Print this page An Introduction to Earthwork for Foundations
J. Paul Guyer, P.E., R.A., Fellow ASCE, Fellow AEI
Course Outline
1. EARTHWORK: EXCAVATION AND PREPARATION FOR FOUNDATIONS
2. BACKFILL OPERATIONS
3. SPECIFICATION PROVISIONS
4. CONSTRUCTION CONTROL
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Learn about problems encountered during excavation related to groundwater conditions, slope stability, and adverse weather conditions;
- Learn the importance of accurate daily records such as of the quantity of water removed by the dewatering system and of the piezometric levels in the foundation and beneath excavation slopes;
- Learn the importance of protection of exposed earthwork materials;
- Learn the importance of checking exposed rock by a slaking test;
- Learn how to minimize problems associated with the compaction of backfill by following good backfilling procedures;
- Learn about open-zone compaction of coarse-grained soils that exhibit slight plasticity (clayey sands, silty sands, clayey gravels, and silty gravels) using either sheepsfoot or rubber-tired rollers;
- Learn the general rules for lift thickness; and
- Learn guidelines for earthwork operations in freezing temperatures.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for civil and geotechnical engineers and other infrastructure design and construction professionals who want an introduction to earthwork operations for foundations of buildings and other structures.
Benefit for Attendee
This course will give engineers and others an introduction to foundation earthwork.
Course Introduction
This course will introduce you to basic considerations when addressing excavation And backfill operations for structure foundations.
About Course Author
Paul Guyer is a registered mechanical engineer, civil engineer, fire protection engineer and architect with over 35 years experience in the design of buildings and related infrastructure. For an additional 9 years he was a senior-level advisor to the California Legislature on infrastructure and capital outlay issues. He has designed and supervised the design of hundreds of construction projects requiring the preparation of detailed working drawings and specifications for federal, state and local public agencies and private companies. He is a graduate of Stanford University and has held numerous national, state and local positions with the American Society of Civil Engineers and National Society of Professional Engineers.
Course Content
The course content is contained in the following PDF file:
An Introduction to Earthwork for Foundations
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Summary
Upon completion of this course you will have an understanding of guidelines and approaches to earthwork operations for foundations of structures.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
