Course offered in ground improvement methods

EDUCATION

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Federal Highway Administration’s National Highway Institute (NHI) recently developed a three-day course for consulting engineers (public and private) titled Ground Improvement Techniques. The next scheduled offering is March 1-3, 2005, in Springfield, Ill.

Participants can earn 1.8 continuing education units for completing the course.

The goal of the course, according to the NHI, is to enable participants to determine which ground improvement methods apply to specific projects; to recognize the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of each method; to locate and identify soil and rock properties necessary for preliminary design; to prepare conceptual and basic designs; and to be aware of appropriate QA/QC techniques for each method.

The following are among the ground improvement methods covered: consolidation with vertical drains, lightweight fill material, vibrocompaction, dynamic compaction, mechanically stabilized earth walls, reinforced soil slopes, soil nailing, stone columns, deep soil mixing, grouting, and columnsupported embankments.

More information is available online at www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov.