October Dinner Meeting 2023

ASCE Geotechnical Group Dinner Meeting – October 2023

Co-organized by University of Washington Geo-Institute Graduate Student Society (GIGGS) and Geotechnical Group

Thank you to the UW GIGSS for co-organizing this presentation!

Thursday, Oct 26, 2023, 5:30pm, Maple Hall – Great Room, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Topic: Ground Improvement Methods for Liquefaction Mitigation
Speaker: Kyle M. Rollins, Ph.D., Brigham Young University

Registration:  $50 ASCE Members (Early bird special) | $60 ASCE Member (Late registration) and Non-members | $100 Student Sponsorship | Free for current students and faculty members

Click HERE to register

Abstract: Liquefaction of loose saturated soil results in significant damage to civil infrastructure in nearly every earthquake event. Liquefaction and the resulting loss of shear strength can lead to loss of vertical and lateral bearing support for foundations, and excessive foundation settlement and rotation. Direct and indirect economic losses resulting from liquefaction are substantial costs to society. To reduce liquefaction-induced damage, a wide variety of innovative ground improvement methods have been developed. Prof. Rollins will describe large-scale tests used to evaluate the performance of these methods. In some cases, improvement was measured by in-situ tests before and after treatment. In other cases, controlled blasting or shake table tests were also used to assess performance. These tests involve stone columns with and without vertical drains, vertical drains for relieving excess pore pressures, resin injection treatment, rammed aggregate pier groups in silty sand, and soil mixing methods for silty soil.

Biography: Kyle Rollins received his BS degree from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a geotechnical consultant, he joined the Civil Engineering faculty at BYU in 1987, following his father who was previously a geotechnical professor. He has supervised more than 130 graduate students and published over 200 papers. His research has involved liquefaction assessment of gravels, ground improvement, lateral resistance of piles and pile groups, passive resistance of bridge abutments, and lightweight cellular concrete. His studies typically involve full-scale testing to determine ground truth behavior. In this regard, he pioneered the use of blast-induced liquefaction to evaluate lateral pile resistance and downdrag in full-scale field tests. Prof. Rollins was the chair of the Geo-Institute technical committee on soil improvement, and ASCE has recognized his work with the Huber research prize, the Wellington prize, the Wallace Hayward Baker award, and the H. Bolton Seed Medal. In 2009, he was the Cross-Canada Geotechnical lecturer for the Canadian Geotechnical Society.

Meeting Schedule (Tentative)
5:30pm – Check-in/Networking
5:45pm – Introduction & Announcements
6:00pm – Presentation
7:15pm – Dinner/Networking

Directions & Parking
Maple Hall is located at the southwest corner of 1135 NE Campus Parkway. Paid parking is available at the UW W-10 Lot, W-12 Lot or the Central Plaza Garage.

https://hfs.uw.edu/Meeting-Spaces/Maple-Hall-Great-Room