High Bearing Values and ABC Geotechnical Schedules
Here is one response that can be placed in the cover letter that sets out the limits where the bearing values are a bit on the high side.
The bearing value provided in the geotechnical investigation report (GI) is higher than we would typically provide within that formation and area. There is no test data contained within the GI report support such a value based on conventional data conversion for typical construction. The value is acceptable for flexible construction.
We are therefore proceeding on the basis that we are accepting the bearing value at face value; however, differential movements may be excessive for some styles of construction and suitable for others. No information has been provided on the structure or performance expectations.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Insurance and Foundation Movement
In general, home insurance does not cover foundation movements. Some insurance may cover damage due to foundation movement. You fix your foundation (the big cost) they may cover the damage to interior (drywall patches, painting).
We are located in what was a glacial lake, which became a mud flat after the lake drained. Much of this area has high plastic soils. We have had a number of dryer years, the big tree now have roots through the desiccated crust, into the moister soils, drawing water from them, and in effect thickening the desiccated crust, with accompanied movements. Recent rains have created some surface swelling, with associated lateral pressures.
We can do an inspection of the damages and provide an opinion as to the probable cause(s). With residential construction, there are often additional problems to the foundation movements. Poor design, that the expected performance is not satisfactory, wrong construction, poor construction, incomplete construction, poor repairs, and may other problems exist. Inspections are conducted at a hourly rate, including travel time, inspection time, any research time digging through archives, and report writing time.
We can also conduct a geotechnical investigation to determine soil index parameters, or actual values, and an indication of the swelling potential a number of ways. The next step is typically a minimum four deep macro-core test holes, with moisture contents, Atterberg limits, remaining linear shrinkage to oven dry estimates, hand auger holes inside the structure, site surveying, house level survey, drafting of the collected data, and a engineering report. The current cost are typically $7000 to $15000.
We are located in what was a glacial lake, which became a mud flat after the lake drained. Much of this area has high plastic soils. We have had a number of dryer years, the big tree now have roots through the desiccated crust, into the moister soils, drawing water from them, and in effect thickening the desiccated crust, with accompanied movements. Recent rains have created some surface swelling, with associated lateral pressures.
We can do an inspection of the damages and provide an opinion as to the probable cause(s). With residential construction, there are often additional problems to the foundation movements. Poor design, that the expected performance is not satisfactory, wrong construction, poor construction, incomplete construction, poor repairs, and may other problems exist. Inspections are conducted at a hourly rate, including travel time, inspection time, any research time digging through archives, and report writing time.
We can also conduct a geotechnical investigation to determine soil index parameters, or actual values, and an indication of the swelling potential a number of ways. The next step is typically a minimum four deep macro-core test holes, with moisture contents, Atterberg limits, remaining linear shrinkage to oven dry estimates, hand auger holes inside the structure, site surveying, house level survey, drafting of the collected data, and a engineering report. The current cost are typically $7000 to $15000.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Out to Lunch
How should one handle the situation when the "authority having jurisdiction" is out to lunch on a particular topic?
We see this in the building code, in nutritional recommendations, in medical recommendations, and in the past religion, when it had real influence. One way is to write a book, do a blog, or a web site and publish it. The information is then out there, in the public domain, where people are free to chose to understand or not.
This is considered dissonance of some kind, in the past it might have been treason or heresy. Now it is rebellion, but what is the best solution?
We see this in the building code, in nutritional recommendations, in medical recommendations, and in the past religion, when it had real influence. One way is to write a book, do a blog, or a web site and publish it. The information is then out there, in the public domain, where people are free to chose to understand or not.
This is considered dissonance of some kind, in the past it might have been treason or heresy. Now it is rebellion, but what is the best solution?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Some will understand
Buddha decided to teach what he had learned with the idea, "Some will understand".
Some of his "learning" was likely hunger induced hallucinations. Other were random good insights and summaries. Some are built on the tribal culture and religion of the time and location.
These are only my opinions on the various readings I have done.
Compassion and the elimination of suffering is the main concept. Buddha recognized that suffering is an inside job, a self induced feeling, and that that feeling can be nominalized by a series of concepts, beliefs, values, ways of thinking and actions. Various translations and repeated expressions create a range of ideas of what each component really says. The four Noble truths go something like this:
1. Life contains suffering, pain, impermanence, toxicity, loss, stress, vaguity, distress, depression, pain causing things. The pain is an internal mental object, not a physical reality except if it is our body, but even then, the pain is a mental object. The unsatisfactory quality of life which is targeted mental object, the sorrow and trouble, the never completely fulfilling. We always want more happiness, less pain. But this ‘wanting more’,the longing, is itself the problem, the craving, the desire for more. Buddhism does help the physical, but first, it removes the internal mental object in ourselves.
2. The second part is it is our cravings, our attachments, our selfish grasping after pleasure and avoiding pain that causes the problem. Our delusions of how life should be, our attachment to people, property, prestige, and money, our aversion to loss of people, property, prestige, and money, or simple attachment, delusions, aversions are the cause. Again, these are internal, mental objects. It is not necessarily the real loss, just the potential of loss. Many religions find it easier to have real poverty than deal with the mental potential of loss, or the issues that desire for these things can bring.
3. the third is there is a solution to all this,
4. The solution is following the eight fold path to a peaceful serene state of mind.
Some of his "learning" was likely hunger induced hallucinations. Other were random good insights and summaries. Some are built on the tribal culture and religion of the time and location.
