civil@ubc 2000

1CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC

spring/fall 2000

With this combined spring/fall issue of the newsletter, we arepleased to share with you recent activities of the Department.The last year has been a very busy and fruitful one. For the firsttime in many years, there has been no cut in the Department�sbudget; furthermore some new monies are being made availablefor targeted initiatives. So instead of expending energy on whatwe can no longer do, we are now focusing on opportunities.Amongst these are two Federal Government programs, namelythe Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Program that is

directed at research infrastructure, providing 40-cent dollars, and the Canada ResearchChairs (CRC�s) Program. In the Spring of this year, we were informed that our undergraduate program hadreceived accreditation for another six years, and the review was laudatory of theDepartment. Recently, CFI funding for an addition to the materials lab to complement Dr.N. Banthia�s research on advanced concrete materials has been received, and work on theaddition should be completed by early 2001. In addition, we were notified of CFI fundingfor a $2.5 million earthquake research facility, and we now await a matching contributionfrom the BC Knowledge Development Fund. The leader of this project is Dr. C. Ventura,backed by other faculty members in the structures and geotechnical areas. Faculty renewal continues to be a very high priority. A major focus of our efforts atpresent is our geotechnical group. Between mid-1997 and mid-2002, the Department willhave seen its four most senior faculty in this area retire: R. Campanella (1997), L.Finn(1998), P. Byrne (2001) and Y. Vaid (2002). We are currently seeking a replacement inDr. Vaid�s area, and a CRC position in earthquake engineering with emphasis on soil-structure interaction. The significant roles that our geotechnical group has played andcontinues to play are highlighted in the very thoughtful �View from the marketplace�column written by Al Imrie of B.C. Hydro, as well as in the description of researchactivities related to soil dynamics. The provision of high quality infrastructure support is an issue with which we continueto wrestle. While new programs have been developed for faculty and equipment, a gap stillexists for the recurring funding of highly qualified technical support personnel. This is anissue that we will be focusing our attention on in the years ahead. We continue to feature people in the newsletter: active and retired faculty, sessionallecturers, undergraduate and graduate students, and staff. We touch on activities such asconferences, competitions and scholarships, as well as alumni reunions such as those of theclasses of 1949 and 1950, where my wife Elfie and I were accorded a very warm reception. Lastly, a number of other activities and initiatives are described throughout thenewsletter. I look forward to receiving your comments on this issue. Please contact me [email protected].

Alan Russell, Department Head

The successful faculty seminar series will

be offered again this year. Targeted at

faculty, staff, students, and members of

industry, the schedule of presentations

during the second term is as follows:

23 January 2001, Peter Byrne:

The Earthquake Hazard in the Lower

Mainland: What Will Happen When the

Big One Comes?

27 February 2001, Thomas Froese:

Information Technology and .Com - How

Will They Change Civil Engineering?

20 March 2001, Carlos Ventura:

The Art and Science of Earthquake

Engineering

Please visit www.civil.ubc.ca for details

regarding rooms and any last minute

changes to the schedule.

The Department has provided support for

this year’s 4th-year class to conduct a

survey of the grads of ‘99 and ‘00. We are

interested in how many are working as

civil engineers and where, what those not

practicing civil engineering are doing, and

so forth. For more details, please contact

this year’s 4th-year Civil

Engineering Club President, Mr. Brian

Lee. He may be reached at 451-8297 or

[email protected].

Seminar series enters 4 th-yearMessage from the Head

Where are they now?Students survey department grads

CIVIL ENGINEERING at UBC2

Effective implementation is provided byprofessors in a number of ways, i.e., by himor her (1) carrying out specialist consultingfor the public and private sectors; (2)providing specialized testing (e.g., shaketables, centrifuge) or tools (e.g., software) nototherwise available commercially; and (3)developing and guiding applied researchattuned to the needs of industry.

UBC/Industry interaction

UBC�s Department of Civil Engineering hascertainly been providing this linkage in aneffective manner, with many of its staffparticipating in or contributing to industrialassignments. Some examples are listed below(please note that the list only gives asampling of these assignments, is notintended to be complete, and emphasizesgeotechnical issues disproportionatelybecause of the writer�s background):

� Pioneering the theory and practiceof Cone Penetration for sitecharacterization

� Applying a two dimensional EffectiveStress Analysis computer program(TARA-3) to embankment dams

� Publishing data and articles enablingpractitioners to have betterunderstanding of the effects ofdirection of principal stress and ofdrainage on the liquefactionbehaviour of sandy materials

� Adapting powerful codes or programstaken and applied from use in otherdisciplines in new situations (e.g.,FLAC used in rock mechanicsevaluation and modified for use ingeotechnical problems)

� Actively collaborating in theCANLEX Initiative (a multi-agencyuniversity-industry program) to helpadvance the knowledge of soilliquefaction

� Developing numerical soil models, orconstitutive models, for deformationanalysis of soil structures undergoingliquefaction

A view from the marketplaceStrong linkages needed between academia & industry

Those of us working in industry often think of academic staff combining teaching and research duties, withany spare time devoted to writing papers on their research projects. But of course, there is anotherimportant element that professors can and should provide, and this is fostering a strong linkage between thecampus world and the marketplace. This role is key. Engineering is an applied science, but it can only beapplied effectively if its principles are current, value based and practical. This means they must be testedand used in the marketplace. The professor is instrumental in this implementation.

� Specialized laboratory testingincluding shake table tests of concretegravity dam models

� Carrying out QA review of thedynamic testing of a gravity dam,which helped identify and explainsome inconsistencies in the test results

� Developing and refining the UBCWatershed model for integration intoan inflow forecasting system

� Carrying out PMF studies for anumber of dams

� Conducting training assignments foroverseas projects in the field ofhydrology.

