Riverbank Stabilization Using Rockfill Columns

This is the first-half  of Third part of the 4 part Lectured By “Marolo C. Alfaro, Ph.D., P.Eng.” in a Geotechnical Engineering Seminar Held at The University Of San-Jose Recollectos last August 4-6.

Sponsored By:

The Department of Science and Technology Republic of the Philippines,  Department of Civil Engineering
University of Manitoba, Canada.

Host Institutions:

Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines
Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City
De La Salle University, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines, Metro Manila
University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu City
University of Mindanao, Davao City
University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City

Some methods of stabilizing riverbanks

Riprap blanket
Piles and retaining walls
Shear keys
Granular ribs
Rockfill columns

Lectured Notes can be downloaded HERE!!…

Geosynthetic- Reinforced Soil Structures

This is the First of the 3 part Lectured By “Marolo C. Alfaro, Ph.D., P.Eng.” in a Geotechnical Engineering Seminar Held at The University Of San-Jose Recollectos last August 4-6.

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Sponsored By:

The Department of Science and Technology Republic of the Philippines,  Department of Civil Engineering
University of Manitoba, Canada.

Host Institutions:

Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines
Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City
De La Salle University, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines, Metro Manila
University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu City
University of Mindanao, Davao City
University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City

This is just the Overview part of the First Lecture on The seminar About Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Structures. The whole notes can be downloaded on the given link below.

Geosynthetics is the term used to describe a range of generally polymeric products used to solve civil engineering problems.

Geosynthetic Materials

Polymer Background
Types of Geosynthetics
Various Functions
Design Methods
Application Areas

Transportation and Geotechnical

GTs as filters
GTs and GGs as wall reinforcement
GTs and GGs as slope reinforcement
GC Wick Drains (also called PVDs)
GC Erosion Control Systems

Geoenvironmental Applications

Landfill liner systems
Landfill cover systems
Vertical Cutoff Barriers
Liners for Surface Impoundments
Liners for Heap Leach Ponds

Hydraulic Engineering

Waterproofing of Dams
Waterproofing of Canals
Reservoir Liners/Floating Covers
Tunnel Waterproofing & Rehabilitation
Pipe Rehabilitation & Remediation

Whole Lectured Notes Can Be Downloaded HERE!!!….

Tirumala Tirupati -Rare Video Shot in 1960

SMART EMPLOYEES!!!

The Proprietor of an underwear making company was having a tough time
with stock shortages. On departure for home, all employees' bags were
searched and everything always seemed to be ok.

All security measures you can think of were put in place, auditors were
called in but still no one was caught and stock continued to disappear.
In addition to all the available security, all employees including mgt
were to be checked if on departure each was wearing just one pair of
panties, stock still went missing and no one was caught with more than
one pair.

Then one day the proprietor had a dream. He was being advised to check
the employees on arrival. He got the shock of his life when he found
that all of the employees, including management, had no panties on them.


The company was CLOSED!!!!

Environmental Geotechnics

This is the Second-half  of Third part of the 4 part Lectured By “Marolo C. Alfaro, Ph.D., P.Eng.” in a Geotechnical Engineering Seminar Held at The University Of San-Jose Recollectos last August 4-6.

Sponsored By:

The Department of Science and Technology Republic of the Philippines,  Department of Civil Engineering
University of Manitoba, Canada.

Host Institutions:

Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines
Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City
De La Salle University, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines, Metro Manila
University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu City
University of Mindanao, Davao City
University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City

Environmental geotechnics
A sub‐discipline within geotechnical engineering which is the application of geotechnical principles, processes and techniques in situations where there is a major environmental component.

Scope
Waste disposal and safe containment of waste
Isolation of contaminated sites
Remediation of contaminated ground and derelict lands

Landslides

This is the Fourth part of the 4 part Lectured By “Marolo C. Alfaro, Ph.D., P.Eng.” in a Geotechnical Engineering Seminar Held at The University Of San-Jose Recollectos last August 4-6.

Sponsored By:

The Department of Science and Technology Republic of the Philippines,  Department of Civil Engineering
University of Manitoba, Canada.

Host Institutions:

Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines
Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City
De La Salle University, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines, Metro Manila
University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu City
University of Mindanao, Davao City
University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City

Landslides
Mass movement refers to the downslope motion of soil and/or rock materials under the influence of gravity.

Landslide is a general term of mass movement.

Lectured Topics
Falls
Topples
Slides
Spreads
Flows

Landslide Hazard and Risk
The word ‘hazard’ is derived from the Arabic word for ‘a die’ (singular of dice) and is often related to ‘chance or probability’.
This definition is reflected in the United Nations definition of natural hazard: “the probability of occurrence of a potentially damaging natural phenomenon” (Varnes 1984).

Landslide Risk
Mathematically, it is the product of the probability of occurrence and the resulting consequence. The consequence in turn is the product of the elements at risk and their vulnerability.

