Geoengineer.org

On this day in 1792: John Smeaton died. John Smeaton was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the first self-proclaimed "civil engineer", and is often regarded as the "father of civil engineering". He pioneered the use of hydraulic lime in concrete, using pebbles and powdered brick as aggregate.

On this day in 1904: New York City Subway opened. The first underground line of the subway opened on October 27, 1904, built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) almost 36 years after the opening of the first elevated line in New York City (which became the IRT Ninth Avenue Line). The 9.1-mile (14.6 km) subway line, then called the "Manhattan Main Line", ran from City Hall station northward under Lafayette Street (then named Elm Street) and Park Avenue (then named Fourth Avenue) before turning westward at 42nd Street. Over 150,000 passengers paid the 5¢ fare to ride it on the first day of operation.

Keller developed a liquid nitrogen ground freezing solution that allowed for safe access to inspect and repair the tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutter head that experienced mechanical failure during mining operations.

This week we are continuing our educational series on the CPT with the derivation of parameters φ’, E, Vs, M.

On this day in 1963: Karl von Terzaghi died. Karl von Terzaghi was an Austrian mechanical engineer, geotechnical engineer, and geologist known as the "father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering". Born in Prague (then Austria-Hungary, now Czech Republic), became an American citizen in March 1943. He invented novel equipment as part of the work, and his 1924 book Erdbaumechanik auf Bodenphysikalischer Grundlage (The Mechanics of Earth Construction Based on Soil Physics) had a profound impact on the field. He worked at MIT and Harvard universities and was the first president of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

The figure above illustrates the Hamilton Creek. Creep along the Hayward fault resulted in the "migration" of the stream.

London’s long-anticipated super sewer, the Thames Tideway Tunnel, has officially entered operation with the first four valves now open, marking a new chapter in protecting the River Thames from sewage pollution.

On this day in 1885: Alice Perry was born. Alice Jacqueline Perry was one of the first women in Europe to graduate with a degree in engineering. After graduating from the High School in Galway, she won a scholarship to study at Queen's College Galway in 1902. Having excelled in mathematics, she changed from studying for a degree in arts to an engineering degree. She graduated with first class honours in civil engineering in 1906.

The Geoengineer.org team attended Bentley’s 2024 Year in Infrastructure & Going Digital Awards that took place in Vancouver, Canada, on the 8th and 9th of October.

HS2 has marked a major step forward in the construction of Birmingham's Curzon Street Station with the commencement of work on 2,000 underground concrete foundation columns.