Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering in COWI

COWI is an international market leader in
Bridges, Marine and Foundation Engineering,
not least because of successful interplay be-
tween the various disciplines. For a very wide
range of projects and structures the Geotech-
nical Group provides in-house support in all
phases of projects.
COWI has a total of more than 3300 employ-
ees, the main part engineers. COWI operates The Geotechnical Group
mainly provides services in
around the world, and has subsidiaries and the following subjects
project ofces in several countries. The turno-
Geotechnical investigations
ver amounted to 300 million EURO in 2005.
Site investigations
Quality Laboratory investigations

This ensures state-of-the-art foundation solu- Quality is a key issue in all our projects. We Material prospecting
tions and the capability to perform stand-alone operate a Quality Management System which Geological modelling
geotechnical services. COWI employ more is certied within the requirements of ISO Geotechnical design
than 60 geotechnical engineers, ranging from 9001. This assures our clients of professional Underground Engineering
internationally recognised experts to young management on all our projects. Earth retaining structures
professionals, in the COWI Group ofces in Quality Management System
Certicate and Certication
Groundwater control
Denmark and at the COWI subsidiaries world-
Conditions. Shallow and deep foundation
wide.
Earth structure
Soil reinforcement
Soil structure interaction
Numerical modelling
Physical modelling
Preparation of tender documents
Rehabilitation/maintenance
Feasibility studies
Geotechnical supervision
Data Management
Data Managing
When working on jobs that involve geological,
geotechnical, geoenvironmental or monitoring
data, COWI has a range of tools that can be
used to manage, query and present such infor-
mation. These tools are used routinely on all
jobs and are an integrated part of our service.
Domestic Market
To complement COWIs drilling rigs and our
general understanding of the regional geology,
a large database is maintained with geological,
geotechnical, geophysical, environmental and
hydrogeological data. The database is main-
tained using GeoGIS on all projects.
The data have been used to establish and
maintain a geological model for parts of
Zealand. The model and the database are then
used by HoleBASE and KeyHOLE to create
contour maps, sections, volume calculations
etc. HoleBASE and KeyHOLE are software
used extensively worldwide.
3
International Market
COWI has developed a high expertise for
handling large amounts of geotechnical, geoen-
vironmental and survey data that are to be
reviewed quickly to produce an interpretative
report with meaningful enclosures and draw-
ings. Such data processing is possible using
tools like HoleBASE and KeyHOLE that are
based on the internationally recognised data
exchange format AGS.
COWI has developed expertise with other
geotechnical data management systems such
as gINT and GEODASY, in order to ensure
correct application of contractors data in AGS
format.
It is therefore a standard procedure that
qualied staff works closely together with the
contractor in the beginning of a project to
ensure the higest possible quality of data.
4 Site investigations
Offshore investigation in Qatar.
Mudcrawler used in Kuwait.
It is a well known fact that the client often
pays for the investigations not carried out.
The expenses just show up later in the building
process.
COWI strives to show due dilligence in
organising and conducting site investigations
of the quality and extent to minimise cost and
risk for the client.
COWI carry out site investigations with
our own drilling rigs. COWI operates 7 large
drilling rigs and 4 small rigs to perform geo-
technical and environmental boreholes. The
eldwork is mainly carried out in Denmark.
Two of the large rigs are tted with CPT
equipment. Furthermore we have equipment at
our disposal to perform static plate load test,
Offshore investigation in Qatar.
light dynamic plate load test and compaction
test using Troxler (for example).
In connection with our many projects
abroad, our engineers have great experience in
planning geotechnical investigations for large
projects, preparation of tender documents,
negotiations with drilling contractors and sub-
sequent supervision.
All investigations are presented in a geotech-
nical report. The reports are often divided into
a factual report and an interpretative report.
COWI has both Danish and British programs
to perform and present borehole logs. The
British program, HoleBASE, is used on all our
international projects.
Laboratory Testing 5

COWI carries out all types of laboratory test-

ing using nominated or site specic laborato-
The following test are
ries. Classication tests may be carried out in performed in-house
the three in-house laboratories in Denmark.
Soil and rock description
The tests are carried out according to the
Moisture content
standard required by the client.
Bulk and dry density
COWIs geotechnical engineers have experi-
ence with a wide range of soil and rock types Sieve analysis
and programme, supervise and evaluate the test Hydrometer test
results according to the clients needs. COWI is Atterberg limits
familiar with and has used a number of dedi- Compaction test
cated, advanced test facilities around the world Linear shrinkage
ensuring state-of-the-art testing if required for
Free swell
the project.
Specic gravity
Examples are: stress path triaxial testing on
very soft clay, centrifugal testing of dolphins Sand equivalent

for ship protection, high pressure triaxial test- Capillarity

ing of limestone including temperature related Organic matter
creep, triaxial testing of highly weathered Calcium content
Granodiorite. Sulphate content
Consolidation test
Unconned Compression
Strength
Brazil test
Point load test
6 Underground Engineering