Mitigation Strategy
9 Major elements proposed by USGS (United States Geological Survey) to reduce number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses caused by landslides:
Research
Hazard Mapping and Assessment
Real-time Monitoring
Loss Assessment
Information Collection, Interpretation, and Dissemination
Guidelines and Training
Public Awareness and Education
Implementation and Loss Reduction
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

Approaches to Mitigate Landslide Hazard

Hard solutions
Include constructing debris dams, retaining walls, which increase resisting force, and drainage systems in landslide-prone areas
Soft solutions
Include avoiding landslide hazard areas by proper zoning and land-use regulations
Other solutions
Slope stabilization, reduction of driving forces and re-vegetation which increases resisting forces

Lectured Notes Can Be downloaded HERE!!!
part 1
part 2
part 3

New Microscope Uses X-Rays To Resolve Nanoscale Details

By Rebecca Boyle

Magnetic Domains These curvy lines represent the magnetic domains of an iron/gadolinium film, changing in response to a magnetic field, as imaged in an X-ray light source. The diffracted X-rays were inverted and reconstructed to create a visual image of the nanoscale structures. PNAS

A new type of X-ray microscope — or more appropriately, nanoscope — is another big breakthrough in the world of imaging the small. It computes images rather than glimpsing them directly, allowing scientists to see details at the nanoscale.

Researchers at the University of California - San Diego developed algorithms that can convert the diffraction patterns of X-rays bouncing off a minuscule object, yielding a picture of the tiniest structures. The computations work somewhat like adaptive optics, making continual calculations to yield a resolvable image.

The diffraction patterns are recorded and numerically inverted so the researchers can map an object’s magnetic domain configuration. Magnetic domains are structures in which the magnetic fields of atoms are aligned, and understanding how they can be changed and manipulated would be helpful to computer engineers trying to design smaller and more efficient hard drives and memory. As the space between magnetic domains gets smaller, computer engineers can store more bits of data.

The UCSD team used the Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, an ultra-powerful coherent X-ray source, to conduct their experiments. They made a layered film of iron and a rare earth element called gadolinium, which is being studied for use in higher-capacity computer memory partly because the films self-assemble into magnetic domains. Resolved with the nanoscope, the film looks like layers of crinkled baklava, UCSD News says. Altering the magnetic field changes the magnetic domains.

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to use a magnet in this way if you had to use a bulky lens, according to Oleg Shpyrko, the lead researcher.

The X-ray method could also be used in chemical and biological applications, Shpyrko said. It can be used to image individual elements within materials, or to image viruses, cells and other biological tissues.

The study is published in week’s early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

NYPD Creates Facebook-Police Task Force to Mine Social Media for Clues

By Clay Dillow

Using Facebook to Fight Crime west.m via Flickr

It’s a good rule of thumb that you shouldn’t post anything to the Internet that you don’t want your mom/priest/grandmother/boss/girlfriend/boyfriend/parole officer to see. You can add the New York City Police Department to that list. The NYPD has established a new unit to track crimes--both past offenses and upcoming trouble--via social media.

The department has put one of its more tech savvy officers (he’s previously had success catching sexual predators and monitoring for gang activity on the Tubes) in charge of this new juvenile justice unit, which will mine Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and other social sites for signs of impending mayhem or bragging about past lawbreaking.

It’s an appropriate week to implement something like this. As I write this, rioters in the UK are using social media to coordinate their chaos and warn other rioters about police actions. And police are using social media to figure out where the rioters are headed next.

Such use of technology has been used by the NYPD specifically in the past to track down everything from unruly house parties to murder suspects, so the tactic isn’t really new. But the institutionalization of a dedicated police unit to patrol social networks marks a shift in priorities and in the value the NYPD places on this kind of policing. So is it Big Brother or sound police practice? That probably depends on which side of the law you are on. Guess it’s time we pulled down the video of our editors popping off firecrackers somewhere in the greater NYC area, lest we finally have to own up to the act.

Blood Test Can Tell Fetus's Sex at Just 7 Weeks

By Rebecca Boyle

Happy Baby niXerKG via Flickr

A simple blood test can determine a baby’s gender as early as seven weeks into pregnancy, a new study says — far earlier and far less invasive than other options. The test could conceivably help parents who are worried about gender-related diseases, but it could also allow people to wade into the morally murky waters of sex selection.

The test analyzes fetal DNA found in a mother’s blood, according to a report in the New York Times. If a Y chromosome is present, the mother is having a boy; if it’s not, it probably means the fetus is female (but could also mean that blood sample doesn’t contain fetal DNA). Researchers examined 57 studies of fetal DNA tests, spanning some 6,500 pregnancies. The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This could be good news for parents whose offspring are at risk of rare gender-related genetic disorders, like Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys or Turner syndrome in girls. Knowing fetal sex early on would help parents determine whether they need to undergo costly genetic testing. But it also raises questions about selective abortions of undesired genders. The tests are not sold in China or India, where female fetuses are selectively aborted. And at least one company that sells the tests in this country makes parents sign a waiver saying they are not using it for that purpose.

The tests have been available in the US for some time, but their reliability has been contested, sometimes in court. In one particularly sensational example, a pregnant mother was told she was having a boy, but an ultrasound later revealed she was carrying a girl. When she complained, the company told her they were certain “genetically you are having a male,” she told the Times — on the outside, it may look like a girl, but “we’re giving you the results on the inside.”

Given these uncertainties, doctors don’t prescribe the tests, but that could change now that they’ve been proven effective if used properly, the Times says.

The FDA does not regulate them, because they’re not used for a medical purpose, at least not officially. But the agency is studying the kits, the Times says.

In the meantime, the tests’ effectiveness means curious parents who don’t want to be surprised can start painting the nursery really, really early.

V Testing Project Enclosures Under Extreme Conditions (Read: Fire, Water, and Smashing)

The Tests:

For the water test, we submerged the enclosure under three feet of water for one minute. We then dropped the enclosures from a forklift to test how the impact of a 30-foot fall would affect them. Finally, for the fire test, we blasted each enclosure with spurts of propane flames for about a minute.

Check out a video of these tests (as well as some freeform torture of the enclosures) below: