Brian Thorne, PE, PMP

Internal Erosion Estimation Tool I found following the most recent Army Corp training material to explain the difference between "suffusion" and "suffosion". https://lnkd.in/gNjQMecA Who can understand these definitions clearly and distinguish these technical jargons precisely and use their behavior concepts practically in actual internal erosion risk evaluation for dam core and alluvial foundation soils? Explaining internal stability of alluvial soils/dam construction materials with a handful number of selective particle sizes, D10, D15, D60 & D90 would not be easy or effective since the internal stability of soils (internal stable, unstable and gap graded) shall be impacted with a entire gradation curve shape and its in-situ relative density. I think my probabilistic model simulator can help dam engineer/practitioner much easily understand and diagnose the internal erosion risk of dam core material and underlying alluvial soil strata based on its grain size distribution data and relative density. If you haven't heard these technical terms "soil internal stability", "bridging process" and "internal erosion", please watch below my video clips to help your understandings.  – 30 min. demo (reliability analysis for foundation soil internal erosion risk) https://lnkd.in/gXq2Dzps – 15 min. demo (practical advancement of granular filter design) https://lnkd.in/gPMKzhn For your registration of my next online class,  https://lnkd.in/eTPgkj_w #civil #mining #filter #dam #tailing #piping #risk

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PBS’ Survey department is supporting QRS Consulting, LLC with a City Of Walla Walla sediment bypass gate design project, which gave us the opportunity to use multiple offerings from our UAS program as well. In addition to mapping the broader project extents with photogrammetry and lidar using the DJI M300, we also made use of the Skydio 2 + 3D scan. The short video below shows the Skydio 2 in flight, the pilot’s HUD, and the resulting 3D model. This dataset was collected to give the design team access to a “Virtual Inspection” interface (via Nira.app) to better inform design decisions. It was also used to support feature extraction and digitizing for the topographic survey creation, along with the photogrammetry and lidar datasets from the M300. **Full disclosure – The 3D model shown in the video was created from the M300/P1 imagery collected manually. The Skydio 2 imagery that was collected had not finished processing yet. (And in case you’re wondering – Yes, I absolutely get a kick out of tagging DJI and Skydio in the same post 😉 ) With Eduardo Corona-Ibarra & Greg Flowers #uas #gis #lidar #photogrammetry

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Filter versus drain Interesting text from FEMA - FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (2011): Historically, the terms filter and drain have held different meanings for different authors, and their use as both nouns and verbs has led to some confusion. Filter material provides both particle retention and drainage in embankment dams. Therefore, a single material can retain or filter particle movement from a base soil and have sufficient permeability to act as a drain. Since the designed material performs both functions, the terms have become interchangeable, especially in relation to where the material is used in the embankment cross section. This has led to some authors using the word drain for a filter and vice-versa. Others have chosen to combine the terms into filter/drain, filter-drain, and filter and drain. Typically, the distinction between these terms can be made based on the stage (sequential pattern or interval). As described, a first-stage filter protects the base soil (core), and its primary function is particle retention. In many instances, a second-stage material will also be used, and its primary function is to provide drainage. While both materials meet particle retention and drainage criteria, the emphasis of the first stage is on particle retention, and the emphasis of the second stage is on drainage. Image reference: Huang (2014). #slopestability #geotechnical #engineering

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"... Here in Texas where I live – hardly a bastion of tree-huggers – as much as 70% of the power on the grid this year is coming from renewable sources. Despite this progress, the clean energy revolution is still happening too slowly to stop the rising heat and extreme weather we are experiencing. In fact, global oil and gas consumption hit an all-time high in 2023 – not surprisingly, so did the level of climate-warming CO2 emissions. Air conditioning is another example of the complexity of technological progress. When I talk with people about my book, “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet,” I often hear some version of this: Yeah, the heat can be brutal. Good thing we have air conditioning! AC is becoming a survival tool for many people in ever-hotter climates, but it is not a magic fix for a superheated world. More than 750 million people on the planet don’t even have access to electricity, much less AC. We are not going to air condition the ocean, which is full of mysterious and beautiful creatures which hundreds of millions of people depend on for sustenance. We are not going to air condition forests, which are key to maintaining biodiversity on Earth. We are not going to air-condition the fields where food crops are grown. Our dependence on AC, in fact, masks the true scope and scale of the challenges we face. In the end, addressing the climate crisis is not about building better technology. It’s much bigger than that. We need to rebuild our world. Fast-rising temperatures and more extreme weather are forcing us to rethink everything about how we live – where we get our energy, how we grow our food, how we build our cities, and, mostly importantly, who we vote for. The sooner we stop clinging to the old ways and focus on building a smarter, more sustainable, more equitable future for everyone, the better off we – and every living thing on this planet – will be. What has already been lost during the climate crisis is a tragedy. But what can be won in this fight is worth imagining too."

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So I'm working on a book called "Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Systems - Brining Cities Together to Foster Face-to-Face Collaboration". I'm contemplating Best Practices. There is a broad spectrum of performances. Pastor Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life sold so many copies that he reverse-tithed - gave 90% and living off of the remaining 10%. On the other hand, I've seen authors in the hole for upwards of $10,000.00 and garages full of books. Here are some principles I was able to come up with regarding successes: 1. Speak to a significant need of the audience; 2. Include color graphics throughout the book to increase the appeal (This will result in a more expensive product); 3. Get universities, associations, and museums on board during the actual drafting process, because once it's in print, it's too late; 4. Know that the book in and of itself will not sell itself based on its cover - Marketing is absolutely essential; and 5. Once published, give a complimentary copy to each of your points of influence including professors, museums, associations, and high-level government officials who will have an interest in the content of your book. Anything else to add? #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering #highspeedrail

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#OTD in #history, 1796, surveyors from the Connecticut Land Company founded a town along the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie shoreline. Named for the leader of the expedition, “Cleaveland” would go on to become a major American city. While British colonial settlement had hewn fairly close to the seaboard, colonies extended claims far into the continent. Under the #ArticlesofConfederation, ratified in 1781, the nascent United States were governed by a Confederation Congress. After the 1783 Treaty of Paris ceded land between the Appalachian Mountains and Mississippi River, it fell to this institution to resolve questions of governance in the territory. The Confederation Congress attempted to manage this area through laws passed in 1784 and 1785, but their greatest legislative accomplishment in this regard was the #NorthwestOrdinance of 1787. The ordinance prohibited slavery in the territory, guaranteed certain natural rights, encouraged support for public education, provided guidance on the formation of territorial government, and, critically, established a path for admission of new states. Formation of the #NorthwestTerritory required cessions of land claimed by other states, and while Connecticut did yield much of its claim, it reserved 5,260 square miles for its own use. After selling most of the Western Reserve to the private Connecticut Land Company, the state ceded the territory to the United States government, which then incorporated the land into the Northwest Territory. In November 1802, the Ohio state convention formally agreed to seek statehood and admission to the Union. Congress passed a bill and President #ThomasJefferson signed an act approving Ohio’s boundaries and constitution in February 1803, however, an oversight left an open question on its admission to the Union. A special act of congress in 1953 granted the state admission, retroactive to March 1, 1803. In the more than 200 years since its founding, #Cleveland has served as a key site of victory during the War of 1812, a significant stop along the underground railroad, a hotbed of abolitionist activity, and a major industrial city for the region and nation.

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PA DEP continues to make a push to reduce the backlog of NPDES Construction Permits. Long the headache of developers and engineers, the timeframes of review by PA DEP have often been excruciatingly long. Originally a guarantee program was implemented but never seemed to improve turnaround times. Then DEP finally agreed to allow local Conservation Districts to hire engineers to review General Permits. Now, DEP is finally going to work with a select group of these existing Conservation Districts to review up to 3 Individual Permits per year. Check out this article to learn more about this pilot program and the new PAyback program. #stormwatermanagement #civilengineer

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Listen to our latest Engineering Matters #podcast on the skills #veterans can bring to our industry.

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After losing many bombers during WWII. The British checked their returned bombers ✈️💣 and believed they should focus on the damaged areas and add armor there. However, statistician Abraham Wald had a counterintuitive insight which was: Instead of fortifying damaged areas, focus on the areas with no damage, because those were the places where the surviving planes could afford to be hit. The undamaged areas on the survivors revealed where the lost planes ✈️ must have been hit, as those hit in those areas did not return from their missions. 🔹 This approach led to improving bomber aircraft protection. 🔹 Just as Wald looked beyond the surviving planes ✈️✈️ to understand the missing data, we can refine our strategies by considering all perspectives.🌟🔍 🔹 Remember, sometimes the gaps in our data reveal the most critical truths!