These are only my opinions on the various readings I have done.
Compassion and the elimination of suffering is the main concept. Buddha recognized that suffering is an inside job, a self induced feeling, and that that feeling can be nominalized by a series of concepts, beliefs, values, ways of thinking and actions. Various translations and repeated expressions create a range of ideas of what each component really says. The four Noble truths go something like this:
1. Life contains suffering, pain, impermanence, toxicity, loss, stress, vaguity, distress, depression, pain causing things. The pain is an internal mental object, not a physical reality except if it is our body, but even then, the pain is a mental object. The unsatisfactory quality of life which is targeted mental object, the sorrow and trouble, the never completely fulfilling. We always want more happiness, less pain. But this ‘wanting more’,the longing, is itself the problem, the craving, the desire for more. Buddhism does help the physical, but first, it removes the internal mental object in ourselves.
2. The second part is it is our cravings, our attachments, our selfish grasping after pleasure and avoiding pain that causes the problem. Our delusions of how life should be, our attachment to people, property, prestige, and money, our aversion to loss of people, property, prestige, and money, or simple attachment, delusions, aversions are the cause. Again, these are internal, mental objects. It is not necessarily the real loss, just the potential of loss. Many religions find it easier to have real poverty than deal with the mental potential of loss, or the issues that desire for these things can bring.
3. the third is there is a solution to all this,
4. The solution is following the eight fold path to a peaceful serene state of mind.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Surrogate Measurement vs Real Measurement
Surrogate Measurement vs Real Measurement is an issue in many things beside soils. The medical industry uses surrogate measurement for a lot of things.
Surrogate measurement is the concept of measuring something that generally relates to a desired property, that is difficult to measure. The swelling potential of soil is time consuming test, but the moisture content, liquid and plastic limits can be determined in a day. There is a direct relationship between the liquidity index and the swelling potential, so we determine the liquidity index and imply a swelling potential.
As long as that relationship between the liquidity index and swelling potential holds, we are in good shape. But add any one of a long and growing list, and we are out to lunch by a long shot. Gasoline, any petroleum, soap, or even organic staining, and the correlation is out. Now we must do the full consolation with swelling, to find one point. We may need a number of points, depending on the situation. Each point is 12 days at least, if a (the) consolidation frame is available.
We would need to do the test to even find out that the relationship does not hold for this sample.
Those time do not include any sampling time involved, nor sample quality issues.
Now what about the medical field. wtf. They use more surrogates than we do in engineering. If you are producing enough iodine in you urine, you are not short. 20 years of misery, and Oh, you are not absorbing enough iodine. wtf.
Oh well shit happens. The medical industry knows what it knows, which is considerable less than they indicate that they know. If they do not deliver results, they do not have a solution. Trying something may be the only true test of whether it will work or not.
Surrogate measurement is the concept of measuring something that generally relates to a desired property, that is difficult to measure. The swelling potential of soil is time consuming test, but the moisture content, liquid and plastic limits can be determined in a day. There is a direct relationship between the liquidity index and the swelling potential, so we determine the liquidity index and imply a swelling potential.
As long as that relationship between the liquidity index and swelling potential holds, we are in good shape. But add any one of a long and growing list, and we are out to lunch by a long shot. Gasoline, any petroleum, soap, or even organic staining, and the correlation is out. Now we must do the full consolation with swelling, to find one point. We may need a number of points, depending on the situation. Each point is 12 days at least, if a (the) consolidation frame is available.
We would need to do the test to even find out that the relationship does not hold for this sample.
Those time do not include any sampling time involved, nor sample quality issues.
Now what about the medical field. wtf. They use more surrogates than we do in engineering. If you are producing enough iodine in you urine, you are not short. 20 years of misery, and Oh, you are not absorbing enough iodine. wtf.
Oh well shit happens. The medical industry knows what it knows, which is considerable less than they indicate that they know. If they do not deliver results, they do not have a solution. Trying something may be the only true test of whether it will work or not.
Monday, December 5, 2011
History
History books tell us what historians have selected rather than everything that happened.
History, as recorded after the event is recorded by the survivors. What the concurred race was up to is speculation from artifacts and other evidence, not was going on. In my youth, I spent a bit of time with natives, and as a young man, I worked in the north among them. Few got the concept or idea of working for something, rather the concept of ownership of property was not in there philosophy.
The social, philosophical, living aspects just are not there. A people living hand to mouth, when presented with food, will not move from that spot until the food runs out. How does The Canadian Government deal with the native northern population, and population growth. Supply more food. How long does it expect us working stiffs to support such foolishness?
The social, philosophical, living aspects just are not there. A people living hand to mouth, when presented with food, will not move from that spot until the food runs out. How does The Canadian Government deal with the native northern population, and population growth. Supply more food. How long does it expect us working stiffs to support such foolishness?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Free Speech, Really
In Canada, do we have free speech, or free speech as long it agrees with the politically correct view? If I said that we have been providing for the northern Indians for them to reproduce in places that have not economic base, would I be in shit, if anyone read it?
The only reason to be in the north, in many areas, is to provide services to the natives, all on the taxpayers nickel. How long are we going to keep paying as the natives keep reproducing? Where is the occupy movement now?
Just bitching.
The only reason to be in the north, in many areas, is to provide services to the natives, all on the taxpayers nickel. How long are we going to keep paying as the natives keep reproducing? Where is the occupy movement now?
Just bitching.
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