021 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER: Dr. Marcos Arroyo

Marcos Arroyo is a Civil Engineer specialized in geotechnics. He obtained a PhD from Bristol University (UK), with a thesis on the interpretation of laboratory seismic tests. In 2005 he joined the Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences at UPC, where he is now Associate Professor and is currently responsible for courses on “Geotechnical design”, “Offshore foundations” and “Marine geodynamics”. He has initiated a variety of research projects there that have attracted more than 4 M€ of public and private funding. His research is problem-driven and relies on different numerical (DEM, FEM, PFEM) and experimental (laboratory & in situ testing) techniques to address questions of geotechnical interest. The outcomes of this research are regularly published in peer-reviewed scientific conferences and journals (see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marcos-Arroyo-2). Marcos Arroyo worked for 8 years in geotechnical design offices and acts regularly as consultant in a variety of engineering projects, related to foundations, ground improvement, mineral residues, etc. He is active in several normative committees, notably ISO-TC182 Geotechnical testing and CENTC250- Eurocodes, where he has been part of the drafting teams for the renewed Eurocodes EC7.1 Geotechnical design. General rules and EC7.2. Geotechnical design. Ground properties.

TOPIC: “Numerical analysis of the Brumadinho tailings dam failure”

In November 2019 a team led by Marcos Arroyo was designated by the Public Prosecutor Office of Brazil (MPF) to perform numerical modelling of the Brumadinho tailings dam so as to clarify the proximate causes of that abrupt failure. The resulting report, which was made public by the MPF in October 2021 (https://tinyurl.com/cs3tdxd9), will form the basis of the presentation.

Click Here for Dr. Arroyo’s Zoom Lecture

Click Here for Dr. Arroyo’s Response to Questions Here

DATE:
Nov 17, 2021 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Mike Jefferies, P.Eng.

Mike Jefferies, P.Eng. is a registered Canadian professional engineer with a broad background of some 45 years in offshore platforms, dams, and ground improvement. Strongly influenced in his early years by Professors Bob Gibson, Alan Bishop, and Peter Wroth, Mike has pursued an interest in theoretical soil mechanics despite working as a consulting engineer and derived the general form of critical state theory. A keynote speaker/author at international conferences on liquefaction, hydraulic fill construction, engineering mechanics, and the Arctic offshore, Mike has published some eighty papers (which have attracted more than 7000 citations) and is co-author of the influential book Soil Liquefaction: A Critical State Approach. Mike was an invited contributor to Geotechnique, the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Fall/2012 Cross-Canada Lecturer, presented the 2014 Šuklje Lecture, and gave the 2017 Jennings Lectures; he was awarded a Telford Premium for geotechnical research in 2017.

TOPIC:
“Analysis of Static Liquefaction with Plaxis: 1974 Tar Island Slump”

Finite element analyses using critical state theory proved necessary to understand the development of static liquefaction during three recent large tailings dam failures at Fundao, Cadia and Brumadinho. However, the complexity of these events prevents these analyses being viewed as a complete validation of the methodology. Here we evaluate a far simpler case of static liquefaction: the 1974 Tar Island slump, which involved a rapid drop of 5m during construction of a 12.5m high upstream raise over loose tailings. While not a dam stability issue, the event has the attraction of being load-induced, with simple geometry, and with known material properties and insitu state. The analyses were carried out with commercial software (PLAXIS) and use critical state theory with largely familiar soil properties measured by standard methods. The computed liquefaction develops from a prior drained condition, with essentially no precursors, before propagating rapidly undrained – there are similarities to the video record at Brumadinho and an animation will be shown to illustrate this. As a related historical note, the theory and methodology were originally developed in Calgary 1982-9 by Gulf Canada Resources albeit strongly based on work by the US Corps of Engineers.

Click Here for Mr. Jefferies’ Zoom Lecture

Click Here for Mr. Jefferies’ Response to Questions Here

DATE:
Sep 9, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Dennis Becker, Ph.D., FEIC, FCAE, P.Eng.

Dennis E. Becker, Ph.D., FEIC, FCAE, P.Eng. is a Principal and Senior Geotechnical Engineer with Golder, a Member of WSP, with over 40 years of national and international experience on numerous large scale civil engineering and resource development projects. Dennis is active in many key engineering and professional societies and maintains close liaisons with universities. He served for more than 20 years on technical committees of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), National Building Code of Canada, Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, and CSA Offshore Code (Foundations), extensively involved with the development and implementation of limit states design (LRFD) for foundations, and was Co-Editor of the 4th Edition of the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual. He was also involved in the ASCE Geo-Institute’s initiative to produce Guidance Document on Risk-Informed Decisions in Geotechnical Engineering. Dennis has received senior awards from the Canadian Geotechnical Society, Engineering Institute of Canada, and Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Engineering Institute of Canada. Dennis was President of the Canadian Geotechnical Society, Vice-President (North America) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), and Editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal.