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It is important for engineers involved in the rebuild effort for any major bridge to distinguish between the replacement cost and the overall value of a major bridge. While replacement cost reflects the financial outlay required to build a new structure, the overall value encompasses much more— economic impact, social benefits, historical significance, and environmental considerations. A bridge is not just a physical asset; it is a vital link that supports commerce, facilitates transportation, and connects communities. By appreciating its full value, we can advocate for more informed decision-making, ensuring that replacement efforts are directed with a holistic understanding of their far-reaching implications. In the development of estimates of costs and cost comparisons, we must adopt a full lifecycle costing approach and discard old, antiquated practices of looking only at upfront design and construction costs. The aim should be to achieve a visually appealing structure that also delivers on the promise of extreme longevity and durability accompanied by decades of robust, maintenance free performance.

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https://lnkd.in/guQGKSiM Attention LinkedIn Network: Anyone planning to write a book? If so, check out this book from the CEO of Spartnerships. It has done quite well. Scroll to the bottom of the page to learn more about the book. Remember to have a marketing plan and a full set of followers prior to publication. I know too many professionals who naturally thought their book was going to fly only to end up with a garage full of books. I'm writing a book based on my Senior Project on High-Speed Rail from 28 years ago. The High-Speed Rail technology and benefits have expanded greatly since this Senior Project, so much so that I need to start from scratch. I plan to start with a chapter on the History of Trains in the US followed by a History of High-Speed Rail overseas. My book will be titled: "Ultra High-speed Ground Transportation Systems: Expediting InterCity Travel. Why so much history? That's what the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM) wants in order to put the book on the bookshelves. Another recommendation is to briefly check out CSRM's inventory of books, noting how your book fits in. Remember to get your followers before publishing your book.

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Kudos to the #Hill_International #Team who acted for a job well-done. #Hill was the #Project #Manager for the #emergency #repair of the #I95 #bridge #collapse last year. The project exemplified how the Team worked together as #partners, and it exemplified #collaboration is #instrumental to project #completion. this applies not only on emergency repair but also extended on how to build #infrastructure faster. When the accident happened, everyone was scratching his head on how long it would take to put traffic back on I-95. Well, it took only 12 days for the initial fix! On July 16, 2023, Governor Shapiro of #Pennsylvania published an #article in the #WashingtonPost (Link: Opinion | Josh Shapiro: I-95 repair in Philadelphia offers infrastructure lesson - The Washington Post) saying: [Infrastructure is the #backbone of #America, and our nation’s progress has often been tied to our ability to complete #major projects that spur #economic #growth and create real opportunity. Yet today it often seems like every project — big or small — gets mired in a slog of #reviews, #permits and delays. This saps our #innovative #spirit, reduces citizens’ trust that government can get things done and ultimately slows our progress as a nation.] Governor Shapiro provided the following four lessons from the I-95 fix: 1- #Empower strong #leadership 2- #Speed_up the #bureaucracy 3- Encourage #creativity 4- #Work #together

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Aviation has been the best industry I've ever served.

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Are you involved in early project planning? Do you ever find yourself doing preliminary design work with little to no data? Have you ever wanted to know a little more about a project site, without investing a lot of a limited budget? Are your projects ever behind schedule and need data quickly? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I encourage you to attend the webinar as advertised below. If you can't make the webinar, but are interested in learning more, just shoot me a message and I can help setup a time to meet and discuss Stage1! #innovation #data #Terracon

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https://lnkd.in/gsyamVrZ This is a "Shout Out" for the LeadershipITE program. In a nutshell, it is a multi-moth leadership course for Transportation Professionals on Leadership "through the lens" of Transportation. I still need to sign up. While the total program cost is $3,000.00 (what I made in Calendar Year 2012), scholarships and sponsorships are available. Don't let the $3,000.00 get in the way. Apply for scholarships, or ask public and private sector organizations to sponsor you in exchange for doing a presentation on what was learned at LeadershipITE.

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Here’s a very well compiled 4 minute video summary on Champlain Towers South

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Across our nation, coastal marshes face threats from climate change and erosion. According to my HDR colleagues, Nick Brown, Robert Lewis and other industry experts, sediment replacement is one strategy used to counteract eroding coastal marshes and improve their sustainability. Check out this article published in the ASBPA American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s journal for a comprehensive breakout of this solution.  https://lnkd.in/eZ4kYUVz

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Across our nation, coastal marshes face threats from climate change and erosion. According to my HDR colleagues, Nick Brown, Robert Lewis and other industry experts, sediment replacement is one strategy used to counteract eroding coastal marshes and improve their sustainability. Check out this article published in the ASBPA American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s journal for a comprehensive breakout of this solution.  https://lnkd.in/eZ4kYUVz

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