Ask the Professional Geotech
- Written by
- Ian Jennings
Geotechnical Engineering used to be a nice respectable profession where no-one really knew what you did and you could quietly get on with it without too many distractions. However, the Christchurch earthquakes changed all that, and overnight Geotechnical Engineering was thrust into the limelight. People were introduced to terms like “liquefaction”, “lateral spread” and “foundation improvements”.
As a consequence of the Christchurch earthquakes, regulatory authorities around NZ have become more aware of the damaging effects of earthquakes, and in particular how critical the geotechnical aspects of a building project can be. This has led to revised engineering guidelines and greater scrutiny on the wider engineering profession.
So what does a Geotechnical Engineer do?
Simply put, a Geotechnical Engineer is half a Geologist and half a Civil Engineer. All structures, be it a building, a road or an earth structure such as a dam, are supported by the ground, and therefore one of the key roles of the Geotechnical Engineer is to determine what the local soils are and how they will react when the load from a structure is placed on it.
A Geotechnical Engineer interprets the ‘real world’ of soil and rock, and converts it into a series of numbers that represents its strength and can be used in equations to determine if the loads and forces that are generated from a given structure can be balanced against the strength of the soil or rock.
Cheal Consultants has an experienced team of Geotechnical Engineers operating within the Central North Island. Within the rural sector we specialise in the remediation of existing irrigation dams and the design and construction of new ones. Cheal also has experience in foundation design for farm infrastructure such as milking shed platforms, stock underpasses, farm culverts and bridges. These larger projects tend to require a multidiscipline approach and Cheal’s wider team of Engineers, Surveyors and Planners provides the support and expertise to ensure efficiencies and overall satisfaction.
Ian Jennings is a Chartered Geotechnical Engineer for Cheal Consultants Ltd.