Many of these developments were firstapplied on projects of direct benefit to localconsultants and the engineering community. Of course it is important that the industrialneeds be fed back to universities, and this canbe done by practising engineers presentinglectures to students, which may includesuggestions for research or examples of casehistories. BC Hydro is pleased to participatein these presentations as do many otherowners and agencies. UBC Civil has been a strong supporter ofthe UBC - BCH Partnership program, whichalso helps to link the university and industrialsectors. Initiated by BC Hydro in the early1990s and focussed on Masters� students, itprovides a mechanism for funding continuededucation and enhancing a student�sknowledge, qualifications, and careeropportunities. In addition, the student gainsmeaningful work experience during thesummer months by working at BC Hydro.Students are selected from applications madethrough the university or from Hydro staff. For Hydro, the program gives access towell qualified students to assist in solvingtechnical problems. In addition, the problems(in the form of a research or thesis topic) arenormally posed / supported by BCH as beingamongst those considered important or evencritical to the Corporation�s ongoing work.

Future research:Challenges that lie ahead

One of the challenges for the Departmenttoday is that a number of professors eitherhave just retired or will be retiring shortly.We understand that not all positions are beingreplaced and this is a concern for industry, asI am sure it is for the Department. To helpaddress this situation is one of the reasonsthat the writer accepted a position on theExternal Advisory Council now being formedby the Department. With research monies being harder andharder to come by, we have developed thestrategy of seeking out collaborative researchsituations amongst other dam owners whichallow significant funds to be made forevaluating major common problems amongstthe participants. This approach has been usedin the university sphere as well; BC Hydroand UBC have already participated in one ofthese programs (CANLEX) and have agreedto participate in another about to getunderway. This is the �Development of aCanadian Earthquake Modeling Capability,�which will make use of a large centrifuge tomodel seismic loading and help advance thestate of practice in this critical engineeringfield. Other suggested opportunities arise fromthe fact that large civil structures may age inunusual ways as shown by Bennett Dam,which was an eye-opener for manypractitioners. This event suggests, forexample, that particle migration (movementof fine silt) may occur over time in large earthembankments under certain conditions. Wemust learn more about the process, and Isuggest that there is now an opportunity toundertake some of the strategic work onfilters, which would be an extension of somework already started at UBC. Industry wouldbe very supportive of such an effort.

Mr. Alan Imrie, M.Sc, P.Eng., P.Geo., is the Managerof Technical Services and Chief Technical Officer inthe Power Supply Engineering Division of BC Hydrowhere his responsibilities include technical guidanceand quality assurance review for professional staff.

by Al Imrie


People

Dr. Noboru Yonemitsu, expert in Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Dr. Yonemitsu joined the Civil Engineering Department as an Assistant Professor in July 1999. His backgroundis in Engineering Physics, which provides him with a very versatile technological knowledge base. Between1984 and 1997 he worked as a research scientist with various industries, including OKI Electronic Co.,Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd., and Suimon Engineering, Canada. He taught at the Department ofApplied Physics in Hokkaido University in 1986 and at the College of Science and Management at UNBC in1997-1998. His general area of expertise is that of environmental fluid mechanics. This spans a number of related areasand physical scales such as mixing processes in strongly stratified fluids (hydrodynamic instabilities and

interfacial waves, interfacial friction), interaction between micro-scale turbulent structures and benthic organisms, contaminant/sedimenttransport in the stratified environment, rehabilitation of mine-tailings ponds, and development of on-site wastewater treatment systems. Hisapproach to these problems has been through the use of laboratory and field experimentation allied with relatively simple numerical andanalytical models. Dr. Yonemitsu can be reached at [email protected].

Meet the faces of Civil Engineering at UBC

Dr. Loretta Li, expert in Geoenvironmental Engineering

Dr. Li joined the Civil Engineering Department as an Assistant Professor in August 1995 after spending 1-1/2years as an Assistant Professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Dr. Li teaches undergraduate coursesin soil mechanics and geoenvironmental engineering, and graduate courses in environmental geotechnique andsoil-contaminant interactions. One of her two areas of specialization is heavy metal contaminated soil remediation. She has developed aninnovative electrokinetic soil remediation technique that has successfully removed lead from ilitic soil for thefirst time. She has also specialized in experimental research work on soil-contaminant interactions, withemphasis on the migration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sub-surface soils. Her pioneeringresearch in red mud tailings is recognized world-wide, and she has been invited to give two keynote

presentations at international conferences on this subject. Currently, Dr. Li�s graduate students are working on topics such as VOC migration in sub-surface soil and intrusion into buildings,prevention and treatment of acid rock drainage (ARD), development of remediation technologies, contaminated site investigation, mobilityof contaminants, modelling of the fate of contaminants, and environmental mobility. Dr. Li may be contacted at [email protected]; her homepage address is http://www.civil.ubc.ca/home/lli.

Dr. Don Anderson, retired

Dr. Don Anderson officially retired effective 1 July 1999 after a 33-year academic career with the Department.A gala retirement party was held and attended by active and emeritus faculty, staff, family, friends and formerstudents. Don received his BSc degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta in 1956. He then worked as adesign engineer and field engineer in Edmonton from 1956-1960. He received his MS in Civil Engineering in1962 from the University of Illinois and his PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Stanford University in 1965.He worked as a research engineer at the Stanford Research Institute before joining UBC as an AssistantProfessor in July 1966. Don was promoted to Associate Professor in 1976 and Full Professor in 1990. As a faculty member, he has made significant contributions in the areas of nonlinear analysis of structures

for seismic excitation, theoretical and experimental analyses of masonry for seismic conditions, code provisions for masonry design,dynamic nonlinear response of blast loaded structures, and wall and shell instability analysis. Dr. Anderson�s advice has been sought on several world-class projects both near and far because he is outstanding in his field of appliedmechanics. He has been part of special visiting delegations to sites of major earthquakes around the world; documentation of the findingsfrom these visits has helped to shape current practice. He is recognized as the consultant�s consultant � a role he excels at among both themembers of the external engineering community and his Department colleagues in the areas of structural and geotechnical engineering. Throughout his academic career, Don was always a champion of students�his door was always open, and more often than not, astudent was either sitting in a chair talking with Don or discussing concepts on the board. Over many years, Don provided excellent service to the Department in several roles, including course scheduling, graduate advising,curriculum committee work, and five years as Assistant to the Head. Don remains active as an emeritus and members of the Departmentcontinue to enjoy his soft-spoken ways, friendly smile, quiet advice and wisdom, and sense of humor. ...People continued on page 6


