Issue 23 | 2017/18
KEEPING BRITAIN MOVING
Investigating a 23 mile stretch of motorway for the M1’s £349 million investment
Featured in this edition
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Excellence in Geotechnical Practice
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Smart M1 Investigation
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Health and Safety
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NWEP
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Modular Rig
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Manchester University
Len’s Focus
John’s Log
›› I was delighted and honoured to be named as this year’s recipient of the John Mitchell medal, which is awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the British Geotechnical Association for “Excellence in Geotechnical Practice”. The medal was presented by ICE President Tim Broyd at a ceremony on 6th October 2017 at 1 Great George Street in London.
›› In this edition of Geotopics, we take a look at some of the projects we have delivered across the UK.
I have been involved in geotechnical work for over half a century and am passionate about the contribution which site investigation and geotechnical understanding can bring to projects. I became involved in this fascinating area of engineering having done research at Liverpool University, design work in London and site work in Wales and Scotland. It combines engineering with geological expertise and a range of investigation techniques to enable safe, economic and, often, innovative design. In the current economic climate, good quality site investigation is increasingly important as the foundation on which to base design decisions from project inception to completion and beyond since the ground is the least known intimate partner of the structure it relates to. Without the knowledge which investigation brings, sustainable design solutions and innovations are inhibited and risks of cost and programme over-runs increased. However, it is often misunderstood by many potential beneficiaries as being a product rather than a process and a complication on the way to site development. This misunderstanding can lead to problems in procurement, conservative or unsafe design and frustration amongst many practitioners. There is a need to re-think the way in which site investigation is perceived and used by the construction industry, its clients and funders. The nature, design, practice and procurement of Site Investigation will be the theme of my lecture to the ICE in London on 24th January 2018 in honour of the legacy of John Mitchell.
Len Threadgold Chairman – Geotechnics Limited
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Infrastructure projects have kept us busy on the M1 and other road schemes, whilst our rail work has included everything from locomotive sheds in Leeds to the North West Electrification Project (NWEP). We also look at our work with the Environment Agency and a site at the cutting edge of science: the University of Manchester’s new graphene research facility. That we can complete investigations like these – often in challenging environments - is testament to the skills and commitment of all our staff across the company. Meanwhile, GO SAFE continues to go from strength to strength. The commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing which this demonstrates is being recognised by our clients and subcontractors alike, and this is something that we should all be very proud of. On a personal note, well done to Lucy Diaper who was named as one of the Top 20 Rising Stars in the rail sector, and I hope you will join me in congratulating Len on receiving the John Mitchell medal for services to geotechnical practice. It’s one of the highest awards given by the ICE, and I was privileged to be at the ceremony to help celebrate this recognition of Len’s commitment to our industry.
John Booth Managing Director – Geotechnics Limited
Now That’s Smart! ›› Early in 2017, Geotechnics investigated a stretch of the M1 between Junctions 13 and 16 as a prelude to the expansion of the smart motorways. Our site teams, led by Ian Boyle, successfully managed a wide range of logistical challenges: obtaining essential data on ground conditions whilst keeping traffic moving. Using up to 4 site teams throughout a 6 month period of night shifts, we always made sure the motorway was ready to be re-opened on time the next morning. Just one look at the mission board for this project shows you the complexity of the task. Working on one of the UK’s busiest roads and interfacing with multiple other contractors - each with their own unique set of traffic management requirements - there was a whole host of challenges for our team to manage. Weekly meetings were held with the Client (Costain/Galliford Try JV), site agents and subcontractor representatives to ensure that the traffic management programme for the project ran smoothly. With up to 4km of lane closures in any one section, this was a central part of the logistical challenge for the project.
In guaranteeing the health and safety of staff and the general public on a live motorway, Geotechnics is proud that there were no health and safety incidents throughout our six months on site. Highways England and CGT completed a highly favourable health and safety audit, which praised our innovative approach in trialling new safety equipment on the project. There were also several internal senior management audits of the site, including one by our Managing Director John Booth. Boreholes were drilled in the hard shoulder, with no mess or spoil being left during the lane’s hours of operation. At the end of every night, the boreholes were reinstated and all plant was moved off the motorway in time for all lanes to be re-opened the next morning. In total, over 120 boreholes were completed to depths of up to 30m. The drilling techniques included rotary coring, continuous sampling with rotary follow on, window sampling and cable percussion. Our team provided full time project management day and night to ensure rapid transfer of geotechnical data to the client.