TOPIC:
“Testing in Geotechnical Design”

Testing is an inherent and integral element of geotechnical design. The presentation describes and discusses geotechnical testing in the design process from a consulting practitioner’s perspective of the current state-of-practice. The role, objectives, types and interpretation of testing, limitations and recommended good practices are presented. Successful implementation of testing in design is demonstrated through examination of test data from a few case records.

Click Here for Dr. Becker’s Zoom Lecture

DATE:
Jun 16, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Dr. Chris Bunce, P. Eng

TOPIC:
Pipe-soil Interaction research from an integrated industry and academia perspective.

Dr. Bunce will discuss some of the geotechnical challenges faced by railways and the approaches most often taken to respond to and manage these risks by revisiting some of the incidents and projects he has been involved in for the last 25 years.

The executive committee of the Calgary Geotechnical Society (CyGS) is pleased to hold this years AGM virtually, to be followed by a presentation by Dr. Chris Bunce, P. Eng. titled “Geotechnical Challenges faced by Railways”. In efforts to maintain social distancing as well as opportunity to engage more participants, the presentation will be held virtually using the Zoom video conferencing application. Please see below for more details.

DATE:
Jun 16, 2021 03:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Register in Advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rdO6spzosHdP5tySo5w6e3jLJlmrTslx3

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

SPEAKER:
Dr. Chris Bunce, P. Eng

Dr. Chris Bunce, P.Eng. is a professional geotechnical/geological engineer and manager with 30+ years experience specializing in natural hazard assessment and mitigation, emergency response and all aspects of constructing transportation infrastructure. He has managed and supervised teams of engineers, environmental scientists, technologists, hazardous materials specialists, geotechnical experts, consultants, contractors, and mining personnel; completing multi-million-dollar design, environmental remediation, construction earthworks, mining and railway projects across North America. He completed both his Ph.D. and M.Sc. in landslide prediction and risk assessment. He has a passion for natural hazard management, and developing and implementing superior geotechnical engineering solutions. He is a strong leader with a desire to improve the geotechnical engineering field through education and research. Dr. Bunce has been involved in projects including landslide stabilization natural hazard management, rail spur, siding and sub-grade construction and repair, site investigation rock slope design, stabilization and installation and testing of rock reinforcement, rock fall protection, debris flow assessment and protection, pipeline routing, directional drill crossings mining pit wall and rock waste-dump assessments and slope stability, groundwater dewatering, geotechnical mapping dam construction, foundation grouting, and emergency response to natural and environmental incidents. Some of the major clients and projects he has worked on include the Canadian Pacific (CP) and Canadian National (CN) and other railways across North America, Teck Resources in their northeast and southeast BC coal mines, the Oldman River Dam in Southwest Alberta, numerous pipeline projects in BC and AB, the investigation and remediation of underground coal mining and slope stabilization investigations and mitigation projects.

TOPIC:
“Geotechnical Challenges faced by Railways”

Dr. Bunce will discuss some of the geotechnical challenges faced by railways and the approaches most often taken to respond to and manage these risks by revisiting some of the incidents and projects he has been involved in for the last 25 years.

DATE:
May 25, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Dr. Kshama Roy

TOPIC:
Pipe-soil Interaction research from an integrated industry and academia perspective.

About 74 times every year (About 16 in North America), pipeline failure occurs due to geohazards around the world, and therefore, understanding the mechanism of pipe-soil interaction is of utmost importance. However, due to the complex nature of pipe-soil interaction as it requires an understanding of both structural/mechanical and geotechnical engineering, there are several areas in both pipeline design and integrity assessment where further research is needed from the geotechnical perspective. This talk has been designed to address some of these potential research areas inspired by the current industry practice.

DATE:
Apr 21, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Mr. Martin Lun, M.Sc., P.Eng. and Mr. Charles Kwok, M.Sc., P.Eng.