COWI handles all aspects concerning under- To nd the best design for underground Assessment of geotechnical soil properties
ground engineering and has great experience in structures including temporary support etc., and re-use of excavated material are carried
the design of building pits. advanced modelling of soil-structure interac- out by COWIs geotechnical engineers. By
Underground construction works for design tion must be performed. collaboration with our department for Soil
and build contracts present technical and logis- COWI has extensive experience gained from and Groundwater Contamination a profes-
tical challenges. Due to the intrinsic uncertain- the use of modelling on several major infra- sional handling of a potential contamination
ties of soil and rock behaviour, it is important structure projects. Advanced FEM-programmes is ensured.
to consider several alternative construction such as PLAXIS, ABAQUS and FLAC are used
systems and methods. COWI can provide a to provide safe and cost effective solutions.
exible design approach in which, by assess-
ment of more alternatives, the optimal solution
is obtained. This involves cost, safety, reliabil-
ity and environmental impact, and if possible
optimisation of the Contractors available
equipment.
For excavations and tunnelling in urban
areas, an essential requirement is to prevent
damage to adjacent structures and services.
Settlements associated with excavations are
generally determined by three factors:
excavation and support systems
method of construction
groundwater control

These issues are invariably interlinked. For ex-

ample, an earth retaining structure that secures
adjacent buildings from damage due to settle-
ment can also be used to limit groundwater
drawdown - if necessary, in combination with
injection of grouts and groundwater recharge.

Construction pit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Groundwater Control 7

The proper control of groundwater is an

important part of excavations, from both the
perspective of stability and external environ-
mental effects. COWI has extensive in-house
expertise in all aspects of groundwater control,
especially in areas where authorities have strict
requirements for the protection of existing
buildings and water resources.
In COWI, groundwater control is integrated
in construction plans from the earliest stages of
a project in order to provide a sound basis for
designing cost-optimal solutions.
Monitoring and modelling are used for
planning and management of ground water Flintholm Station, Copenhagen, Denmark.

systems.
Based on our experience from large infra-
structure projects, COWI offers expertise
within groundwater monitoring, development
and maintenance of databases, ow simula-
tions as well as handling of interfaces between
the client, authorities and third parties.

Construction pit for underground railway in Copenhagen, Denmark.

8 Numerical Modelling
Contour plots from PLAXIS
Contour plot of displacement eld for existing block
quay wall, as a result of dredging in front of the wall.
Displaced mesh for ultimate horizontal loading
(ship impact) on piled bridge pier.
Contour plot of shear strain (J2 strain invariant) for
block quay wall, revealing potential rupture gure.
Contour plot of shear strain (J2 strain invariant)
for double sheet pile wall cofferdam.
Numerical modelling is a concept for ap-
proximating real behaviour. It is a popular
means for solving civil engineering problems
when exact closed form solutions do not exist.
This is often the case in foundation engineer-
ing, when problem solving requires the use of
continuum mechanics and involves effects of
soil-structure interaction, 3-D, plasticity, hy-
draulic loads, seepage forces, etc. Examples are
shown in the following adjacent gures.
Foundation Engineering is generally con-
cerned with predicting the behaviour of natural
or man-made structures on, or in, the ground.
The problem generally is to predict elds of
displacements, strains and stresses, both within
the ground and the founding structure.
Limit equilibrium Methods
For the purpose of solely investigating the
safety of any given structure against any
loading, limit equilibrium methods will often
sufce.
COWI uses several software packages for
limit equilibrium analyses, a.o.:
Programmes SPOOKS, Qwalls and ReWard,
for the design of sheet pile walls and their
anchorages
Programme Geo Studio 2004 for the stability
of soil and rock slopes, dams, breakwaters
etc., including possible seepage forces.

