Tech Notes

Automatic standard penetrometer hammers are becoming more common in the North Georgia area. These hammers undoubtedly provide more consistent test results than the older, cathead and rope manual hammers, and in time should become the norm for standard penetration testing. However, the manual hammers have proven to be reliable when used by properly trained and…

Some people love it, some hate it, most barely understand it. Seismic refraction survey is a method that is often used to determine excavation characteristics. You’ll notice that the term “rock” was omitted in the previous sentence. That’s because seismic refraction really doesn’t know the difference between materials like soil, water, rock, plastic, or concrete.…

Under the currently-adopted International Building Code (2000), seismic design requirements for Georgia have become more stringent, and consequently, in most cases, structures will be more expensive. The change is due to the adoption of Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) maps having a longer return period. The previous code (Standard Building Code 1994) used MCE maps having…