Geotechnical engineering andsoil dynamicsLarge ground displacements have occurredduring past earthquakes due to soilliquefaction, causing severe damage tomany structures including buildings,bridges, and docks and lifeline facilitiessuch as road, rail, water, gas, sewer, andtelephone lines. Examples of such damageoccurred during both the San Fernando(1971) and Loma Prieta (1989) earthquakesin California. The Kobe, Japan earthquakeof 1995 caused very large grounddisplacements due to the liquefaction ofman-made fills and resulted inunprecedented damage to dock, bridge, andlifeline structures. Could similar damageoccur in the Lower Mainland? The coastal area of British Columbialies in a zone of high seismic activity. Manyareas such as the Fraser Delta are alsounderlain by deposits of natural and man-made soils that are prone to liquefaction.These areas have been built up, and

ResearchSpotlight on geotechnical research activities

remediation to curtail liquefaction is beingcarried out in the foundation soils beneathnew and existing structures. Millions ofdollars have been spent in densifying thesoils beneath the new Vancouver AirportTerminal building as well as the newcontainer port facilities at Delta port. Inaddition, the major bridges such as OakStreet, Port Mann, and Second Narrows arebeing studied, and ground treatment tocurtail liquefaction will be a major cost.BC Hydro has retrofitted a number of itsdams to curtail liquefaction, and theGreater Vancouver Regional District iscurrently studying liquefaction effects atSeymour Falls Dam, which supplies muchof the water for Vancouver. What are we doing in the CivilEngineering Department about this? Thegeotechnical faculty at UBC has beeninvolved in the earthquake-inducedliquefaction problem, both prediction andremediation, for the past 35 years. We haveconcentrated on the following aspects:

(1) Characteristic behaviour of soilunder loadingFundamental studies of the characteristicbehaviour of soil under simulatedearthquake loading have been carried outover many years. They have involvedtesting elements of soil under controlledconditions in the laboratory. This work,initiated by Drs. Finn and Campanella inthe 1960s, has since been continued by Dr.Vaid. Early tests showed that soilliquefaction occurs in water-saturated sandysoils due to the tendency of the sandskeleton or matrix to compact or densifywhen shaken. If the water cannot escape,the load shifts from the sand grains to thewater, and the shear strength and stiffnessof the soil drops dramatically and behavesas a heavy fluid � hence the term soilliquefaction. Dr. Vaid�s work in this area ofthe fundamentals of soil behaviour isinternationally recognized. Initially the question was about howmuch loading the soil could take before itliquefied and what energy or level ofdensification was required to prevent itfrom liquefying. Contributing factors suchas level of normal and shear stress andmethods of forming samples were alsoconsidered. Later, the concern became �ifthe soil does liquefy, what happens?� The test data showed that the soil willpick up strength and stiffness as it strains,the amount depending on its density and thedirection of loading. Samples or elementsloaded vertically are much stiffer andstronger than those loaded horizontallybecause the soil is inherently anisotropicdue to the way nature deposits the grainswith gravity acting vertically downward. Most recently, Dr. Vaid has beenconsidering the effect of drainage andfinding that only a very small amount ofwater injected into a soil element couldgreatly reduce its post-liquefaction stiffnessand strength. This effect has also beendemonstrated by Japanese researchers who

In this issue, we highlight past and current work in the area of soil dynamics; many significant contributions have been made.

Our geotechnical group currently consists of Peter Byrne, Jonathan Fannin (joint appointment with the Faculty of Forestry),

John Howie, and Yogi Vaid. From mid-1997 through to mid-2002, four faculty members in the area will have retired: Dr. Dick

Campanella (1997), Dr. Liam Finn (1998), Dr. Byrne (2001), and Dr. Vaid (2002). As a result, the group is going through a

very significant transition, the goal of which is to retain the excellence and strength that have been enjoyed over a very long

time period.

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conducted shake table tests that showedthat the stability of a sand slope duringshaking is greatly affected by the presenceof a layer of silt. In collaboration with Dr.Fannin, the scope of these tests is beingextended to novel offshore foundations. Inrelated assessments of earth structures, Dr.Fannin has been examining the dynamicbehaviour of geosynthetic reinforced soilstructures.

(2) Site characterizationWhile in principle it is possible to recoversamples from the site under considerationand test them to find their properties,testing for liquefaction, in practice,generally involves on-site penetration tests.Through correlation with both laboratorytests and field experience during pastearthquakes, such indirect test data can givereasonable estimates of soil properties foruse in analysis. Dr. Campanella and hisgraduate students were early leaders inequipment development for andinterpretation of in-situ tests. Dr. Howie isnow pursuing work in this area. Currentresearch projects include thecharacterization of ground improvedagainst liquefaction, the measurement ofthe energy input during penetration testing,the interpretation of penetration tests ingravelly soils, the capacity of helical pilesin sensitive clays, the use of geophysics tomonitor earth dams, and explosivecompaction.

(3) Analysis proceduresIn order to design against earthquake-induced liquefaction, it is necessary todetermine the soil properties from a fieldand laboratory testing program and thencarry out analysis to evaluate the likelyresponse in terms of the magnitude ofliquefaction- induced displacements. Inmany cases, when the predicteddisplacements are too large, foundationtreatment is required to increase density;the amount and extent of such treatment isdetermined from analysis. Drs. Byrne and Finn have been involvedin the development of such analyses overthe past 25 years. Basically twoapproaches are used: a state of practicetotal stress approach, and state of arteffective stress, which directly considersthe pore pressures generated duringshaking. In the early days, the triggering ofliquefaction was the target of the analysis,and if significant zones of liquefaction werepredicted, densification to reduce thezone(s) of liquefaction would be called forin design. More recently, emphasis hasbeen placed on displacement resulting fromliquefaction. In many soil structures (e.g.,the foundation of Canada Place), significantzones of liquefaction can be acceptableprovided that the resulting displacementswill not unduly damage the structure. At UBC, Drs. Finn and Byrne workingindependently have developed a dynamicanalysis procedure, which considers both

the triggering of liquefaction and theresulting displacements. The modelinginvolves dynamic analysis using prescribedearthquake design motions in which eachpulse of load is tracked in each soil elementand when liquefaction is triggered, themuch softer post-liquefaction behaviourbased on Dr. Vaid�s laboratory studies isincorporated into the analysis. In this way,looser zones in the foundation will bepredicted to first liquefy and soften; this inturn will affect how the rest of the structurebehaves. If the loose zones are at depth,they liquefy first and isolate the soil andstructure above. More complex analysis takes intoaccount the possible flow of water betweenelements, which can greatly affect thepredicted displacements. The analysis procedures developed atUBC to predict liquefaction-inducedresponse and to aid in the foundationdesign of new buildings and the retrofit ofexisting infrastructure are being used by themajor consulting firms and BC Hydro aswell as the B.C. Ministry of Transportationand Highways.