TOPIC:
194th Ave Overpass Project

To accommodate the continuing growth in the West Macleod area in South Calgary, a new roadway consisting of an approximately 10 m high embankment, known as 194th Avenue S.E. Priddis Slough Crossing, was constructed over an environmentally sensitive low-lying area within a large body of water. The subsurface conditions consist of soft and organic pond deposits over a highly variable sand and gravel layer, over clay deposits ranging from 10 m to 20 m in thickness, underlain by sedimentary bedrock. Area-wide preloading was required to construct the roadway which included constructing a single-span wildlife underpass bridge founded on steel piles. The effects imposed by the on-going settlement was a consideration in the design of the bridge crossing and associated retaining structures. Further, in order to meet the target schedule for road opening, construction of the roadway required installation of area-wide wick drains and preloading technique to accelerate consolidation settlement.

This presentation describes the geotechnical programs completed prior to and during construction, compares the estimated and measured embankment settlements, and discusses constructability issues during installation of gravel shear keys and wick drains through the surficial sand and gravel layer.

DATE:
March 18, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 

SPEAKER:
Mr. Ajay Sharma, and Mr. Dan Ferg

Ajay Sharma, P. Eng
Ajay is a Professional Civil Engineer with over 17 years of experience in project management, site supervision, engineering design, and construction management within the heavy civil construction, mining and oil and gas sectors throughout Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom

Dan Ferg, P.Eng
Dan Ferg is GeoStabilization’s Regional Engineer for Canada. After earning his Civil Engineering Technologist diploma from SAIT in Calgary, Dan worked briefly as a CAD designer and field supervisor for a local civil engineering firm. He then attended the University of British Columbia where he earned his Civil Engineering degree. Dan spent the next eight (8) years as a Geotechnical Engineer with consulting firms in Canada and New Zealand. Dan has worked in remote locations throughout Western Canada and New Zealand; as well as project work in Qatar, Guinea, and Mexico.

TOPIC:
Calf Robe Bridge – Abutment Stabilization

The Calf Robe Bridge is located in Calgary Alberta on the major corridor of Highway 2 also known as Deerfoot Trail. The bridge is located adjacent to the Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant (BBWWTP) which was being upgraded. A part of the upgrade was to install a discharge conduit downstream of the bridge. The alignment of the conduits was installed through the toe of the bridge abutment. Therefore, a bespoke stabilization solution for the abutment was required.

The bridge abutment and near surface soils consisted of a primarily granular fill, overlying fluvial sand and gravel, overlying sedimentary bedrock. The required excavation was expected to terminate near the bedrock interface, thus an over-steepened excavation was required in non-cohesive soils. Core samples of the bedrock suggested that a shear band is possible within the mudstone that is interlayered with more competent sandstone. The potential shear band was located below the excavation causing concern for deeper seated abutment failure.

The Geotechnical design for slope and abutment stability were led by GSI with critical review points by key stakeholders. A monitoring and controls plan was developed, and the site was monitored by GSI and the owners engineer. Daily surveys and in-situ instrumentation were used to provide confidence to stakeholders that this key piece of infrastructure would remain in service during the conduit installation process.

A design – build solution was chosen to stabilize the abutment to allow for the installation of the conduits. The solution consisted of the installation of 280 hollow bar soil nails with a 150 mm shotcrete facing. To mitigate against the potential shear band the design called for the installation of 118 drilled shafts backfilled with reinforced concrete.

DATE:
February 17, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Speaker:
Dr Ron Wong, University of Calgary

Dr. Ron Wong holds his degrees from McMaster University and University of Alberta. Prior to joining University of Calgary, he gained more than 10 years of experience in geotechnical and structural engineering in consulting and energy sectors. His current research interests focus on fatigue behavior of geomaterials under environmental loading.

Topic:
Soil-Pipe Interaction in Moving Slopes: Some Missing Gaps

Physical model tests were conducted to replicate soil-pipe interaction in moving slopes under axial, vertical uplift and lateral loading. Varying displacement rates were used in the prototype tests. Failure modes observed in the tests are distinctly different from those assumed in the existing ASCE/ALA/PRCI Guidelines, which may result in inconsistency in estimation of soil resistance. Furthermore, the test results illustrate that the soil-pipe system exhibits a time- or rate-dependent behavior, i.e., “isotach” behavior. The soil resistance increases with increasing pipe displacement rate, or vice versa. Practical implications of (i) failure mode and (ii) time-dependent behavior on the performance of buried pipelines subjected to long-term ground movement are addressed.

Calgary Geotechnical Society Online Presentation

DATE:
Jan 20, 2021 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Mr. Scott McKean.

