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Download technical papers by Coffey Geotechnics people on geophysics.
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By Dr Bob Whiteley
Population pressures, a new generation of larger vessels and the achievement of waterfront efficiencies with improved technologies is accelerating development in Australian ports and harbours. To more effectively support tender processes and marine civil construction this, in turn, has forced an evolution of site characterisation methodologies aimed at providing more accurate geotechnical models. Modern geotechnical practice for ports and harbours now includes a range of technologies, principally marine seismic reflection, underwater seismic refraction, targeted drilling and seismic tomographic imaging.
By Ian V. Pedler and Robert J. Whiteley
Seismic tomographic imaging (STI) is applied to assess the extent of a road collapse that occurred in a major arterial road through the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. The road collapse was associated with a 4m diameter sewer tunnel being driven through mixed soil conditions under compressed air at a depth to the crown of about 18m.
By Robert J. Whiteley
Governments and municipal authorities, faced with the problems of providing infrastructure within and between densely populated megacities, are increasingly recognizing the importance of tunnels for installation of underground transport corridors, sewerage systems and utilities. Many tunnels are now completed with advanced mechanical tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that are displacing the older drill and blast methods.
By Robert J. Whiteley
Modern civilizations are at risk from natural geophysical events and from industries whose accumulated wastes release toxic substances into the environment. These environmental hazards are increasingly man-made, increasingly voluntary and diffuse in their impact. Environmental geophysics addresses the quantification and monitoring of subsurface hazards, irrespective of their origin.
By Garth E Powell and Robert J. Whiteley
A resort development in the Genting Highlands of Malaysia comprises a series of high rise buildings constructed on steeply sloping ground. The buildings are supported on piled rafts using relatively short piles founded through highly variable, weathered granitic soils. The piled raft design depended on a thorough understanding of the length of the piles so that deformations of the raft could be confidently predicted.
By Robert J. Whiteley and Simon B. Stewart
Underwater seismic refraction with advanced interpretation approaches make important contributions to shallow marine exploration and geotechnical investigations in Australia’s coastal areas. We present a series of recent case studies to demonstrate the application of continuous and static USR methods to river crossing and port infrastructure projects around Australia.
By Peter Waddell & Bob Whiteley
In late 2003 the ground surrounding the Helipad at Mascot Airport was subsiding and the voids that were forming put at risk the helipad, damaged an access road and posed a hazard to airport maintenance staff. This subsidence was a result of groundwater and sand being drawn into a leaking sewer main that crosses the airport beneath the helipad. Innovative investigation techniques and methods for supporting the sewer and improving the ground above the sewer were applied to this significant problem.