(Left) Building response to earthquake inducedliquefaction of the foundation soil, Adapazari,Turkey, 1999. (Above) Computer controlledtriaxial testing apparatus; capable of stress andstrain controlled testing.


PeopleDr. Alex Sy , Sessional Lecturer

Since 1988, Dr. Alex Sy has participated in the Department�s activities as a Sessional Lecturer in fourth-yearcourses in foundation engineering and graduate courses in soil dynamics, seismicity, and soil exploration. Hehas collaborated with Dr. Campanella to mount a short course on pile design and installation and hasparticipated in several research projects. He brings over 20 years of diverse consulting engineering experiencein geotechnical and earthquake engineering to both undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Sy is currently Vice-President, Geo-environment at Klohn Crippen Consultants Ltd., where he hasworked since 1977. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Queensland in 1975 and hisMEng and PhD degrees from UBC in 1985 and 1993, respectively. He has worked in Canada and Australia,with assignments in the United States, South America and Southeast Asia. Dr. Sy has extensive experience in

earthquake engineering, foundation vibrations, and pile dynamics, including the design and testing of pile foundations, in-situ testing,machine vibration analyses, seismic hazard assessments, liquefaction studies, and dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses. He hasauthored over 35 publications on these subjects. As part of his PhD research conducted at UBC, Dr. Sy developed a rational approach to correlations between Becker Penetration Tests(BPTs) and Standard Penetration Tests (SPTs) for liquefaction assessment in gravelly soils. His BPT interpretation method has beenapplied to several sites in Canada and the United States, including the seismic assessment of the Lion�s Gate Bridge north approach andBC Hydro�s Terzaghi, Hugh Keenleyside, and Mica Dams.

Chris Daniel, MASc, Geotechnical Engineering

Chris Daniel was born in Port Moody and raised in Alberta. He completed a BASc degree with distinction inGeological Engineering in 1997. His MASc thesis in geotechnical engineering, completed in 2000, concernedpenetration testing in gravels and included research into the fundamentals of energy transfer during the drivingof standard-diameter and large-diameter tube samplers. This topic is central to the assessment of theliquefaction susceptibility of gravels. Chris�s introduction to in-situ testing at UBC occurred over two summers of fieldwork during which heparticipated in field research programs at two BC mine tailings dams. His graduate work under the supervisionof Professor Howie initially focused on the Resistivity Piezo-Cone Penetration Test (RCPTU), but after a fieldtrip to Seward, Alaska, to assist the US Corps of Engineers with a drilling investigation of gravels that liquefiedduring the 1964 earthquake, he concentrated on dynamic penetration testing and energy measurement.

Chris is ideally suited to field-based research as he possesses a strong interest in outdoor activities, including orienteering, skiing, oceankayaking and climbing. He also loves to travel. He worked during the summer of 1997 with Klohn Crippen Consultants, assisting withfield exploration in the Peruvian Andes, and represented UBC at the in-situ testing competition at the Panamerican Conference in Brazil in1999. Prior to completing his MASc thesis, he took some time out to gain valuable practical experience with Thurber Engineering Ltd. inCalgary, Alberta. Chris was previously a recipient of an NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship during his MASc studies. He has stayed on topursue his PhD and now holds a Killam Fellowship.

Rozlyn Bubela, Premier ’s Award for Young W omen in Science

The top young woman in science can be found in UBC Civil Engineering. Last October, Rozlyn Bubela, whowas then a fourth-year Civil Engineering co-op student, was announced as the undergraduate winner of the 1999Premier�s Awards for Young Women in Science�and the $10,000 scholarship that goes with it. The Premier�s Awards recognize outstanding female students from technical disciplines where women arecurrently underrepresented. Winners must demonstrate strong leadership and research potential. Rozlyn waschosen for the top scholarship in recognition of her exemplary academic record, as well as her leadership,idealism, and commitment to the advancement of other young women in technical careers. In addition tomaintaining an average of 90% or better every year at UBC, Rozlyn served as a Residence Advisor for the lastthree years of her undergraduate degree program. �Rozlyn is a truly exceptional student,� said Dr. Bruce Dunwoody, Associate Dean of UBC Engineering

Student Services. �She is a young woman who, clearly, has shown her potential as a future leader in the engineering profession.� Following completion of her BASc degree, Rozlyn began graduate studies in Structural Engineering and in a few months time, shehopes to be working with Professors Helmut Prion and Carlos Ventura. Rozlyn is still an active volunteer, these days devoting her time tothe �Scientists and Innovators in the Schools� program, which seeks volunteer scientists, engineers, technologists & technician s to visitclassrooms throughout BC. The program is an initiative of the Provincial Government administered by Science World and Rozlynencourages others who might be interested in getting involved to visit the Science World web site at www.scienceworld.bc.ca.

continued from page 3...


