Oh dear!
Many of you will already have seen this photo on facebook but for the benefit of those who aren’t regularly bored by photos of my wife and children here’s your opportunity to laugh at my expense.
So Day 1 Ramboll UK geotechnics team: ‘We’ve got a couple of projects lined up for you to work on; one is the foundations for this bridge the concept that we’ve been given is pretty much unbuildable so I want to look at a sheet pile retaining wall option and the other one is a small domestic extension that requires a retaining wall design because the garden is on a slope. So here’s how to get into the road bridge file, here’s a programme called Wallap that we use for this, why don’t you see how you get on?’
Whilst that sounds rather flippant, this is exactly how it felt. Tonight I have been reading the Great Orator’s lesson notes in the vain hope of at least knowing the difference between drained and undrained parameters. I’m going to the sloping garden tomorrow with a ‘panda probe’ which is an electronic stick to hit the ground with, apparently one of the team did an entire MSc thesis on correlating hitting this thing and SPT values, I haven’t met him yet but I’m sure he’s hilarious.
That’s all for now, I needed to share my despair, this time I really will get found out.
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
At least it is an electronic stick. I remember my first (plant) staffy had something similar embedded in his right boot…
🙂 Be careful what you wish for…
Sounds like you are going to get on just fine at Ramboll.
Phase 1s take note: just like the Phase 2 attachments you are soon to commence, the contractor will test you on day one with something (or in such a way) that it may initially seem a waste of your abundant talents. This is your opportunity to prove competence (or otherwise) and successfully passing this test (with enthusiasm) will enable you to develop the attachment to gain the level of experience you need to prove competence at CEng level. Not passing will give you ample opportunity to develop your coffee making skills…
Well, well, well , I knew you’d come in useful sometime.
Do send the details of the bridge abutment – I’m nearly back ‘gettin’ down wit da kids’ on foundations – I always like to make it current
My experience with boundary retaining walls is that the ‘L’ of the cantilever is the awkward way around – you end up with a shear key – I’m sure this will make sense to you.
Of WALLAP – Danny Borin’s software is well-liked by the contractors ….because it gives ‘stiff results’ If there’s a checking side …and if they use something like Arup’s FREW you might find yourself arguing over just how much movement to expect- you, having been brought up right, will see this for the cant it will be – I’m sure my spelling’s wrong somewhere here.