DVASE Resources

DVASE - February 2011 Breakfast Seminar

Date: Feb 16, 2011

SEISMIC SITE CLASSIFICATION - A Geotechnical Perspective Presented By: Scott A. Raschke, Ph.D., P.E. Schnabel Engineering A decade ago, wide-spread adoption of the 2000 International Building Code (IBC) produced significant changes for many involved in new building construction. Structural design, MEP detailing, and other design aspects were significantly altered when research and practice shifts were implemented from the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) recommended provisions. Many saw increased construction costs, and faced difficulties explaining to clients (and often even themselves!) why "suddenly" design elements of structures on the east coast were now being largely driven by seismic issues as opposed to wind and other load combinations. This presentation presents seismic design evaluation from a geotechnical perspective, so that structural engineers can understand the available methods for obtaining data to evaluate seismic site class, as well as their drawbacks and advantages. We will also clarify the sometimes confusing vernacular relating to determination of site class based solely on data from various geotechnical explorations, versus a true "site specific" seismic evaluation. The basic elements that constitute a site specific seismic evaluation will also be summarized. About Our Speaker: Dr. Raschke’s career spans civil engineering consulting and academics, with an emphasis on geotechnical and geo-material applications. Dr. Raschke has worked on residential and commercial site development projects for private developers, as well as a variety of major infrastructure projects for various private and governmental agencies. He provides innovative, cost-effective solutions to specific construction-related projects, from feasibility through final construction, including geotechnical investigations through final inspection and testing. Dr. Raschke is the developer of the Vision Cone Penetrometer (Vis-CPT), a device which allows direct observation of subsurface soils in conjunction with a conventional electronic cone penetrometer. In addition, Dr. Raschke has five years of academic experience as a professor at Lehigh University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he taught several undergraduate and graduate engineering courses, including soil mechanics, foundation engineering, ground improvement engineering, experimental geotechnical engineering, geo-environmental engineering, soil dynamics, and rock mechanics. Dr. Raschke has authored over 30 research publications. Dr. Raschke’s numerous professional awards include the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, and the prestigious Thomas A. Middlebrooks award for the best annual peer reviewed geotechnical engineering publication from the American Society of Civil Engineers (1999). Most recently Dr. Raschke has served as lead geotechnical engineer for bridge structures as part of a design build team on Contract B of the Intercounty Connector Highway in Maryland, which included 12 bridges and 7.2 miles of new six-lane highway, and currently leads Schnabel’s levee practice, which included participation on a $200 million joint venture effort for the US Army Corps of Engineers dring reconstruction of the New Orleans levee system after Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Raschke's experience in soil dynamics and earthquake engineering includes development of numerous site specific ground motion response studies (IBC 2000/2003) and assessment of liquefaction potential. Dr. Raschke received his BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo. He received his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Michigan. When: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Where: Holiday Inn Fort Washington 432 West Pennsylvania Avenue Fort Washington, PA 19034 215-643-3000 Including a breakfast buffet Time: Registration begins at 7:00 am, Breakfast 7:15 am (Please note: We are starting 15 minutes earlier this season.) Cost: DVASE members: FREE, Non-members: $50.00* Reserve by Monday, February 14th Space is limited! *Invite engineers at your firm to attend! If you have any questions, via e-mail to: bkoroncai@barrpino.com fax @ 215-628-9839, or telephone @ 215-628-9844.