In five short years, Civil Engineering Co-opEducation has gone from a summer-onlywith just 18 students participating, to ayear-round program with over 120 students. Students are pre-selected for academicexcellence (based on a minimum of twoyears in UBC�s engineering program) andpersonal strengths and then employed full-time for periods of four- to eight-monthwork terms. Work terms start every fourmonths (September, January and May),ensuring employers year-round access totalented, bright students. Our studentswork throughout Canada and around theworld! Demand for co-op students is strong,and employers who offer quality co-op

Yvonne Wai recently gained a wide view ofwhat engineering is all about. The thirdyear Civil Engineering student worked as aco-op student at BC Hydro for a four-month term, starting May 1999. Yvonne had the opportunity to workwith several engineers on different projects,with a focus on one major undertaking: the Seismic Upgrade Project to reinforcetransmission line towers in case of an earthquake. Her duties included getting up at 5:30in the morning to monitor and inspect pile driving and then writing a report based on herinspection. �I looked forward to going back to school where I could apply real work experience tomy studies,� said Yvonne. BC Hydro is no stranger to the Engineering Co-op Program. Barry Anderson, Managerof the Stations & Transmission Department, has been hiring co-op students for ten yearsand says the biggest benefit is �we are getting real work from the students. We work thempretty hard. The students learn very quickly and bring strong computer skills.� BC Hydro is Canada�s third largest electric utility company, serving more than 1.5million customers and operating 61 dams in 43 locations.

Co-op student helpswith seismic upgrade

Dramatic growth for Civil Co-op!

The Department has hired Brian Walker tohelp promote its online presence. Brianearned his MEng from the Department inthe area of Geotechnical Engineering. Brian is preparing selected coursematerials for delivery online. Initially,online resources will be tailored tosupplement classroom learning by allowingincreased access to course materials andcommunications functions. Experiencegained in this initial stage of coursedevelopment will be used to guide thedistribution of resources for future onlinelearning initiatives. An important long-termgoal is to develop robust online materialsfor courses suitable to distance education. The two major course delivery schemesavailable to Civil Engineering are WebCTand MyCourses. WebCT is a powerfulcommercial course authoring tool initiallydeveloped at UBC. MyCourses is a smallerscale course delivery system designed withease of use in mind. This system wasinitially developed for use by the Faculty ofApplied Science; however, it couldpotentially be scaled for campus-wide use. Work is underway to make the CivilEngineering web pages database driven,providing means for timely updates andmore dynamic content. Web material isbeing developed to summarize current andpast research initiatives and promotefaculty interests. A long-term goal is todevelop a Civil web portal as a centrallocation at which students, staff, and facultycan access all online resources related toCivil Engineering at UBC.

Department seeksgreater online webpresence

positions will have a significant advantagewhen students are making career decisions.Hiring co-op students is one of the bestways for an employer to increase visibilityon campus and attract future graduates. The Civil Engineering Co-op Program iscommitted to finding the best fit betweenan employer�s workplace needs and our topstudents. We provide employers with one-stop access to some of the best students inCanada and our coordinators ensure thathiring is quick, convenient, cost effective,and professional. For more informationplease contact Shawn Swallow at (604)822-4280 or [email protected] can also visit the co-op website atwww.coop.apsc.ubc.ca.

This fall, Civil Engineering, together with Wood Science, offered a new course on the topic of building science and enclosure design. Thisis an important course in light of the current concerns about how the exteriors of our buildings are performing, particularly following thedisaster with �leaky condos�. The course objectives include providing fundamental understanding of the loads such as thermal, moisture,and wind, on a building�s exterior, and how building envelope elements of different materials and configurations fulfill their functions. Thecourse also focuses on the importance of detailing envelope systems, particularly looking at the continuity of system elements. A hands-onapproach has been adopted which includes building science calculation work, as well as detail drawings of wall assemblies. The issues arediscussed in the context of building codes and professional practice, with field trips and guest lecturers providing students with insightsinto the local context, including research currently underway. The course is being taught by a graduate of this department: Douglas L. Watts, BASc (UBC, Civil 1980), MArch, PEng, MAIBC,MRAIC, CP, BEP. Mr. Watts has practised as an architect, and as a structural engineer, and has taught in the architecture programs at theU. of Washington and UBC. He most recently finished a two-year term as the City of Vancouver Building Envelope Specialist. He serveson a multitude of boards and committees focusing on Building Envelope issues. The Department continues to pursue fundraising for a chair in order to create a full-time, permanent position in Building Science andEnclosure Design.

Civil leads the way in Building Science


Following an encouraging rookieperformance in 1999, UBC again fielded ateam to participate in the millenniumedition of the American Institute of SteelConstruction (AISC) Steel BridgeCompetition in Spokane, Washington inApril. This annual event challengesstudents at universities in the US andCanada to assemble teams capable ofdesigning, fabricating and building a six-metre (20 foot) span steel bridge. Last year�s respectable sixth-place finishgave the 2000 team some valuable insight,not to mention first-hand experience, viafour returning team members, includingteam captain Rozlyn Bubela. This edge,combined with the enthusiasm of seven newmembers, raised hopes for a morecompetitive showing. Judging of overall performance wassimilar compared to the previous year, withbridges ranked according to total weight,deflection under prescribed loads,construction speed, efficiency andeconomy, and aesthetics. However, a newset of rules concerning increased span andtighter construction constraints providedincreased technical challenges. Nonetheless, some of the results didimprove: Using a simple and structurallyefficient design, the 2000 team constructedtheir 22-foot bridge in a competitive sevenminutes, compared to 11 minutes in 1999.Unfortunately, this year�s team wasn�t quiteas successful in the deflection competition,

Civil students compete in AISC Steel Bridge CompetitionTwo-years strong

where under an initial load of 2,000 lbs theUBC bridge slumped laterally, resulting indisqualification. While this was obviouslydisappointing, the team took heart in thesupport and constructive criticism offeredby other teams. The students felt that thisopen attitude exemplified the true natureand purpose of the event, and provided fora tremendous learning experience for allinvolved. In 1999, the team placed secondfor bridge stiffness with a five millimetrevertical deflection under a full load of2,500 lbs.

Team UBC 1999 (from left to right): Ed Wang, Jason Esau, Eugene Chong, Canisius Chan, PeggyLeung, Rozlyn Bubela, and Michael Roberts.

Team UBC 2000 (from left to right): Rozlyn Bubela, JamesYoneda, Terence Jibiki, Fabio Garbin, Simon Drexl, Brian Lee,Terrence Davies, Peggy Leung, Canisius Chan, andJason Esau. Missing from photo: Anu Saini.