Soil Structure Interaction
COWIs geotechnical specialists have extensive
experience and knowledge in soil structure
interaction.
In projects like the Great Belt Link, the
resund Link and the Metro in Copenhagen
COWI made extensive use of advanced
computational methods in analysis of founda-
tion bearing capacity and stability as well as
for prediction of movements related to deep
excavations and tunnelling.
All of the mentioned software packages and
more (not listed) are regularly used by the Geo-
technical Group. The Group has considerable
expertise in assessing soil/rock properties from
eld investigations, lab. tests and monitoring
data for real structure behaviour, all of which
are essentials for setting up realistic input data
for the software packages.
For truly 3-D continuum problems and
complex material behaviour, the Geotechnical
Group also use sophisticated software pack-
ages such as the general purpose FE pro-
gramme ABAQUS.
9
COWI uses a suite of software
packages for displacement type
analyses
Program PLAXIS is a user friendly and
dedicated geotechnical FE program,
handling soil, water, structures, soil-
structure interaction, material elasticity
and plasticity, construction stages, etc.
PLAXIS is a popular tool for continuum
analysis and prediction of the behaviour
of any given structure on, or in, any given
soil or rock prole
COWI has developed an advanced FE
programme to handle pile groups. The
programme is a module to our well
known IBDAS (Integrated Bridge Design
Analysis System). It can handle all types
of piles, including large diameter drilled
shafts. The programme can handle both
axial and lateral inuence
Program SAP2000, a structural nite
element program, particularly suited
to dynamic analyses, e.g. considering
earthquake loads, push-over analyses etc.
Program LPILE for the analysis and
prediction of the behaviour of a single
laterally loaded pile
Program GROUP for the analysis of the
behaviour of axialy and lateraly loaded
pile groups
Programme SHAFT for the study of
drilled shafts under axial loads
Program MPILE for the analysis and
prediction of the behaviour of generally
loaded pile groups, with several more or
less sophisticated options for considering
pile-soil-pile interaction (group effects)
Program PIGLET for the analysis and
prediction of the behaviour of generally
loaded pile groups, considering linear
elasticity only and group effects
10 Shallow and deep foundations

In competent soils shallow foundations are

often the most economical foundation solution.
With proper soil characterisation and deriva-
tion of soil design parameters COWI applies
state-of-the-art design methods combined with
numerical and physical modelling to provide
cost effective and safe solutions.
Often the project area is not blessed with
competent soil condition for shallow founda-
tions, then deep foundations are the solution.
COWIs very experienced staff have been
involved in all types of deep foundation from
traditional driven or bored piles to very in-
novative foundation solutions for large bridge
projects.
Many of the challenges met are from a
combination of excessive amounts of very soft
deposits, extreme water depths, strong current
and excessive environmental loading, notably
earthquake and ship collision forces.

Permanent Ground Anchors for Uplift

Construction of deep basements below the
ground water level often cause the require-
ments for permanent ground anchors. COWI
has great experience in the design and supervi-
sion of ground anchors.
In Copenhagen the ground anchors are most
often xed into the Copenhagen Limestone.
Elsewhere in Denmark anchors are mainly
xed in glacial sand or clay.

Flintholm Station, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Earth Structures
Dredging and Reclamation
COWI has been involved in several large
dredging and reclamation projects notably in
the Middle East.
Our geotechnical specialist has been in
charge of planning and supervision of the site
investigations. Furthermore, we are involved in
the design and preparation of technical speci-
cations for all the dredging and reclamation
aspects including edge treatment (costal protec-
tion structures). In these projects we are in
close cooperation with the large international
dredging companies.
Soil improvement / reinforcement
For a number of very different types of struc-
tures COWI has designed soil improvement or
reinforcement schemes to reduce settlements,
increase strength and to provide robustness for
environmental loadings, such as earth quakes.
+10
0 Quarry Run
- 10
- 20
- 30
m Kuwait group sand
11
During the construction of the Danish
METRO in Copenhagen, grouting was exten-
sively used as a ground water control measure
in order to reduce the permeability of Copen-
hagen limestone.
Additional improvement of subgrade and
pavement materials projects has been carried
out using lime or cement stabilisation.
Dams, dikes and slope stability
COWI has assisted clients in locating feasible
dam sites, performing feasibility studies to
determine the most feasible dam heights, per-
forming soil investigations to locate materials
and geotechnical and hydro-geological investi-
gations at dam sites.
The stability of existing slopes is analysed,
when the stability seems insufcient or new
loads are added at the top of the slope.
Pearl of the Gulf Marina, Qatar.
Bunds
Sand fill
Plastic
Stone columns
drains
12 Bridge Projects

COWI is an international market leader in

bridge engineering. COWI is recognised world-
wide for our state-of-the-art knowledge. Sutong Bridge, China.
In Denmark and around the world COWI
has been in charge of the design and supervi-
sion of the worlds largest cable stayed and
suspension bridges.
These projects include all the geotechnical
aspects, from preliminary evaluation of the soil
condition to site investigations, handling of
data, design and supervision.
Furthermore we have carried out site in-
vestigations and design for a large number of
highway bridges in Denmark and abroad.
Model of Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed
Al Sabah Causeway, Kuwait. Load test of 800 mm drilled shaft.
Tunnel Projects 13

COWI has been involved in tunnel projects all

over the world. Our experience covers all types
of tunnels, including bored tunnels, immersed
tunnels, cut&cover tunnels, rock and NATM
tunnels.
The success of tunnel projects relies heavily
on the understanding and handling of complex
soil-structure interaction problems.
The in-house cooperation between geotechni-
cal engineers and tunnel specialists ensures that
COWI can provide state-of-the-art consultancy
in all phases of tunnel projects worldwide.
Tunnel projects include many different geo-
technical issues. The geological model must be
well established for all types of tunnels. Focus
on settlements, properties of rock/limestone
and design of backll/locking ll around an
immersed tunnel is required.
Recently COWI has been responsible for the
design of the worlds deepest immersed tun-
nel in South Korea, constructed almost 50 m
below sea level on soft (reinforced) clay and an
up to 20 m high sub sea embankment.
In such projects we benet from our nite
element programmes to evaluate the soil-struc-
ture interaction.

