AGS Victoria Symposium 2024
Piling and Ground Improvement Applications
Call for abstracts
The Victorian Chapter of AGS is pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for the 2024 AGS Victoria Symposium on ‘Piling and Ground Improvement Applications’ to be held on 18 September 2024.
The symposium forms part of the continuing program of events organised by the Victorian Chapter of the AGS and is designed to showcase piling and ground improvement applications in the regional geological setting. This symposium will be held as a face-to-face event in Melbourne.
The event
The construction industry has experienced a significant increase in piling and ground improvement works in recent years driven by development of major road and rail infrastructure projects under Victoria’s Big Build Scheme and construction of high-rise residential and commercial buildings in the CBD and suburban town centres. Fishermans Bend Development precinct, labelled as Australia’s largest urban renewal project and located within the Yarra Delta, will require significant piling and ground improvement works and is another example of such developments. In many cases these construction activities require piling and ground improvement works to be carried out in areas with space constraints, limits on ground vibration, noise and offsite impacts while ensuring the safety of workers and the durability and integrity of the foundation support system. Increasingly, these activities are occurring in dense urban environments and benefit from supporting instrumentation, monitoring and early warning systems.
The piling and ground improvement solutions can vary greatly depending on the geological setting, which in Melbourne, ranges from compressible soft soil in the Yarra Delta, reactive soil and high strength rock in the basalt plains and weak rock associated with the bedrock underlying Melbourne. Tailored ground engineering solutions in piling and ground improvement works are often required to achieve project objectives in these diverse geological settings.
Research work on piling and ground improvement has undergone considerable expansion in recent decades, driven by advancements in materials, design and construction techniques. This research is being propelled in part by the exploration of recycled materials, eco-friendly binders, innovative cementitious materials and emerging technologies aimed at improving piling and ground improvement methodologies.
The Symposium aims to provide a platform for geo-professionals to exchange insights and ideas on piling and ground improvement applications with a particular focus on addressing challenges in the local geological setting including Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The following is a list of suggested topics:
- Piling applications including bored piles, CFA piles, driven piles, micropiles, sheet piles, diaphragm wall, barrettes etc.
- Ground improvement methods (surcharging, wick drains, stone columns, soil mixing, dynamic compaction, roller impact compaction, rigid inclusions etc.)
- Grouting applications (jet grouting, permeation grouting, chemical/resin grouting etc.)
- Piling and ground improvement techniques to address geotechnical challenges including deep foundations, earth retention, groundwater control, soil improvement/reinforcement, tunnelling stabilisation, foundation repairs and underpinning, void/sinkhole mitigation etc.
- Pile and ground improvement testings and construction verification techniques
- Constructability aspects of deep foundation and ground improvement
- Analysis, design and numerical modelling for piling and ground improvement applications
- Geotechnical characterisation and construction monitoring for piling and ground improvement applications
- Sustainability in piling and ground improvement
- Case studies in piling and ground improvement in Melbourne and regional Victoria
Nominations
The Victorian Chapter of the AGS invites national and local practitioners, contractors, academics and industry experts to submit abstracts on a topic related to “Piling and Ground Improvement Applications”. Abstracts should be not more than 300 words and prepared in accordance with the abstract submission guidelines outlined below. Completed abstracts should be sent to Mohammad Saberian via [email protected] by 19 April 2024 for consideration by the organising committee.
Abstracts will be selected based on their quality and relevance to the Symposium topic with the successful author(s) invited to submit a six-page paper for presentation at the symposium. We encourage submissions from geotechnical professionals as well as academia.
Important dates and submission
19 April 2024 – Abstract submission
26 April 2024 – Notification of accepted abstracts
8 July 2024 – Full paper submission
26 July 2024 – Paper acceptance notifications
5 August 2024 – Final paper submission and registration deadline
Abstract submission format
Please submit a word document, using the following template, following this information for abstract submission:
Authors’ full names:
i.e. Bob A. Smith, David, S. Smith
* Please underline the presenting author
Authors’ full affiliation
Position, name of company/university, email address and contact number
Title:
Title of paper, maximum 100 characters
Abstract:
Abstract text, maximum 300 words
Sponsorship
The organising committee is looking for potential sponsors of the symposium. Interested parties should contact Yuqi Tan via [email protected] by 3 May 2024.
Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.