Students of both the 1999 and 2000teams participated in the Steel BridgeCompetition in their �free time,� spendinglong hours fabricating parts, practicing set-up and soliciting financial support. Thelatter was made easier with generoussupport from the Civil EngineeringDepartment as well as from variousmembers of the engineering and steelconstruction communities. In fact, in aneffort to encourage future participation, theDepartment has pledged ongoing supportfor as long as there exists an enthusiasticand devoted team focussed on learning andpositive results. Students and/or sponsorsinterested in getting involved with the 2001UBC Steel Bridge Design Team shouldcontact James Yoneda [email protected]. Congratulations to all team members in1999 and 2000. Your performance hasmade us proud!


Civil EngineeringAssoc. Prof. ThomasFroese has receiveda three-year$618,750 grant fromthe Natural Sciencesand EngineeringResearch Council ofCanada for aninternationalresearch projectaimed at reducing

the amount of human intervention requiredin sharing building information. The resultscould lead to improvements in buildingefficiency and more accurate estimates intendering for work by those in a relativelylow-margin business. �When you build a building, a lot of theprocess happens before a shovel goes intothe ground,� says Froese. �The bulk of that

Reprinted, in part, from UBC Reports,October 5, 2000

Engineers aim to build data bridgeshas to do with information handling.Problems in a building project often have todo with information breakdowns�wronginformation, late information.� Froese says a common data standardwould help speed up the adoption of newinformation technology. He and Civil Engineering Dept. HeadAlan Russell are collaborating withresearchers from the National ResearchCouncil, the University of New Brunswick,Concordia University, Ryerson PolytechnicUniversity, and Public Works andGovernment Services Canada on theproject. Stanford University, the UnitedStates Corps of Engineers and theInternational Alliance for Interoperabilitywill also be involved.

An importantcomponent of theDepartment�s newDesignated DesignElective initiative isthe �designer-in-residence�. Theprimary objective is toprovide undergraduatestudents, especially

those in their final year, with access toindividuals who are renowned for theirconceptualization, design or constructionknowledge and accomplishments. Ofparticular importance is exposure of thestudents to the interdisciplinary aspects ofdesign, and the multitude of considerationsinvolved in finding solutions to meet theneeds for civil engineering infrastructurethat are technically, economically,environmentally and politically feasible. Mr. Paul Giannelia, the Project Directorfor the Confederation Bridge Project,accepted our invitation to spend two daysin residence during March of 2000. Hemade several in-class presentations andgave one public lecture. His presentationsdealt with �Thinking Outside the Box,��Development and Construction of theConfederation Bridge,� and �The NewMillennium, the Global Marketplace,dot.com and the AEC Industry.� Inaddition, he participated in classroomdiscussions, and had extended roundtablediscussions both with faculty members andgraduate students. Mr. Giannelia�s time inresidence was a great success, and theDepartment is very grateful for hiswillingness to take time out from anenormously busy schedule. The �designer-in residence� program will be continued thisyear. Dr. Robert Sexsmith([email protected]) is coordinatingthis initiative for the 2000-2001 academicyear.

ConfederationBridge Builder inResidenceMr. Paul Giannelia helps launch theDesignated Design Elective initiative

Paul Giannelia,President & CEO - SC

Infrastructure Inc.

Mr. Giannelia is the President and CEO of SCInfrastructure Inc. (�SCII�) and Strait Crossing Inc.(�SCI�), Calgary, Alberta. Some of the majorprojects he has undertaken include: the CambieStreet Bridge and Cassiar Connector in Vancouver,BC; the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Calgary, AB;and the Winward Viaduct in Honolulu, HI.

New earthquake engineering labmoves ahead

A view from inside the new facility.

The Department received notice duringthe summer that its application to CFIfor funding of a new earthquakeengineering research laboratory wasapproved. The total budget isapproximately $2.5 million, with 40%coming from CFI, another 40% fromthe BC Knowledge Development Fund(yet to be approved), and 20% fromUBC. Additional funding is beingsought for long-term support for highlyqualified technical support personnel.

Key features of the new facility will include:� A high head (30 feet) earthquake testing laboratory with the space for analysis of

test results and storage of related equipment.� Adequate space and access to accommodate realistically sized test specimens.

� A large reaction foundation mass that can handle high load capacity actuators.

� Provisions for future enhancements of the load and stroke capacity of the table.

� The ability to simulate all of the possible motions experienced during an earthquake(three translational and three rotational motions).

� State-of-the-art shake table control and test monitoring systems.

� A state-of-the-art telecommunications and conferencing system for remotemonitoring of tests.

� A strong reaction wall in the Structures laboratory for quasi-static testing ofassemblages.

Assoc. Prof. Tom Froese


ITEM 1949 & 1950 2000

Dean of the Faculty A Civil Engineer, John Finlayson A Civil Engineer, Michael IsaacsonMain source of students Veterans from World War II high schoolGraduating class 63 BASc Class of 49; all male; 113 BASc (72 male, 41 female) MASc

no graduate students (18); MEng (29); PhD (9)78 BASc, Class of 50; all male,no graduate students

Faculty members 20, all men, several were instructors 23.87 of which 2 are female; noinstructors

Focus of faculty Teaching and practice Teaching and researchProgram duration 1 year Arts & Science; 4 years engineering

4 years engineeringMinimum grade required for admission 60% in math, chemistry, physics, Approximately 82% average;to 1st year engineering and biology; 50% in everything else; approximately 11% failure ratefailure rate at end of 1st year approximately 33% failure rateCombined BA and BASc Possible to get double degree Only recently re-institutedDuration of courses Mostly a year long 1 term longEnglish Several courses in English, and 3rd Two courses in English

and 4th year essaysSurveying & drawings Several courses in each 1 drawing course, and 2 week

survey campRailway design 1 course NoneStructures & environment courses Heavy emphasis on structures; Reduced emphasis on structures;

none on environment environment courses andenvironment option

Most useful tool Slide rule Computer

The difference time makesDepartment Head celebrates 50 years with the classes of ’49 and ’50