TOPIC:
Rock Mass Characterization & Data Science in Petroleum Geomechanics

Scale, uncertainty, and cost noticeably intersect in petroleum geomechanics. This talk provides a general overview of applied petroleum geomechanics for geotechnical engineers, based on Mr. McKean’s experience at the University of Calgary through graduate studies,at CNOOC studying thermal and unconventional assets, and at Chevron as a subsurface data scientist. The talk focuses on the intersection of data science and subsurface characterization. First, the importance of the rock mass and discrete fracture networksis presented along with some of the strategies used to characterize them and make decisions. Second, uncertainty and cost in geomechanical characterization is discussed with a focus on how we can embrace the paucity of experimental data and uncertainty atscale, as well as integrate disparate data sources. Finally, the talk provides some speculative thoughts on how data science and subsurface characterization might intersect in the near future.

DATE:
Dec 9th, 2020 04:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

SPEAKER:
Dr. Richard Guthrie, MSc, PhD, MASME, P. Geo.
Dr Richard Guthrie is an internationally recognized geoscientist with expertise in geohazards and risk assessment. His research is published in leading scientific journals including Nature Geoscience, Geomorphology, Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Science,Landslides, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, and the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology (among others). He is the recipient of multiple awards including Best Paper in EGBC’s Innovation (2018), Best Paper at IPC (2018), and theConsulting Engineers of Alberta Showcase Award (2019) for software (LABS: an agent-based landslide simulation model). As the director for the Geohazards and Geomorphology at Stantec, Dr. Guthrie leads an expert team of specialists to solve slope, river anderosion problems related to engineering, construction, and the natural environment.

TOPIC:
Spies and Landslides – How an Agent-Based Model Better Predicts Debris Flow Runout
Credible models of landslide runout are a critical component of hazard and risk analysis in the mountainous regions worldwide. Hazard analysis benefits enormously from the number of available landslide runout models that can recreate events and provide keyinsights into the nature of landsliding phenomena. Regional models that are easily employed, however, remain a rarity. For debris flows and debris avalanches, where the impacts may occur some distance from the source, there remains a need for a practical,predictive model that can be applied at the regional scale.

Landslides: Agent-Based Simulation, or LABS, is software that simplifies the complex behavior of debris flows and debris avalanches (collectively referred to as debris flows) to provide reasonable predictions of landslide runout, inundation, and depth alongthe path.
This talk will introduce LABS, explain what an agent-based simulation is and why it works so well, and provide case studies where LABS was successfully deployed. In addition to the slide show, a live video feed will demonstrate LABS in action and discuss someof the pros and cons of deploying such a model.

Date
Wednesday November 18, 2020

Event
November 2020 –Regular Series Lecture

Location
Zoom Video Conferencing

Time
4:00 PM Mountain Time

Speakers
Dr. Jim Oswell
Jim Oswell is a geotechnical and permafrost engineer based in Calgary. His work has taken him across northern Canada and into Alaska, Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau of China. He specializes in permafrost engineering and soil-pipeline interaction problems. He has a Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from the University of Manitoba.

Topic
An Antarctica Geotechnical Investigation

Abstract
In late October 2019, Jim Oswell traveled from Canada to Antarctica as part of a team preparing to develop and construct a new research station for the New Zealand government on Ross Island (77°51′ South).
Jim spent 10 days on site and was able to witness the last sunset (until February 22, 2020), baby seals being born on the ice pack, hike some hills with views of active volcanoes and glaciers, and lots of drill core. This talk will provide photographs of his visit including transport by the US Air Force from Christchurch New Zealand to a runway on the polar ice shelf, the New Zealand Scott Base research station, the United States McMurdo research station, and the ground conditions where the new research station will be constructed. The near surface materials comprise interbedded layers of basalt and scoria with ice crystals and discrete columnar ice layers. He will describe some of the challenges with working in this environment and the challenges of foundation design where the mean monthly air temperature never rises above freezing. The talk will also address several issues related to foundation design in permafrost, namely the effect of raised buildings on ground temperatures and the delusion that larger spread footings may mitigate self-weight thaw settlement.

RSVP
Pre-register at Zoom Online

Date
October 28, 2020

Event
October 2020 – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Zoom Video Conferencing

Time
3:30 – 5:30 pm

Speaker
Mr. Andrew Bayliss

Topic
Impacts of glacially-modified valley land systems on the geotechnical design, construction and performance of dam foundations in Canada.

