Beyond these studies and design projects within the field of Geology & Geotechnics, developed for more than twenty five years, GEG has been supporting the development of applied studies and master's thesis, empowering the broadening and deepening of the knowledge on this specific area. GEG aims to support and follow the current research on this scientific engineering area, due to its enduring development. With this initiative GEG also aims to promote, at the same time, a culture of excellence and continuous innovation in its design. In this second edition of GEG News 2014 some of the main recent geological and geotechnical design projects are presented, revealing where GEG has been involved in the last years. The presented project selection comprises the diversity of sectors, location and scope of work performed by GEG. Finally, R&D projects related with the development of master thesis are highlighted, with emphasis on geotechnical engineering applied to the classified Douro Region.

News #2

December 2014

Board of Administration

ENGINEERING

STRUCTURES

FOR LIFE

Geotechnics & Geology – GEG’s early days

Geotechnics & Geology #2 December 2014 1

Geology and Geotechnics are transversal to all engineering projects, in the most diverse sectors, from buildings to railways, roadways to metros, ports and maritime structures to dams and hydraulic works. As services provided by GEG since its beginning, in 1987, geological studies and geotechnical design are currently key services, where GEG keeps gaining an extensive experience. Besides being a crucial support to all the design projects carried out by GEG, following and complementing other engineering disciplines, the division of Geology and Geotechnical Engineering in GEG also provides highly qualified technical and consulting services in specific areas, namely site investigations, ground characterization and improvement, analysis of its behavior and interaction with structures, in feasibility studies, erosion control, control of impacts and risks, and in the development of design projects applied to the stabilization of soils, cliffs and slopes, among other fields. In the specific area of Railway Geotechnics, GEG has been developing many studies regarding embankments strengthening, drainage systems, risk analysis and technical and financial feasibility studies.

Hamriyah Power Plant,

in Sharjah

Excavation, Temporary Shoring and Cofferdams

Doha Metro, Qatar

Geological and

Geotechnical Design

Gran Canal Highway, Mexico

An unique geology

Cultural Centre in

Constantine, Algeria

Hydropower Plant in Lauca,

Kwanza river, Angola

Slope Stabilization

in Douro Railway

Scientific cooperation

with universities| GEG Services

& Sectors

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Hamriyah power plant

The Hamriyah power plant, located next to Hamriyah Port and Hamriyah Free Zone, in the United Arab Emirates, will be the largest in the Emirates, with a cost estimation of 125 million AED (Arab Emirates dirhams). The scope of this work was concerned to the future salt water pumping station for the Hamriyah power station, which involves the construction of Intake and Outfall structures, in addition to the pumping station.

The pumping station consists of a single storey reinforced concrete structure and the bottom of the pumping station is located about 13 m below the finished grade level.

On the field of power generation, the phases of expansion project will be completed by 2018 to raise the total generation capacity of Hamriyah Power Station to 2850 MW. On the field of water desalination, by 2021, this power station will be provided with total desalination capacity of 140 million gallons of drinking water per day.

Hamriyah power plant, in Sharjah – Excavation, Temporary Shoring and Cofferdams

Geotechnics & Geology

GEG Design

The consultancy services provided by GEG were related with the Design and Construction Supervision contract regarding the Seawater Intake and Outfall Systems of the Hamriyah Station for Power Generation and Water Desalination commissioned by the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) to Sogreah Gulf. GEG services included:

• Design of the excavations and temporary shoring and cofferdam systems required to enable the permanent works;

• Review on the use of tension piles to resist uplift;

• Design recommendations to counteract uplift, cyclic liquefaction, piping and heave phenomena;

• Dewatering analysis and verification of possible risks to the adjacent plant;

• Numerical modelling and analysis of the permanent exterior walls and imposed loading, the foundation system including an alternative to tension piles and the design of the permanent wing walls;

• Risk analysis for the surrounding infrastructures and buildings;

• Feasibility study regarding the use of unsupported or supported slope excavations;

• Quantity surveying of the revised permanent structures and foundations (steel, concrete and formwork) and complete quantity surveying of the temporary works.

GEG Client: Sogreah Gulf

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Doha Metro, Qatar – Geological Desk Studies and Geotechnical Design

The new Metro in Doha, the capital of Qatar, will be one of the most advanced metro systems in the world and the main ambition is the FIFA World cup in 2022. The metro network will consist of four lines and is planned to be built in four phases.

GEG was invited to join a consortium for a design-build bid, for two of the packages defined by Qatar Railways Development Company for the first phase of the network (Phase 1a).

Taking part in a team of specialized design companies and with WSP’s leadership, GEG developed the geological studies to support the tender design of about 11 kilometers of double TBM tunnels, 8 underground stations and other accessory structures.