The classes of �49 and �50 had their 50th

class dinner reunions on September 29,1999 and September 30, 2000 respectively.My wife Elfie and I were invited as gueststo both reunions and enjoyed very warmand memorable evenings. On bothoccasions, I was asked to speak and usedthe opportunity to contrast events at thattime with those 50 years later. I note a fewof these comparisons below. The most significant differencesbetween now and 50 years ago deal with afour- instead of a five-year program. Otheritems of note include the enormous increasein the knowledge base, informationtechnology and the computer, the vastlyincreased role of women in the program,co-op education and learner centered-education, which will eventually beavailable 24 hours a day via the web. Professors active at that time andthroughout the 50�s and 60�s who wererecalled with fondness by many were: FredMuir, Alex Hrennikoff, Ernie Pretious,Archie Peebles, Sam Lipson, Wilf Heslop,Sib De Jong, and, Harry Bell. The last

by Dr. Alan Russell

remaining lecturer for both classes, Dr. JoeKania, who taught engineering economics,passed away this year at the age of 99. The very significant contributions to theprofession and society by members of bothclasses were noted. I was struck by thetremendous camaraderie of those present;they obviously enjoyed their experience at

UBC and the journey together�both whileat UBC and later throughout theirprofessional and personal lives. Manycontributed to making these two events anenormous success, but of special note areRay Cunliffe of the class of �49 and BryanQuinlan of the class of �50.

Memories and modern day: A few comparisons between then and now ...

Head Alan Russell and Dean Michael Isaacson (front row) share an evening with the class of 1949.


Conferences & short course activitiesUpcoming events

This workshop on welding is designed tospecifically target practicing professionalssuch as engineers and architects. The aimof the workshop is to provide a forum topresent and discuss current design practice,technologies and codes in welding.Practically oriented topics will be coveredin order to increase in-depth weldingknowledge and to promote creativeapplication of welded structures. Speakersinclude practicing engineers and architects,academic educators and researchers andleading representatives from industry andjurisdictional authorities. Both architecturaland engineering aspects will be addressed. The workshop is sponsored andsupported by the Canadian Welding Bureau(CWB) and the Canadian Institute of SteelConstruction (CISC). For moreinformation contact Dr. Sigi Stiemer [email protected].

International Workshop on Welding:An update on design, technologiesand codes for engineers andarchitects

University of British ColumbiaFebruary 22-23, 2001

Hosted by the Department of CivilEngineering, UBC, the Third InternationalConference on Concrete under SevereConditions of Environment and Loading(CONSEC�01) will be held in Vancouver,Canada from June 18-20, 2001. The firstconference in this series was held inSapporo, Japan in 1995 followed by thesecond conference in Tromso, Norway in1998. At CONSEC�01, over 300 papers willbe presented on diverse topics including:Performance of Concrete Structures underSevere Environments and Loading, NewDesign Concepts, High Performance andNew Materials, Operations, Maintenanceand Repairs and Structural HealthMonitoring. For more information contactProfessor N. Banthia [email protected].

Vancouver, BCJune 18-20, 2001

Third International Conference onConcrete Under Severe Conditionsof Environment and Loading

Recent events

Fifth International Symposium onStratified Flows

Greg Lawrence, Noboru Yonemitsu andRoger Pieters hosted the fifth InternationalSymposium on Stratified Flows at UBCfrom July 10-12, 2000. This symposium,sponsored by the International Associationfor Hydraulic Research, is the premiersymposium in the field, held only onceevery 6-8 years. The Fifth Symposium wasthe largest to date, attracting over 200papers covering a wide range ofinvestigations into stratified flows in lakesand reservoirs, rivers and estuaries close tooceans, and the oceans and atmosphere.Tantalizing insights into current research onwakes and vortices, jets, hydrodynamicstability, internal waves, and turbulence andmixing were also provided. Forinformation about obtaining proceedings,contact Dr. Greg Lawrence [email protected].

World Conference on TimberEngineering

The Department of Civil Engineering wasone of three organizing sponsors of theWorld Conference on Timber Engineeringheld in Whistler July 31-August 3, 2000.The conference attracted over 400delegates from 35 countries and featuredpresentations on a wide scope of timberengineering issues, ranging from WoodMechanics and Connection Methods toConceptual Design and Earthquake andResistance of Wood Buildings. Drs.Helmut Prion and Ricardo Foschi served onthe organizing committee. For informationabout obtaining proceedings contact Dr.Helmut Prion at [email protected].

Road Safety Improvement Training

Dr. Tarek Sayed organized a 3-day seminarto train new consultants joining the ICBCroad improvement program (June 19-21,2000). The seminar was hosted here at theDepartment and was attended by 25engineers representing 5 consulting firms.The objective of the seminar was to providegeneral training in the area of road safety.

Announcements

NRC approves new journal

Recently, the National Research Council inOttawa approved the creation of the new�Journal of Environmental Engineering andScience.� This journal will be located, (atleast initially), within the Dept. of CivilEngineering, near the current CJCE office.Co-editors will be Don Mavinic, UBC andDan Smith, University of Alberta, who havespearheaded the initiative over the last 8-10years. This is the first new journal approved byNRC in about 8 years. Target date forlaunch, in electronic format, is Sept. 2001,with 6 issues per year, starting formally inJanuary 2002.

Department particpates in newcertificate in Structural Engineering

In response to engineering industry needs, anew certificate program in structuralengineering has been developed jointly bythe Vancouver Structural Engineers Group(VSEG) and the Department of CivilEngineering. Courses offered through the program areintended to enhance the skills andknowledge base of structural engineers toassist them to become more effective intheir firms (the program is unrelated to theAPEGBC structural qualificationsinitiative). The Certificate is awarded upon thesuccessful completion of 12 courses chosenfrom a selection of core and electivecourses. The program is also open toanyone wishing to take individual updatecourses. Courses begin in September, Januaryand April; most include lectures bystructural engineering professors andpracticing professionals. Lectures will beheld in the evenings at the VancouverPublic Library Main Branch lecture rooms. About half the courses are focused onbuilding design, while others are useful fordesigners of any type of structure and willalso be of interest to designers in the bridgeand heavy industry fields. More information about the program isavailable on the VSEG web site at:www.structeng.ba.ca.


Civil Engineering at UBC is a publication ofthe Department of Civil Engineering in theFaculty of Applied Science, at The Universityof British Columbia

Production Contributors:Ms Clare Quirk, Administrative AssistantDr. Alan Russell, Department HeadMs Vicki Dimopoulos, SecretaryMs Laurie Dawkins, Communications Officer,Dean’s Office

Special note is made of the expert assistanceprovided by Mrs Donna Shultz of the Facultyof Applied Science.

