Alan Binns, Geotechnical Expert Witness at Plough Geotechnical Ltd

This one day course will provide a general overview of slope stability design for geotechnical practitioners and engineers. The course is aimed at technical staff with first degrees in civil engineering, construction, geology and related subjects; it will also be useful to non-technical staff who wish to gain an appreciation of the various factors involved in slope stability design. The mathematics in the worked examples is not complicated – the aim of the course is to give attendees an understanding of the physics of the problem not a course in mathematics. The course will look at how information is obtained and then used to provide a design for stable slopes. It will also look at the derivation of the formulae used for slope design. Course content  Shear strength of soils  EC7 design: Partial Factors and Limit State Design of slopes  Short term and long term conditions in cuttings and embankments  Plane translational slides  Rotational slides  Factor of safety  Computer methods  Rock slopes - plane, wedge and curved failures  At the end of the course the delegates should have :  An understanding of how soil and rock slopes fail  An appreciation of the philosophy of EC7 design  A basic understanding of the analysis and design of slopes in soils and rocks.. The next courses will be Thursday 19th September in Banbury and Friday 11th October at Birchwood,Warrington . To book your place visit https://www.equipegroup.com/training/geotechnical/slope-stability-design

Commercial developments, such as retail parks, office blocks, industrial units and other non-residential projects are often built on brown-field sites. The land around these sites can often be unstable due to previous developments, landfill and prior re-modelling of the landscape. Similar to residential developments, the land needs to be analysed before any building work is undertaken, to ensure that the ground is stable and remains so in the future. Commercial developments often need a high load bearing platform and deeper foundations, possibly underground development where land stability, free from movement is essential. Wirral based Plough Geotechnical Ltd are specialists in providing Geotechnical support for commercial developments across the UK.

Are you a residential developer looking to build new homes? Looking to build an individual house or extension? Have you found your new-build plot of land yet? With increasing pressures on suitable land for development, developers and builders are finding it increasingly difficult to find suitable land. Often this pushes new homes being built on far-from-perfect land and requires geotechnical expertise for residential developers to ensure the homes they build are fit-for-purpose.

Do you have cracks in the walls of your home? Not small, hairline cracks, but larger more structural cracking? Do you have “zig-zag” cracking from the corner of windows? Can you see evidence of the exterior wall coverings cracking? Can you see into the cracks? What about the paths and paving around your house, have these changed shape? Maybe become uneven with dips and rises where they used to be perfectly flat? Does Your House Suffer from Subsidence, Settlement or Heave? All these signs could prove to be subsidence, settlement or heave and need to addressed before further damage to your property.

Do you need a retaining wall building? Maybe as part of a construction site with newly created earthworks? You may be levelling a building plot for a new house or houses. Many homeowners level their gardens by excavating land and creating retaining walls. Regardless of the size or complexity of the job, to correctly design and build a retaining wall needs expert advice. Retaining wall specialists, Plough Geotechnical Ltd will carry out detailed analysis of the surrounding area to ensure that suitable and fit-for-purpose retaining structures are built.

Creating and designing the correct foundations for any building or construction project is critical for the stability and safety of the building. Wirral based Plough Geotechnical Ltd, foundation design experts, work with architects, engineers and developers to ensure that all technical conditions and guidelines are met before the build commences.

Alan Binns, Director of Wirral based Plough Geotechnical Ltd, has more than 50 years’ experience in Geotechnical Engineering and has become one of the country’s most respected experts, working with clients throughout the UK in providing practical site work, expert analysis, design advice, providing impartial assessments and will act as an expert witness should the needs arise. Land engineering and analysis from Plough Geotechnical Ltd will give you the specialist support you may require in any construction project, large or small.