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> NOTICE OF MEETING
>
> The 7th Ordinary Meeting of the 2001/2002 session will be held on Monday 8
> April 2002 at 7pm in the HAWORTH BUILDING, the University of Birmingham
> B15 2TT.
>
> Subject:      Selection of geotechnical design parameters
>
> Speakers:     John Billam PhD CEng MICE
>       Consultant, DTS Raeburn Limited
>       (formerly Department of Civil Engineering, The University of
> Birmingham)
>
> Synopsis:
>
> Good geotechnical design is a predictive (and therefore inductive)
> process, and a detailed knowledge of ground properties is one of its most
> important prerequisites.  In general our clients have always been
> reluctant to spend money on adequate site investigation, and seldom are we
> allowed enough time to do our work in a fully professional manner.  We
> delude ourselves if we think these circumstances will change for the
> better, at least in the foreseeable future.  But what we can do is to make
> better use of the information that we do have, instead of wringing our
> hands about what we don't have: this is the subject of the talk.  Critical
> State Soil Mechanics has proved to be a great unifying concept in our
> understanding of soil properties, and it has enabled us to banish much of
> the old empiricism and mystery that once plagued our subject.  Using the
> fundamental ideas of CSSM it is possible to extract much additional
> information from simple routine soil tests.  Such correlations should
> never become a substitute for classic soil testing, but their value lies
> in the fact that they can be used both as a check on conventional
> measurements and to fill in gaps caused by insufficient or inappropriate
> testing.
>
> Biography:
>
> John Billam began his career in general Civil Engineering with a
> contractor and local authority.  He then served in the Corps of Royal
> Engineers before spending three years in East Africa on the design and
> construction of embankment dams.  On his return to Britain he spent two
> years with a contractor on the design of heavy industrial structures.  He
> was then appointed Senior Soils Engineer with a site investigation
> contractor.  In 1964 John Billam joined the MSc Course in Foundation
> Engineering at The University of Birmingham, fully intending to return to
> industry immediately afterwards.  He was persuaded to stay at Birmingham
> to do research on the behaviour of soils sheared at high confining
> stresses, and he then joined the Foundation Engineering Course as a
> lecturer.  Thus began over thirty years of happy association with The
> University of Birmingham.  He became Supervisor of the MSc Course in
> Foundation Engineering in 1976, and held this position until his
> 'retirement' in 1997.  John Billam is now a consultant with DTS Raeburn
> Limited, is also associated with other firms and organizations, and still
> lectures occasionally at his Alma Mater.
>
> Members and visitors should aim to arrive between 6 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. and
> park their cars in a perimeter car park. Normal refreshments (bread, pate,
> cheese and coffee) will be available in the main bar of Staff House before
> the meeting. At about 6.45 p.m. members should walk across to the Haworth
> Chemistry Building.
>
> Honorary Secretary:   Jeff Mosforth
> E-mail        [log in to unmask]
>       The Midland Geotechnical Society        Tel.    01926 813747
>       c/o Geotechnical Developments (UK) Ltd  Fax.    01926 813302
>       The Wharf       <http://www.bham.ac.uk/CivEng/mgs/>
>       Marston Doles
>       Warwickshire
>       CV47 7SS                                        Registered Charity
> Number: 514610
>
>
>