For further information about the Departmentof Civil Engineering and its programs, contactus at:

Department of Civil EngineeringCEME Building2324 Main MallVancouver, B.C.Canada V6T 1Z4

Tel: (604) 822-2637www.civil.ubc.ca

Charles and Jane Banks Scholarship:Awarded on the recommendation of the Faculty,General ($500): 1999 Recipient: Evan Cornish($500); 2000 Recipients ($2500): Chad JohnCranswick ($1000), David Scott Wallace($1000), Robert Dies ($500).

Christopher E. Webb Prize:Top 4th year student in water resources, ($300):1999 Recipient: Kenneth Ka-K Cheung ($300);2000 Recipient: Stuart Ian McGregor ($300).

Delta Hudson Engineering Ltd. Scholarship:Entering 4th year in soil mechanics (CIVL 311),($1000): 2000 Recipient: Matthew John RonalHumphries ($1000).

Edith Grace Buchan Scholarship:Awarded on the recommendation of the Faculty,General ($1500): 1999 Recipients: CheetaLorain M. Soga ($750), Peggy Leung ($750);2000 Recipients: Chung-Mehdi Jalayer ($500),Tat David Lam ($500), William Wai Lam Yip($500).

Frederick W. Coffin Scholarship:Awarded on the recommedation of the Dept. ofCivil Eng, General ($6600): 1999 Recipients:Amy Lam ($1600), Nathan Paul Loewen($1600), Kenneth Cheung ($1100), Vikki Ngan($1100), Nga Chau ($300); 2000 Recipients:Amy lai Tim Lam ($1000), Daniel Leonard($1000), Ho Pong Li ($1000), Colin Macmillan($1000), Ian Randall ($1000), Brandon Young($1000), Hei Yiu Brenda Ma ($600).

Golder Associates Geotechnical Scholarship:Top 4th year student in soil mechanics. ($1000):1999 Recipient: Rozlyn Bubela ($1000);2000 Recipient: Hei Yiu Brenda Ma ($1000).

Harry R. Bell Scholarship:CIVL 235, Plane Surveying (2nd best). Also forgraduate students, ($1000x3): 1999 Recipients:Daniel Leonard ($1000), Ho Pong Li ($1000),Dominic Tsang ($1000); 2000 Recipients: WaiChi Chow ($1000), Nang Tat Agnon Fung($1000), Sonya Vrtacic ($1000).

Ian S. Ross Memorial Award in Engineering:($550): 2000 Recipient: Daniel John Potts($550).

J. Fred Muir Memorial Scholarship:General ($5250): 1999 Recipients: Yiu PongRaymond Chan ($1600), Chun Lam ($1600),Evan Cornish ($1200), Stuart McGregor ($425),Vikki Ngan ($425); 2000 Recipients: PhyllisChan ($750), Aaron Hahn ($750), Tony SaiKuen Lee ($750), Nathan Paul Loewen ($750),Omri Olund ($750), Chit Ling Patrick Tong($750), Peter Chin Wai Wong ($750).

J.K. Zee Memorial Scholarship inEngineering:Undergraduate or graduate, ($3000):1999 Recipient: Rozlyn Bubela ($3000).

Ken Strauss:Top 4th year student in soil mechanics. Also forgraduate students ($1200): 1999 Recipient:Kenneth Cheung ($1200).

Lafarge Canada Inc. Scholarship:4th year concrete design ($500):1999Recipient: Kenneth Cheung ($500);2000 Recipient: Brian Ho-Yin Lee ($500).

Lambert Scholarship:4th year most deserving student ($400):1999 Recipient: Rozlyn Bubela ($400);2000 Recipient: Hei Yiu Brenda Ma ($400).

MacKenzie Swan Memorial Scholarship:Academic leadership ($1000): 1999 Recipients:Rozlyn Bubela ($500), Kenneth Cheung($500); 2000 Recipient: Nathan Paul Loewen($1000).

Martin R. Tupper Memorial Award inCivil Engineering:Leadership in intramurals or in the EngineeringUndergraduate Society, ($700):1999 Recipient: Nadine King ($700);2000 Recipient: Brian Ho-Yin Lee ($700).

Read Jones Christofferson Ltd. -John H. Read Scholarship:4th year best overall, financial need ($500):1999 Recipient: Evan Wayne Cornish, ($500);2000 Recipient: Daniel John Potts ($500).

Roy Francis Hooley MemorialScholarship in Engineering:Outstanding aptitude in Structural engineeringin 3rd year of Civil Engineering to 4th year.($900): 1999 Recipient: Rozlyn Bubela($1000); 2000 Recipient: Stuart Ian McGregor($1000).

Sybren Hendrik De JongMemorial Scholarship:Top student in Civil 235, Plane Surveying($1375): 1999 Recipient: Stuart Ian McGregor($1375); 2000 Recipient: Daniel John Potts($1375).

Thomas Arthur Beeching Scholarship:Awarded on the recommendation of Faculty,General ($2100): 1999 Recipients: Nga Chau($500), Ming William Cheung ($800), YanShun Leslie Chow ($800); 2000 Recipients:Brian Ho-Yin Lee ($800), Stuart Ian McGregor($700), Matthew John Ronal Humphries($500), Mabel L.W. Chow ($100).

Walter Shukin Memorial Scholarship:Entering 4th year in a soil mechanics (CIVL311) and participates in other university orprofessional activities ($950): 1999 Recipient:Cheeta Lorain Soga ($950); 2000 Recipient:Mabel L.W. Chow ($950).

Many thanks to the above donors whosesupport is greatly appreciated! Andcongratulations to all of the students!

Undergraduate scholarshipsCurrent undergraduate scholarships within Civil Engineering

Over the years, a number of scholarships have been created by generous individualsand organizations for the purpose of assisting deserving students during the course oftheir studies. Listed below are current scholarships, the basis for their award, and therecipients for the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 academic years. For information aboutcreating and endowing an award, please contact Dr. Alan Russell at [email protected].

civil@ubc 2000

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