John Mitchell Lecture: Piling in chalk – But if we know so much about chalk, why do we keep getting it wrong?

Overview

Chris Raison takes the audience through nearly forty years of experience dealing with foundation projects associated with chalk bedrock.

Chris points out that there are a huge number of technical papers, conference papers, guidance documents, and case histories providing information and giving recommendations for engineering in chalk.

Yet the UK industry keeps encountering problems, claims, and disputes all relating to chalk. It appears that large sectors of the construction industry are still not learning the lessons that are out there and are still not adopting good practice recommendations.

Chris presents seven brief case histories covering various periods of his career, ranging from 1987 to 2022. They all have some association with piling, but the lessons learnt are relevant to all foundation engineering. A number have been a disaster [for someone else, not Chris]; a few have been very successful.

All illustrate some fundamental engineering issues associated with chalk and give pointers on how to deal with the geological and geotechnical risks.

Chris emphasises that ignoring or being unaware of these risks can lead to potential and significant commercial and financial problems.

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Programme