Client: Construction Consortium AndradeGutierrez/Queiroz Galvão/Ramco Design Group: WSP, Ferconsult and Figueiredo Ferraz

Gran Canal Highway, Mexico – an unique geology

The Gran Canal Highway is an urban motorway, located along the Gran Canal, in Mexico city, between Rio de los Remédios road and the Mexico Texcoco motorway. This new road will have an extension of approximately 14,5km and its original design estimated something like 5km of viaducts and six junctions, aiming to solve the current traffic saturation on the existing roads.

GEG is responsible for the geological and geotechnical studies and for the complete design of the project. Composed with complex structures, with high seismic resistance requirements, and with unique and severe geological conditions, the Gran Canal Highway has been defined since the beginning as a huge geological and geotechnical challenge.

The Gran Canal Highway is located in the lake area that corresponds to Zone III, according to the geotechnical zoning established in the Mexican standards. The Lacustrine deposits are composed of highly compressible clay deposits, separated by layers of sand with mud or clay. The layers of sand have a “stiff” to “very stiff” consistency, and its thickness varies from a few centimeters to several meters. The lacustrine deposits are often covered by alluvial soils, dry materials and artificial fillers. The overall thickness may be higher than 50 meters.

Client: Mota Engil México

GEG was also in charge of the temporary works design for all stations, switchboxes, evacuation shafts and a through, including both cut-and-cover and top-down methods. GEG developed the parametric analysis according to Eurocode 7 to support the geotechnical design for the temporary and permanent works; the design analysis of different construction methodologies such as bottom-up or top-down approach, use of temporary ground anchors or propping; the temporary work design according to EC7 for all underground stations, switchboxes, evacuation shafts and trough; the technical documentation required to support consortium decisions and the bill of quantities.

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Hydropower Plant in Lauca, Kwanza river, Angola

Cultural Centre in Constantine, Algeria

GEG was responsible for the preliminary design of all engineering disciplines, with special emphasis to the geological and geotechnical studies, instrumentation and monitoring plan, slope stability analysis, design of earth retaining structures, structural and foundations design, plumbing, mechanical and electrical installations.

The implementation of this complex at the slopes of Bardo, in the north of the city of Constantine, is characterized by a considerable excavation to allow the construction of the buildings and their underground floors. The geological and geotechnical complexity, the region’s seismicity, the steepness of the slopes, the landslide potential and the short construction time granted, due to the 2015 event’s tight deadline, were some of the factors that had to be considered in the design, affecting the conception of the solutions. Solutions and methodologies were widely studied and developed between architects and engineers in order to be consistent with the short period given for construction. The use of steel structures and precast elements are good examples, as well as the several studies regarding the best-fit layout of the buildings, leading to different configurations to minimize earthworks volumes, earth retaining wall and shoring needs, foundations and to facilitate the construction schedule.

At the HP Laúca site, the Kwanza river develops in a valley surrounded by sub-vertical rock slopes, with more than 100m of height, and with a natural drop in the stream of nearly 100m along 2km. The hydropower facility comprises a Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) Dam, with a height of 132m and a length of 1100m, which is located upstream of the natural drop, forming a lake with 188km2 and a volume of 5621m3. It consists of an hydraulic generation circuit formed by the water intake, forced tunnels, underground main plant and restitution tunnels on the right bank. The total power installed will be 2.069,5MW, being 2.004MW from the Main Powerhouse and 65.5 MW from the Green Plant.

The Cultural Centre comprised the original program of the Arab Capital of Culture for 2015. It consisted in a Palace to embrace different cultural events and venues, a Library and a Museum, covering a total area of 50.000m3.

These three distinct facilities, addressed in a single volume, were set towards a impressive plaza with an area of approximately 40.000m2. 2 underground floors for car parking were foreseen in the project, with a capacity of almost 2.300 places.

The Laúca project began in 2012 and is scheduled to begin to generate electricity in 2017. The design has been developed by INTERTECHNE Consultores, S.A. for the constructor ODEBRECHT ANGOLA. INTERTECHNE has a technical team on site, called Resident Engineering Group (GER), whose mission is to provide an interface between the construction and the design team. GER is also responsible for the monitoring and definition of technical solutions on site. GEG is participating on this project by providing several geologists to incorporate the GER team, developing geological mapping activities and prescribing initial support actions. Together with other geologists, the geology team is also responsible for monitoring the geotechnical site investigations, including field and laboratory tests of soils and rocks; cartography; support and recommendation on the necessary temporary stabilization actions and other technical advice related to geological-geotechnical issues.

Bardo, Constantine, Algeria

The Hydropower Plant (HP) in Laúca is an enterprise of the Government of Angola, through the GAMEK office which is responsible for the exploitation of Middle Kwanza. It is located at km 307,5 of the Kwanza river, about 47 km downstream from the Capanda hydropower facility, near the town of N'Hangue Ya Pepe. Laúca means "fall" in the local dialect known as Kimbundo, in allusion to the rocky outcrop overlooking the river.

