Basic Soil Mechanics Related to Earth Dams

This event qualifies for 23 PDHs

The objective of this course will be to provide a comprehensive presentation of the significant principles and concepts of soil mechanics to the participants. The material will be presented with emphasis on the basic soil mechanics principles prerequisite to further study for the design or rehabilitation of earth embankment dams. This is a basic-level course intended as an introduction for those with minimal to moderate knowledge or experience in the application of soil mechanics principles to earth dam design, operation and rehabilitation.

This course is a good prerequisite to the more advanced ASDSO seminars on Stability Analysis of Embankment Dams and Seepage Through Earth Dams.

Key takeaways attendees will receive from this course:

The significant basic concepts and principles of soil mechanics prerequisite to further courses related to the use of soil mechanics principles for earth embankment design and rehabilitation.
The theory of consolidation related to embankment dam engineering.
The concepts of soil shear strength related to embankment dam engineering.
The concepts of lateral earth pressure needed for hydraulic structure applications.
A Basic understanding of phreatic surface, embankment permeability, and drainage systems.
Appropriate field investigation techniques needed to evaluate foundation conditions for design, and rehabilitation of embankment dams.
Appropriate field and insitu testing procedures for existing or new embankment dams.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Dr. Ronaldo Luna, P.E., D.GE
Luna Consulting, LLC and Saint Louis University
Sr. Consultant and Professor of Civil Engineering

Dr. Ronaldo Luna has been a professor of civil engineering at Saint Louis University since 2014. He teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate level in the field of geotechnical and civil engineering. His research interests lie in the dynamic response of soils and liquefaction, geographic information systems in civil engineering, and advances in soil mechanics/foundations, and earthquake engineering. He was a professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO for fifteen years. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. He obtained his B.S. in civil engineering in 1983 from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD and M.S. in geotechnical engineering in 1985 from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. He earned his Ph.D. in 1995 from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA. Dr. Luna has practiced as a geotechnical engineer in both the west coast and central US and internationally. He is a registered professional engineer in the states of Missouri, California, and Washington, and holds his consulting practice as Luna Consulting, LLC. He has published over 120 technical papers. Dr. Luna has been a Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers since 2007 and was recently inducted as a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering, with the Academy of Geo-Professionals.

Dr. Kyle Kershaw, P.E.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering

Dr. Kershaw has nearly 20 years of consulting experience as a geotechnical engineer. In his current role as an associate professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, he teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in soil mechanics, foundation design, and retaining structure design while completing pedagogical and applied soil mechanics research. Kyle earned a Ph.D. in 2011 from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO, a M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 2001, and a B.S. in civil engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla in 1999. Kyle’s consulting experience includes full-time geotechnical work with Shannon & Wilson, Inc. in Denver, CO and other locations. He currently engages in his own practice, Kershaw Geo-Consulting, LLC as a prime and sub-consultant. Kyle’s previous and ongoing consulting experience has spanned a wide range of geotechnical projects, including stability analysis of earth dams, ground support design for dam spillways, and numerous levee projects. His levee experience includes analysis and redesign of levees and flood-walls in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, stabilization of failing levees in Grand Forks, ND, and probabilistic analysis of a levee system in King County, WA.

Relevant Government Agencies

Army, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Energy, Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of the Interior, EPA, Other Federal Agencies, State Government, County Government, City Government, Municipal Government, FEMA, Federal Government, State & Local Government, Foreign Governments/Agencies