“ Just one look at the mission board for this project shows you the complexity of the task.”
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#GOSAFE We asked all our employees what they thought about the health and safety culture at Geotechnics. Here is what we found out… Personal priorities and need for safety
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Management commitment
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The results of our annual safety culture survey demonstrate the success of our ongoing GO SAFE initiative. Over the past year, we have raised awareness about a variety of topics, ranging from working at night to healthy eating. As well as vintage style posters, our campaigns have included pocket guides, blogs, special events and new merchandise. One of GO SAFE’s biggest successes this year has been our campaign on lone working. As well as the usual blogs and posters, we consulted our staff in the field to find out what they needed to ensure they felt safe when working alone. The results of this have shaped our new lone working policy, which will come into force in 2018. As part of the campaign we also gave our site staff a pocket guide with useful information about lone working, and GO SAFE branded power banks to help them keep their mobile phones charged in the field.
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“I am personally delighted to see the success that the initiative has already had within the company,” said Michael Coates, Health and Safety Manager. “Since we launched GO SAFE two years ago, it has gone from strength to strength – including being nominated for a Ground Engineering Award last year. I’d be interested to talk with other companies – whether they be clients, subcontractors or even competitors – to spread these vital messages even wider. I am very excited to see where we can take GO SAFE in 2018 and beyond”.
It’s Electrifying! ›› The North West Electrification Project (NWEP) is working towards the electrification of over 300km of the rail
network, improving key routes between towns and cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool. Since April 2016, Geotechnics has been carrying out works to inform design of gantry installations for the proposed overhead line equipment on Phases 4 and 5. We have been working on track for TPS Consult (Carillion) during weekend and midweek possessions, and our investigations have primarily focused on collecting geotechnical and environmental information for the project. Another significant section of work has been aimed at locating and identifying shallow mine workings in the area. The rail network presents a unique set of challenges, not least in gaining access to borehole locations with drilling rigs and significant amounts of equipment in this safety-critical environment. Geotechnics’ Project Manager Steven Chapman has built up a strong working relationship with the client in order to overcome any issues. Our collaborative approach – including early engagement with the client, liaison with stakeholders, regular progress reporting and change control – has been critical to our success on the project. One solution for accessing borehole locations was Geotechnics’ specialist modular dynamic sampling rig. This rig can be broken down into
its constituent parts, which enables it to be moved more quickly and easily into hard-to-reach areas than conventional equipment allows. We have also used Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs) to lift rigs and equipment into positions in the cess, 4 foot and onto station platforms. Off-track works have also been completed for proposed distribution compounds, as well as an investigation for a proposed section of horizontal directional drilling to install 25kv electrical cabling. This section of the works included deep rotary boreholes, in-situ packer permeability testing and specialist rock testing. On completion of significant geotechnical, rock, concrete and environmental laboratory testing, Geotechnics has produced factual and interpretive reports on time and on budget. These reports include data sheets for each gantry location, detailing the ground conditions, foundation solutions, groundwater conditions and environmental considerations.
LUCY DIAPER NAMED AS RISING STAR IN RAIL ›› Congratulations to Lucy Diaper, who has been named as one of the Top 20 Rising Stars in the UK rail industry. Lucy, who is based at our Coventry office, is the only geotechnical engineer to make Women in Rail’s list. “ I was not expecting it. It came as a bit of surprise, but it is great news,” said Lucy. “It’s great to know I can have great opportunities to work on a wide range of different projects of all sizes and complexities and that I can make an impact on the industry and those I work alongside”.
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Delivering Rail Success ›› Delivery units (DUs) are one of the secrets behind Network Rail’s efforts to keep Britain running on track. With upgrades planned to facilities in Peterborough and Leeds, Mott MacDonald commissioned Geotechnics’ Yorkshire office to find out more about the geotechnical and geoenvironmental conditions at each site. Fieldwork was carried out over winter and spring 2016/17. The sites were live Network Rail facilities, so work was designed to minimise disruption by the use of trial pits and small-footprint dual purpose dynamic sampling/rotary drilling rigs. Our teams liaised closely with Network Rail site managers on a daily basis to coordinate activities and successfully avoid clashes. Exploratory holes were located to provide the required information without obstructing use of the live facilities.