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Client: Intertechne

Slope Stabilizations in Douro Railway

Slope stabilization located near EN 222 (km 132+200), Douro Valley

The EN 222 is a national road that crosses the Douro Wine Region, classified as World Heritage Site.

Knowing that GEG has a long term experience in such kind of activity, and adding the fact that GEG had several recent geotechnical assignments in the region, the main contractor awarded for the job requested GEG to develop the complete design for the stabilization project in order to assure the protection of the railway against potential similar situations in the future.

The set of stabilization measures that were implemented involved, among other solutions, the removal of unstable rocks, the installation of anchors and rock bolts, underpinning of large rock blocks, steel wire mesh for protection against rock falls, slides and breakouts, deep and superficial drainage systems and rockfall protection barriers and catch fences.

On the 27th of February 2010 a partial failure occurred on an old retaining wall, taking away the support of the extended vineyards hillside slope above the wall.

Due to this occurrence, an to the fact that these incidents are quite common, the Portuguese Roads Authority awarded GEG to develop a detailed study to evaluate the causes of such incidents and to design the required stabilization for this specific area. Taking into account that the region is classified by UNESCO, the proposed solutions were strongly constrained by patrimonial and landscaping concerns.

The study concluded that the failure episodes were linked to intense rainfall periods, which increased the water content in the soil and consequently decreased the shear strength of the materials along the slopes. The construction of a robust anchored retaining wall at the road level, carefully hidden behind a newly built traditional stonework wall, and an intense drainage system for the whole area were the main solutions applied.

Rock slope stabilization project at kilometer 142+500, Douro’s Railway

On December the 25th, 2009, a slope failure occurred in the Douro’s railway (one of the most charismatic railways in Portugal, connecting Porto to Pocinho, in the Northeast of the country), near the “Tua” station, more precisely at kilometer 142+500. The failure involved the collapse of a considerable set of large rocks. This incident was so massive that it damaged the railway in such a way that the line’s operation had to be interrupted during a period of 3 months. This period was needed not only to remove the large amount of rock blocks along the track and to put back the line in operation, but mainly to assure the overall safety by stabilizing that extensive and imposing rock face positioned above the railway.

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Client: OFM

Client: EP

GEG Services & Sectors

In GEG, we are committed to develop the best engineering solutions at an international level, promoting a culture of excellence and continuous innovation in the four main sectors of Buildings & Stadiums, Railways & Roadways, Water & Environment, Ports & Marine Works. Coordination & Supervision, Geology & Geotechnics, Risk & Safety, Bridges & Viaducts and Integrated Management & Procurement are specific areas of expertise that integrate the four mentioned sectors.

Scientific cooperation with universities

The Research & Development (R&D) projects sponsored or affiliated by GEG reflect an high capacity for scientific cooperation at an international scale. The purpose of the scientific cooperation with universities is to participate in the development of civil engineering solutions, the risk prevention and in the improvement for a more efficient and innovative project management, to meet the multiple challenges of our times: environmental sustainability and energy competent solutions, economic competitiveness investments, users’ well-being and minimization of the natural and technological risk.

GEG has been supporting research on the following major scientific fields: high-speed railways; dynamics in bridges, viaducts and buildings; micro dynamic behavior of sensitive buildings; specialized geotechnical engineering applied to tunnels and railways; slope stabilization; risk analysis; project management and development of sustainable engineering solutions.

GEG promotes important connections with the scientific and academic community, in Portugal and abroad, joining the initiatives promoted by scientific institutions, including network cooperation with prestigious universities and technological and scientific institutes in Portugal, Spain, UK, Austria and Switzerland (in Europe); Algeria and Libya (in Africa), and in the USA, through the "MIT Portugal" program. Nevertheless, the most important connection is with Porto University, with the support on master's theses.

Geotechnics & Geology in Douro wine region

The economy associated to Port wine production has been increasing its significance in the Douro classified region. This sector currently seeks for geotechnical engineering cooperation, aiming to find solutions that maximize the business profitability.

In this way and with emphasis regarding geotechnical engineering, GEG has challenged and followed several master thesis at Porto’s Engineering Faculty. The thesis scope encompasses the study and characterization of the backfilling soils and materials of the typical vineyard walled terraces located along the Douro valley steep hillsides and the subsequent stability analysis, in order to determine the optimum configuration for the vines (defining the largest possible production of wine per unit surface of vineyard and reducing maintenance costs).

The precipitation influence on slope stability in this region (in winter and summer periods) is one of the most important scientific fields that has been studied. GEG developed some design projects in the region, making use of its know-how and experience to support the transfer, systematization and development of knowledge.

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