2027 Webinar: Common Geotechnical Laboratory Tests and Their Application to Dam Engineering
Includes a Live Web Event on 11/09/2027 at 12:00 PM (EST)
Speakers: John France, PE, JWF Consulting LLC, President
PDHs: This webinar is eligible for 2 PDH credits.Geotechnical laboratory tests are used to understand soil composition and engineering properties to support analysis and design of dams. This webinar will review the common geotechnical laboratory tests used in dam engineering practice. Categories of tests to be discussed include:
• Index tests (gradation analysis, Atterberg limits tests, specific gravity tests, etc.).
• Maximum and minimum density tests.
• Engineering property tests (consolidation tests, permeability tests, direct shear tests, triaxial tests, etc.)
The purpose and characteristics of each test will be reviewed, followed by comments on how the results are used in dam engineering.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understanding geotechnical index tests and what they tell us about soils.
2. Understanding laboratory density tests and how they are used in dam construction.
3. Understanding consolidation tests and how they are applied in settlement analyses.
4. Understanding permeability tests and how they are used in seepage analyses.
5. Understanding strength tests and how they are used in stability analyses.
John W. France, P.E., D.GE, D.WRE
President, JWF Consulting, LLC
JWF Consulting, LLC.
John France has over 50 years of consulting engineering experience. Most of his technical work has focused on dams and water retention structures. He has been responsible for the evaluation, analysis, design, and construction of embankment and roller compacted concrete dams and their appurtenant structures. He has served on numerous senior technical review boards and panels for dam safety projects for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the Tennessee Valley Authority; BC Hydro; Brookfield Renewable Energy; and Eagle Creek Hydropower. John was the team leader for the Independent Forensic Teams tasked with investigating the 2017 Oroville Dam spillway incident and the 2020 failures of Edenville and Sanford Dams, MI. He is an instructor for ASDSO training courses on seepage, stability analysis, and emergency action planning, and he has presented numerous ASDSO webinars and workshops on various geotechnical topics. John has twice received the ASDSO President’s Award, and in 2022 he received ASDSO’s Danny McCook Medal for contributions to geotechnical engineering practice in dam safety.
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