Model of Busan-Geoje Fixed Link, South Korea.

Geoje Jeo Jungjuk Gaduk

120m

80m Daejuk

40m

0m

-40m

Cross Section of Busan-Geoje Fixed Link, South Korea.

14 Metro and Station Projects

Photo: Aerodan
Flintholm Station, Denmark.

As part of the multidisciplinary services in

large infrastructure projects COWI plans,
designs and supervises all aspects of metro and
station projects.
Metro and station projects involve all kinds
of geotechnical issues depending on the project
layout. Deep excavated stations often com-
prise geotechnical challenges similar to tunnel
projects. Other projects comprise sheet pile
walls, piles, ground anchors, shallow founda-
tion etc.
Copenhagen Metro, Denmark
Furthermore, groundwater lowering is often
needed during the construction phase.

Flintholm Station, Denmark

Detailed design and supervision
of the third largest railway station
in Denmark, constructed in
connection with the new Metro.
Included detailed design, a large
quantity of sheet pile walls, large
plate load tests and supervision.
Photo: Adam Mrk
15
16 Building Projects
Model of New Playhouse in Copenhagen harbour.
COWI also has a large building construction
department. In close cooperation between
the construction engineers and geotechnical
engineers, COWI ensures the best foundation
solutions for smaller and larger buildings. In
Denmark, shallow foundations on late glacial
or glacial deposits or foundations on driven
piles are most common.
Photomontage: Lundgaard & Trandberg Arkitekter
In addition temporary sheet pile walls or other
types of supporting systems are required when
building deep basements in urban districts.
Again in these projects, we often perform
the geotechnical investigations and establish
the geotechnical data for the design and are in-
volved in the supervision and the design phase.
Harbour and Marine Projects 17

COWI is an international market leader in

marine and coastal engineering and offers a
comprehensive range of consulting sevices for
all aspects of projects related to ports, har-
bours, coastal and marine structures. When
developing integrated design solutions to ma-
rine projects, COWI draws upon our in-house
expertise in e.g. geotechnical engineering.
COWIs marine and geotechnical engineers are
integrated in the same department to obtain
the best solutions and to have a common un-
derstanding for the nal design.

Rehabilitation of Tuborg Harbour,

Copenhagen, Denmark.
Detailed design and supervision of a
new exclusive harbour in Copenhagen.
The project included new sheet pile
walls, a bridge, canals, breakwaters,
dredging etc.

Idku LNG Terminal, Egypt. Elsinore Harbour,

Denmark.
18 Road and Airport Projects

The Geotechnical Engineering Group are often

involved in road and airport projects.
Our services range from the site investiga-
tion, soils and materials investigations, design
and supervision. We are involved in all geo-
technical aspects for the pavement, earth work,
crossing bridges, tunnels, slopes etc.

Road project in Ethiopia. Extension of motorway passing a soft spot.

Extension of motorway M3 in Denmark. Soa Airport in Bulgaria.

Geotechnical Supervision 19

Harbour in Durres, Albania.

Among our many geotechnical engineers, we

have at our disposal several engineers with
comprehensive experience in geotechnical
supervision. Our staff have supervised the
construction of large scale foundation, briges,
roads, railways, harbours and dams including
off- and onshore geotechnical investigations.
The supervision is undertaken both in Den-
mark and overseas. Several of our staff in the
geotechnical group have long-term overseas
supervision experience, always supported by
our senior geotechnical engineers providing
home ofce support. Furthermore all our staff
are regularly involved in supervision on danish
projects ranging from small buildings to major
bridges performing the geotechnical control
of the excavations or approval of pile driving
records.
Road projects in Tanzania.
 COWI Group
Main Ofce

COWI ofces.
COWI A/S
Parallelvej 2
DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark
Tel.: +45 45 97 22 11
Fax: +45 45 97 22 12
www.cowi.com

E-mail: cowi@cowi.com
Internet: www.cowi.com

Contact
Michael Bindseil
Head of Department,
Marine & Foundation
Engineering
mhb@cowi.com

Jrgen S. Steenfelt, Prof.

Head of Development,
Marine & Foundation
Engineering
jos@cowi.com

Torben Bang
Section Manager
Geotechnical Engineering

Printed in Denmark by Kailow

tba@cowi.dk
Geotechnical Engineering - more than just a hole in the ground.

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