Location
Chicago, Illinois
Date
01 May 2013, 11:10 am - 11:30 am
Abstract
Geotechnical engineers work in two worlds: a theoretical world where ideas and events can be represented by numbers and calculated to as many decimal points as one desires, and a practical world where observations and events can only be described in general qualitative terms. Numerical data, the end product of measurement, provides a quantitative link between the two worlds of theory and practice. Professor Ralph B. Peck, the father of the Observational method in geotechnical engineering, recognized early in his professional career the importance of field instrumentation and performance monitoring in geotechnical engineering, and he did a lot to promote its use. Thus, the author felt that it was appropriate to illustrate the importance and diversity of field instrumentation projects using selected case histories from the files of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI). The examples include retaining structures, braced excavations, slurry trench excavations, large scale tests, dams, glaciers, avalanches and offshore structures. For each case cited the principal scientific, practical, and economic benefits of the monitoring program are pointed out.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
7th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2013 Missouri University of Science and Technology, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
DiBiagio, E., "Field Instrumentation — The Link Between Theory and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering" (2013). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 5.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/7icchge/session15/5
Field Instrumentation — The Link Between Theory and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering
Chicago, Illinois
Geotechnical engineers work in two worlds: a theoretical world where ideas and events can be represented by numbers and calculated to as many decimal points as one desires, and a practical world where observations and events can only be described in general qualitative terms. Numerical data, the end product of measurement, provides a quantitative link between the two worlds of theory and practice. Professor Ralph B. Peck, the father of the Observational method in geotechnical engineering, recognized early in his professional career the importance of field instrumentation and performance monitoring in geotechnical engineering, and he did a lot to promote its use. Thus, the author felt that it was appropriate to illustrate the importance and diversity of field instrumentation projects using selected case histories from the files of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI). The examples include retaining structures, braced excavations, slurry trench excavations, large scale tests, dams, glaciers, avalanches and offshore structures. For each case cited the principal scientific, practical, and economic benefits of the monitoring program are pointed out.
