BGA 17th Annual Conference 2020: session 2

Overview

Chairman: This Session will be chaired by Prof David Toll, Vice Chairman of the BGA. David is a Professor in the Department of Engineering at Durham University and chairs various UK geotechnical groups as well as several international committees.

The COGAN initiative for numerical modelling - Andreas Zilles, NAFEMS

On behalf of the NAFEMS Geotechnical Working Group, the presentation will be an introduction and update on COGAN - Competency in Geotechnical Analysis - a framework to support the proficient use of numerical analysis in geotechnical engineering. The COGAN project, initiated in 2013, has established an extensive educational base to support the development of competency of the numerical analyst. Building on this endeavour, the NAFEMS Geotechnical Working Group is working to expand COGAN and develop additional ways of accessing the competency information. As well as giving an update, the presentation will invite feedback from industry on their needs in the development of numerical analysts.

The work of the BGA Early Career Group - Francesca Waldron (Chair) and Tony Bowerman (Secretary)

Francesca and Tony will be introducing themselves as the current BGA Early Career Group Representatives and will be giving an overview of the ECG from when it was first set up, to the present day including future plans. They will talk about what the ECG aims to achieve including description of events held, and what changes have been made over the past year in an effort to increase the ECG’s engagement as well as expand it geographically. They will also use this opportunity to advertise upcoming webinar events and also committee roles as re-election for these roles will be held this coming October.

COOLING PRIZE WINNER 2020: Engineering mitigation of a water bearing fissure in the chalk - Emily Riley, Thames Tideway

The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a capture, storage and transfer system being constructed to increase capacity of London's combined sewer system and prevent discharging overflows into the River Thames.

Diaphragm wall construction was undertaken to facilitate tunnelling and divert sewage flows into the tunnels. At Deptford Church Street, additional ground investigation and mitigation measures were needed to control potentially high rates of groundwater inflow. This presentation will discuss the works completed to confirm the presence of a water bearing fissure, the subsequent sealing of the feature and the verification of sufficient groundwater cut off to enable the shaft excavation to commence.

BGA MASTERS PRIZE 2020: MSc Dissertation on Characterizing the Variability of London Clay. A Study of Tunnel Face Logs from the Jubilee Line Extension between Green Park and Waterloob - Geng Jie (Jay) Liang (Imperial College London), supervised by Dr Jamie Standing and Dr Simon Price

A fresh perspective on London Clay is presented through a study of tunnel face logs from the Jubilee Line Extension between Green Park and Waterloo. Field observations are collated and mapped spatially against London Clay divisions previously defined by Standing and Burland (2006). These field observations detail the presence of claystones, sand/silt bands as well as discontinuities, providing a valuable insight into the nature and variability of London Clay over a wide area.

The future of ground investigation - Philip Ball, Socotec

A reflection on the place and perceived value of ground investigation in the UK and the impact of recent codes and practices. Factors that influence the quality and sustainability in the sector and how that now manifests itself. Looking ahead at the likely changes and how major schemes have or have not left a positive legacy.

Next session

Session 3 - Tuesday 21 July