https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2019.05.004 Dr Stringer received the 2018-2021 JW Ridley Geomechanics Paper award, for his paper “Separation of Pumice from Soil Mixtures“, originally published in Soils and Foundations in August 2019. Abstract Pumice-rich deposits are found in a number of locations around the world, and in particular…
Introduction I am writing this in response to the paper by Nick Rogers and colleagues in the June, 2020, issue of NZ Geomechanics News. I should say at the start that I agree totally with their conclusion regarding the shrink/swell test. The swell shrink behaviour…
Abstract The shrink swell test, which combines both the shrink strain and the swell strain, was developed in Australia in the 1980s. This test now underpins a codified approach to the foundation design of lightweight buildings on expansive (reactive) soils in Australia and New Zealand….
Abstract Expansive soil has been well recognised as a problematic soil due to its swelling and shrinkage behaviour during wetting and drying cycles. The swelling pressure developed upon wetting is often investigated by placing an initially unsaturated soil specimen into an oedometric cell modified to…
Abstract Soil nailing is a common type of construction for retaining walls. For retaining wall structures with “passive” nails, mobilisation of the nails is required in order to retain the ground. An approximately 400 m long vertical soil nail retaining wall of up to 7.5…
Abstract To facilitate the development of residential area a major upgrade of the storm water management system was required using open channels and flow attenuation ponds. The area is underlain by soft alluvial soils comprising organic silts, clays and peat. The high groundwater level and…
Abstract Vertical and horizontal ground anchors are used frequently in Wellington. This study presents summaries of the results of tension tests of ground anchors across 33 sites in Wellington. The study includes ground anchors in soil and in rock, and both sacrificial and production anchor…
In December 2015 entries from students across the country were judged in Auckland for the NZGS Student Presentation Awards Poster Competition. The competition is designed to recognise and encourage student participation in the fields of rock mechanics, soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. With…
The graph in Fig 1, taken from Kaipara District Council’s May 2000 “Engineering Code of Practice for Land Subdivision and Development” illustrates the way in which soil Runoff Coefficients may vary according to (i) ground cover and (ii) rainfall intensity (mm/h). Fig 1 – Runoff…