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Date
Monday June 3, 2019

Event
June – Spring 2019 Cross Canada Lecture Tour (CCLT)

Location
Edgemont Community Centre, 33 Edgevalley Circle NW, Calgary (Panorama Room)

Time
6:30 – 7:00 pm: Registration and Snacks
7:00 – 8:00 pm: Lecture

Speakers
Charles D. Shackelford, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE.
Charles D. Shackelford is Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. He has 35 years of experience pertaining to the geoenvironmental engineering aspects of waste management and environmental remediation, is a licensed professional (civil) engineer (P.E.) in California and Colorado, and has served as an expert on waste disposal issues on numerous occasions for private companies and federal and international agencies (e.g., International Atomic Energy Agency). Dr. Shackelford’s research is focused primarily on evaluating flow (seepage) and transport of liquids and contaminants through engineered soil and geosynthetic containment barriers used for liquid and solid waste containment. His research contributions pertaining to the role of diffusion in containment barrier design were recognized in 1995 with the receipt of the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and he was recognized in 2013 for his career contributions to the field of environmental geotechnics with the receipt of the inaugural R. Kerry Rowe Honorary Lecture from the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). He has served as an editor for both the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and the Journal of Hazardous Materials published by Elsevier, Amsterdam, and currently serves as an editorial board member of Elsevier’s Geotextiles and Geomembranes and as an associate editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal. He also was past chair of the Geoenvironmental Engineering Committee (GEC) of ASCE’s Geo-Institute, and past co-chair for the Environmental Geotechnics Committee TC215 of the ISSMGE, and currently serves as a member of both the GEC and TC215. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil (geotechnical) engineering are from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 and 1988, respectively.

Topic
Enhanced Bentonites for Sustainable Chemical Containment

Abstract
Bentonites are naturally occurring, high swelling clays that are mined, processed, and used for a variety of practical applications…
(e.g., drilling mud, groundwater well seal) and as an ingredient in industrial and commercial products. The ability of bentonites to swell when exposed to water and form a tight porous medium with low hydraulic conductivity also makes bentonites attractive for use as engineered, low-permeability hydraulic and chemical containment barriers, such as geosynthetic clay liners, compacted sand-bentonite liners, soil-bentonite vertical cutoff walls, and bentonite buffers for high level radioactive waste disposal. However, exposure of natural (traditional) bentonites to chemical solutions results in reduced swell that can lead to substantial (orders of magnitude) increases in the permeability of bentonites. For this reason, enhanced bentonites comprising traditional bentonites that are treated chemically to improve the resistance to adverse chemical interactions are being considered for use in engineered chemical containment barriers. This presentation will provide background on the fundamental behavior of traditional bentonites, discuss the issue of the compatibility of traditional bentonites permeated with chemical solutions, introduce the concept of chemical sustainability in terms of hydraulic conductivity, and describe the use of enhanced bentonites for engineered chemical containment barriers. The properties of four commonly evaluated enhanced bentonites, viz., bentonite polymer composite, dense prehydrated GCL, hyper clay, and multiswellable bentonite, as well as proprietary contaminant resistant clays, will be presented and compared with those for traditional bentonites, and potential issues related to long-term stability will be discussed.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday May 16, 2019

Event
AGM – Calgary and National Reports, CyGS Awards and Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary (Main Hall)

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Registration
6:00 – 6:30 pm: Buffet Dinner
6:30 – 7:00 pm: Awards and CyGS Presentation
7:00 – 8:00 pm: Presentation by Pete Barlow

Speakers
Pete Barlow, M.Sc., P.Eng., BGC Engineering Inc.
Pete Barlow is a graduate from the geotechnical program at the University of Alberta, where he obtained an MSc. in 1986. He has been working as a consulting engineer since then on a wide range of geotechnical projects, mainly in the mining, pipeline and transportation industries. The application of geotechnical engineering to the pipeline industry has been a particular area of focus in the past several years, including trenchless crossings, slope stability and geohazards. He is currently a Principal Engineer with BGC Engineering, working out of their Edmonton office, on projects in Canada, the US and South America.

Topic
Reactivation of an Ancient Landslide: Pipeline Rupture and Mitigation

Abstract
Land disturbance associated with the progressive expansion of a major pipeline and power corridor, and extensive timber harvesting triggered the reactivation of ground movement of a massive, ancient deep-seated landslide…
that threatened six major transmission pipelines, including a loss of containment in one of the pipelines. The disturbances were relatively subtle in comparison to the size and depth of the slide, which highlights the extreme sensitivity of the slope. Given the very shallow 4.5 degree slope inclination and the lack of any surface expression of distress over most of the slope area, this case history underscores the importance of considering regionally specific geological conditions with pipeline geohazard evaluations. Extensive measures were implemented to stabilize and manage the landslide included a series of targeted surface and ground water control measures that minimized environmental impact and produced an approximate 100-fold reduction in movement rates.