Our work in Leeds also included structural coring of a former locomotive maintenance shed to determine how its floor had been constructed. When asbestos was encountered, we halted proceedings. We then informed the client and revised the scope of the investigation together. By working in this way with Mott MacDonald, we ensured the safety of everyone on site while also maximising the investigation’s cost-effectiveness. When the investigation recommenced on site, it was carried out under the watching brief of an asbestos specialist. Adrian Stevens, North East Manager said “Our highly trained site team identified and dealt with the situation at Leeds immediately. Geotechnics’ specialist in-house expertise then enabled the redesign of the investigation, thus permitting it to be completed successfully, in a cost-effective manner and without risk to our client or to Network Rail staff at the site”.
Test Site Tested ›› Site teams from our Exeter office have been busy working with the Environment Agency to help prevent flooding near the River Test in Hampshire. To inform the EA’s plans to create new flood defences, the Geotechnics team carried out cable percussive boreholes and hand dug trial pits. This gave the EA invaluable information about the ground that will help them design embankments and flood walls. The boreholes were used to perform soakaway testing. They were filled with water, and then monitored at intervals 6
to establish the rate at which the water drained away - vitally important in designing flood defences. In the two boreholes nearest to houses, standpipe piezometers were installed and variable head permeability tests were carried out. They were installed with ‘divers’ to monitor the barometric pressure and water level fluctuations in the borehole. Four of the boreholes were on farmland used for cattle breeding, which meant that our team had to be extra careful to ensure there was minimal impact on the environment. At
each borehole location, before-andafter photos were used to show that the land had been fully returned to its previous condition. Anne Simpson, South West Manager said, “Our strong relationship with the client was crucial to the success of the project. We worked together to overcome access constraints, as well as complying with all health, safety and environmental requirements to their satisfaction”.
Any Time, Any Place ›› We can get our modular rig in anywhere... Even inside the Principal Hotel in Manchester! To highlight our expertise with difficult access jobs, we brought our modular rig to the TransCityRail conference in October. Specifically designed with rail environments in mind, the rig can be broken down into its constituent parts and then moved and quickly reassembled. This is perfect for reaching hard-to-reach borehole locations on embankments or in tunnels. One of the conference’s key themes was celebrating the Northern Powerhouse, and innovations like this will help drive growth both in the North and across the UK.
NORTH WEST
Geotechnics has continued its support of Widnes RUFC under 11’s rugby team. Their new flag was unfurled at their first matches of the season against New Brighton and Southport. Good luck to the team!
SOUTH WEST
In the South West we’ve been drilling into hard limestone at Linhay Quarry. Some of our boreholes were 145m deep and reached all the way down to sea level!
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Manchester Scholars Join Experts to Help Secure Solid Foundations
›› Geotechnical experts working on a new building at The University of Manchester helped to turn the site into a classroom after inviting tutors and students to join the ground investigation. The Henry Royce Institute, the UK’s the national body promoting research and applications in advanced materials, is locating its £150m hub building into the heart of the University’s engineering campus. Geotechnics Limited was commissioned by Manchester for the second phase of the ground investigation for the institute’s new state-of-the-art facility. Paul Hayes, Geotechnics’ North West Manager, took the opportunity to invite some of the University’s geology department onto site to see what was going on.
Paul explained: “By engaging with The University of Manchester in this way we were able to explain to the lecturers and geology students the value of good quality ground investigation as part of a risk management exercise. “We also highlighted the big part this work plays in understanding the ground while informing the design and its evolution, with the aim of reducing the level of uncertainty and ultimately cost.” Previous investigation work on the site had been undertaken using conventional triple tube rotary coring techniques and air/mist flushing medium - however, during fieldworks it became clear that the sandstone beneath the site was extremely weak.
Paul explained: “In part, it had been weathered to a residual soil with limited cementation. At the depth of the proposed basement foundation level, most of the rock was recovered as sand. “We were able to improve core recovery by proposing an alternative technique - a GeoBor S Wireline system with a specialist Mazier-type barrel for coring in very soft and loose formations.” Paul also added: “Once we leave site our works are never physically seen as part of the finished product, but the importance of it should never be underestimated – others do indeed base their work upon ours as a foundation for the future”.
Coventry 024 7669 4664 mail@geotechnics.co.uk
Chester 01244 671 117 mail@chester.geotechnics.co.uk
Exeter 01392 463 110 mail@exeter.geotechnics.co.uk
Yorkshire 01977 525 037 mail@yorkshire.geotechnics.co.uk