Sponsors
Mobile Augers and Research Ltd.
BGC Engineering Inc.
The involvement and contribution of the organizers and sponsors is gratefully acknowledged.

Cost
$50 for regular memebers; $20 for full-time students.
Limited tickets will be available at the door for cash or cheque only.
Pre-registration is required for regular members and students.

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Date
Thursday April 18, 2019

Event
April – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Light Snacks
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Dr. Alastair McClymont
Alastair McClymont is a professional geophysicist with Advisian (a division of WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd). He has over 15 years of experience in the application of diverse near-surface geophysical techniques to geotechnical site characterization, groundwater exploration, contaminated site remediation, seismic hazard assessments, archeological investigations and other projects. Prior to joining Advisian, Alastair completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary, where his research focused on geophysical applications in groundwater and permafrost projects. He has a B.Sc.(Hons.) in Geology from Victoria University of Wellington (1998), an M.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of British Columbia (2004) in Vancouver, and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; 2008). Alastair has extensive experience in western Canada and has worked on a number of international projects. His recent archaeological work at Holocaust sites in Lithuania was the subject of the PBS NOVA science television documentary Holocaust Escape Tunnel (2017) and the feature film The Good Nazi (2018).

Topic
Applications of Geophysical Methods to Support Geotechnical Investigations

Abstract
Geophysical methods have been a part of the geotechnical engineering toolbox for decades and, although adoption of the technology…
over this time has been slow, their use on infrastructure projects has now become routine. New developments in instrumentation and methodology have enabled geophysical data to be acquired over increasingly larger areas, at greater density, and in more dimensions (including time). With these advancements it has become possible to obtain non-invasive, spatially continuous measurements of the subsurface, which can be used to interpolate between and extrapolate from boreholes, geological exposures and excavations. In this presentation I will summarize just a few examples of the application of various geophysical methods to geotechnical engineering projects. The presentation will feature a broad array of engineering geophysical methods and applications using examples, and will demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the technology. The examples will include geophysical assessments for foundation design, mapping overburden and soil thicknesses for site grading and volumetric calculations of expected construction fill and spoil, characterizing geology beneath waterways for optimizing pipeline crossings, and mapping legacy infrastructure on brownfield sites.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday March 21, 2019

Event
March – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Light Snacks
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Lucy Philip, M.Sc., P.Eng.
Lucy Philip is a Principal and Senior Geotechnical Engineer at Stantec in Calgary. Lucy works on projects all over Western Canada and globally and over the past year has worked on projects in North America, South America and Australia. Originally from the UK, she has an M.Sc. in Engineering Geology and has been in Canada for 11 years; she uses this geological background to better understand and characterize ground conditions and often applies this to rock engineering projects. Over the past year she has presented to the Nevada RoundTable on geotechnical risk and uncertainty in mining geotechnics and has guest lectured to structural geology students at the U of C. Lucy enjoys developing and growing junior staff. Outside of work, Lucy likes to ski and enjoys the outdoors. She is a regular volunteer on the ski hill and this year is a technical official for the alpine events at the Canada Winter Games.

Topic
What do we know? What don’t we know? Dealing with risk and uncertainty in open pit stability design

Abstract
This talk reviews common sources of risk and uncertainty in open pit stability and presents ideas for reducing and dealing with…
the uncertainty. Risks may present opportunities for pit optimization and this is also explored
Four themes are presented, with ideas for dealing with risk and uncertainty proposed under each theme:
Operational execution and flexibility. This theme presents the need for a Slope Stability Execution Plan including a performance approach and a Plan-Check- Act cycle. Inspections and potential mitigation form part of this theme.
Analysis. This theme reviews risk communication as a strategy for informed decision making, factor of safety approaches, discusses probabilistic analyses, discusses risk and opportunity registers and the importance of integrating interaction with other earth structures, which can be overlooked due to the structures being part of a different work package.
Back to Basics. This theme reviews optimization of investigations and techniques of obtaining and presenting useful information.
Open Your Eyes. This theme reviews evidence-based design, identifies different approaches adopted by other geotechnical projects and industries and reviews how these may be applied to open pit stability, and the importance of third-party reviews.
Although focused on open pits, this talk is also relevant to other mining structures such as waste dumps and dams as well as other geotechnical and rock engineering projects outside the mining industry.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday February 21, 2019

Event
February – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary

Time 5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Light Snacks
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Eli Cuelho P.E.
Eli Cuelho, P.E., Senior Engineer at TRI and currently serves as the Director of TRI’s Transportation Testing and Research Division. He holds a Master’s degree from Montana State University in geotechnical engineering (1998). Eli has over twenty years of experience in geosynthetic application research as well as other transportation research areas such as pavement design and analysis, remote sensing and instrumentation, bridge deck performance, and specification development. He is well-published and active on numerous federal, state and industry research projects. Eli is working closely with TRI-Southeast’s large-scale testing laboratories to assist clients with full-scale geosynthetic system performance testing. He was a Research Engineer at the WTI from 1998 to 2017 and served as the Program Manager for the Infrastructure Maintenance and Materials program area. Eli is the chair of an ASTM task group dedicated to developing new test procedures for geosynthetics used as pavement and subgrade reinforcement. He is also a member of two TRB committees: the Dynamics and Field Testing of Bridges committee and the Geosynthetics committee. modulus.

Topic
Geosynthetics in Transportation – Subgrade Stabilization Research

Abstract
Road managers routinely use geogrids and geotextiles for subgrade stabilization applications. …
Typical subgrade stabilization applications are temporary haul roads or unpaved low-volume roads, but can also include paved roads built on poorer foundation materials. Full-scale test sections were constructed, trafficked and monitored to compare the relative operational performance of geosynthetics used as subgrade stabilization as well as determine which material properties are most related to performance. Seventeen 15-meter long test sections were constructed – fourteen containing geosynthetic reinforcement and three without. A subgrade material was prepared and constructed to an average CBR strength of approximately 1.8% and an average base course thickness of about 28 cm, with the exception of several controls where subgrade strength and base thickness were intentionally varied to evaluate the effect of these properties on performance. Even though the geotextile materials used during this study showed good performance as subgrade stabilization, material properties associated with their performance was difficult to establish due to the limited number of test sections and lack of relevant tests to properly characterize these types of materials for this application. Using longitudinal rut as the primary indicator of performance, it was determined that the strength and stiffness of the geogrid junctions and tensile strength properties in the cross-machine direction correlated well with performance. Using this knowledge, the design equation associated with the Giroud-Han method was calibrated to make geogrid junction stiffness in the cross-machine direction the primary property of the geosynthetic, thereby replacing geogrid aperture stability modulus.

Cost
Free (Generously sponsored by TenCate Geosynthetics)

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Date
Thursday January 24, 2019

Event
January – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Light Snacks
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Dale Leckie, Ph.D., P.Geol.

Topic
Mountain building to rivers – Understanding the Paskapoo/Porcupine Hills Formation as background for geotechnical investigations in the Calgary Urban area

Abstract
Dale Leckie will present an overview of the geological evolution of Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, with emphasis on the Paskapoo/Porcupine Hills Formation in the Calgary urban area. …

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday November 15, 2018

Event
November – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary (Main Hall)

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and Light Snacks
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Bruce Jamieson, Ph.D., P.Eng., University of Calgary
Bruce has over 35 years of experience spanning snow avalanche hazard management, hazard assessment, snow and avalanche research, avalanche forecasting and avalanche control. He was president of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) from 1992 to 1995, chaired the 1996 International Snow Science Workshop in Banff, Alberta and the CAA’s Technical Committee until 2004. During the summer of 2002 and fall of 2008 he was a guest researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research. Bruce was the Principal Investigator of the Applied Snow and Avalanche Research group at the University of Calgary (ASARC), where he supervised 24 graduate students investigating avalanche runout estimation, hazard mapping, avalanche forecasting, snowpack tests, etc. He is a Professional Engineer registered in British Columbia and Alberta, and a professional member of the CAA. Bruce has written over 70 papers in ISI journals, plus over 100 conference papers

Topic
Assessing, Mapping and Mitigating Snow Avalanche Risk

Abstract
In mid 2018, the Canadian Avalanche Association published a technical manual, entitled Planning Methods for Assessing…
and Mitigating Snow Avalanche Risk. Each of the fourteen chapters has two or three authors. Bruce Jamieson is the first author of each chapter.
Bruce will identify some aspects of snow avalanches that are different from other slope hazards such as debris flows:
1) explosives are effective triggers; 2) more occurrences; 3) impact forces are lower; 4) the failures initiate in a bonded material within a few degrees of its melting point; 5) the deposits disappear within months.
The effects of each of these factors on assessment or mitigation methods will be summarized. Selected methods for characterizing snow avalanche terrain and expected snow avalanches will be outlined. Short examples of qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative assessment and mapping methods will be presented for transportation corridors, occupied structures, transmission lines, and forests. Examples of mitigation methods including structural defences and remote avalanche control systems will be presented.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday October 11, 2018

Event
October – Fall 2018 Cross Canada Lecture Tour (CCLT)

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary (Alpine Room)

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Registration and Cash Bar
6:00 – 6:30 pm: Buffet Dinner
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Alex Sy, Ph.D., P.Eng., Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd.
Alex Sy is Vice President, Technical at Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd. in Vancouver, BC. He has more than 40 years of experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering for transportation, water and wastewater infrastructures, heavy industrial facilities, hydroelectric and water retention dams, and mine tailings dams. He has worked throughout Canada and internationally. Alex has provided forensic engineering and expert witness services for infrastructure failures involving dams, dykes, bridges, pipelines, buildings and landslides. He currently serves on Independent Technical Review Boards for several major water supply projects and tailings storage facilities in high seismic environments.
Alex has a Bachelor in Civil Engineering from the University of Queensland in Australia, and a Master and Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Civil Engineering Department of the University of British Columbia. He has authored more than 50 technical papers in various aspects of geotechnical and geoseismic engineering. Alex received the Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium award from the Canadian Geotechnical Society in 1996, and the VGS Award from the Vancouver Geotechnical Society in 2015. He is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada.Khokan completed Bachelor of Civil Engineering with distinction from Concordia University in 2012 and worked for three years as junior geotechnical engineer before enrolling in the M.Sc. program in university of Calgary.

Topic
Lessons Learned from Geotechnical Failures

Abstract
Despite advances in geotechnical engineering, failures do occasionally occur because of unknowns, uncertainties, inexperience,…
miscommunications, etc. However, failures do provide valuable lessons for the profession that can be learned to minimize future failures. This lecture will present three examples of geotechnical failures in British Columbia, in which the author was engaged to carry out forensic engineering. Pertinent details of the geotechnical failures and their causes are described for the following three case histories: (1) the dyke breach at the Stanley Street Pump Station located on the North Arm of the Fraser River in New Westminster; (2) the excessive foundation settlement at the Queensborough Middle School using stone column foundations in very soft soils at the east end of Lulu Island, and (3) the damaging ground movements at the Panorama/Ridgeview Subdivision located on an old landslide or “earthflow” in Chilliwack. Subsequent remedial solutions and lessons learned are also discussed.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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Date
Thursday September 13, 2018

Event
November – Regular Series Lecture

Location
Austrian Canadian Cultural Centre, 3112 – 11 Street NE, Calgary (Alpine Room)

Time
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cash Bar and light snack
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Presentation

Speakers
Khokan Debnath
Khokan Debnath is currently an M.Sc. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering and a Research Assistant in Gas Hydrate Geomechanics Group at University of Calgary. During his M.Sc. study, he specialized in numerical modeling on gas hydrate-bearing sediments. Khokan modeled thermal evolution in the gas hydrate bearing Arctic sediment to establish dissociated zones for select rates of seafloor temperature increase and evaluated the seafloor slope instabilities. Khokan completed Bachelor of Civil Engineering with distinction from Concordia university in 2012 and worked for three years as junior geotechnical engineer before enrolling in the M.Sc. program in university of Calgary.

Topic
Modeling Changes in Hydrate Stabilities Associated with Artic Warming ans its Impact on Slope Stabilities

Abstract
Large volumes of methane hydrate exist within marine sediments across the Arctic region,…
such as sediments on the continental margin of the Beaufort Sea. The low temperatures and high pressures required for hydrate stability, and the cold water in this region leads to hydrate being formed at comparatively shallower depths relative to other oceanic sediments. Because of global warming, it is estimated that the ocean bottom temperature of the Arctic region has increased by as much as 1?C since 1979. If this trend in increasing ocean bottom temperature were to continue, hydrate dissociation within the sediment may occur potentially causing slope instabilities. In this paper, changes in the seabed geothermal conditions were modeled to estimate the reduction in the hydrate stability zones within the sediment on the continental margin. The change in sediment strength due to gas hydrate dissociation has been incorporated as input variables in to a slope stability model to determine changes in factor of safety associated with hydrate dissociation and assess the potential for slope instabilities.

Cost
$20 per person, free for full-time students.

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