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Geocomp-Sercel Partnership Enhances Solution Offerings
At Geocomp, we’re always looking for ways to help our clients solve complex infrastructure challenges with smarter, more efficient solutions. Now, through our integration with Sercel’s proven monitoring technologies, we can offer a wider range of advanced tools designed to enhance safety, improve efficiency, and extend the life of critical assets.
These technologies have been successfully deployed worldwide, and now, they’re available through Geocomp—backed by our deep expertise and commitment to delivering innovative, data-driven solutions.
Here’s a closer look at the solutions we’re integrating:
S-lynks: Real-time predictive maintenance, detecting structural anomalies before costly failures occur.
S-scan: Passive seismic technology for precise near-surface evaluations, reducing project delays and risk.
S-morpho: Rugged structural monitoring for harsh environments with seamless cloud integration.
Digital Twin: AI-powered virtual modeling for real-time tracking and predictive analytics.
These solutions help mitigate risk, streamline operations, and improve asset management. We look forward to sharing more insights into how they can support your projects. Visit our website for more information on these technologies: www.geocomp.com.
Successful Breakthrough for Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Expansion
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) project has reached a major milestone as the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) successfully broke through at the second artificial island. This marks a significant step forward in the construction of a new parallel tunnel, designed to enhance traffic capacity and connectivity in the region.
Geocomp has been involved in supporting this endeavor by providing critical instrumentation and monitoring since 2017.
Baseline Monitoring of Existing Structures
Before construction began, Geocomp implemented a monitoring system to assess the performance of the existing tunnel and portal islands. This system included:
- 16 Robotic Total Stations (RTS) positioned on the portal islands and within the tunnel
- Tilt meters, piezometers, crack meters, and seismographs for comprehensive data collection
Monitoring Temporary Construction Elements
During the construction of the new tunnel, Geocomp also provided instrumentation and monitoring for the temporary facilities required for the TBM launch and retrieval shafts.
Throughout the project, we have utilized our GIS web-based platform, iSiteCentral®, to provide real-time assessments of construction-related activity. This system integrates data from more than 500 sensors, including: automated MPBXs, inclinometers, strain gauges, and tilt meters.
Despite facing a year-long delay due to the discovery of a large ship anchor and other metallic debris in the TBM’s path, the project is now advancing toward completion. The recent successful breakthrough is a testament to the resilience of the project team and the effectiveness of Geocomp’s monitoring solutions in evaluating structural stability, verifying design performance assumptions, and minimizing risks.
Stay tuned for more updates as the project progresses!
Improving Mining Operations with Void and Rock Hardness Assessments
A major iron ore mining company in South Africa was facing two challenges:
1) Detect voids within the subgrade which could collapse during mining
2) Improve its understanding of rock hardness to better design its drilling and blasting operations.
S-scan Solution: Advanced Seismic Imaging
To address this challenge, Geocomp deployed its S-scan passive seismic 3D imaging system. This technology collects data from passive and active excitation to develop maps of shear wave and compressional wave velocities with depth. Geocomp’s engineers used these data to identify anomalies that can represent potential voids or weaker rock zones. These zones pose a substantial risk for collapse when mining is performed adjacent to them.
A blind surface wave tomography survey detected several anomalies. The boring data that were subsequently provided closely matched the interpreted anomalies validating the technology’s accuracy.
More Efficient Drilling and Blasting
Geocomp’s engineers and scientists used the combined shear wave and compressional wave data to develop assessments beneath the subgrade. The results allow the client to cross-correlate sparse boring data and better understand the spatial variability determined from geophysical surveys. This process reduces the geotechnical investigation cost and time while increasing hardness data accuracy. The rock hardness is one of the critical parameters used to design effectively drilling and blasting operations.
The Technology Behind It
S-scan combines passive seismic interferometry with sparse active stimulations and proprietary algorithms to produce high-resolution subsurface images. S-scan can uniquely provide both shear wave and compression wave velocity profiles with the same field deployment. It delivers an end-to-end solution, from survey design and data acquisition to processing and reporting. Sercel’s WingNT accelerometers enhance resolution at low frequencies, allowing for accurate subsurface scanning at both shallow and deeper depths.
Outcome
Geocomp’s engineering team used the S-scan data to show the client the locations of potential geotechnical risk due to void presence and hardness estimates to use in their drilling and blasting design. The client, working with their operations team, are continuing to establish means and methods to incorporate these approaches in their larger field operations.
Advancing the SR8: Ohio’s Largest Bridge Move
The SR8 Bridge project over the Cuyahoga River Valley in Akron, Ohio, is making significant strides, and Geocomp is at the forefront, providing a smooth and precise launch. Over the past few months, our team has been on-site monitoring incremental launch events and structural performance.
Geocomp’s cutting-edge monitoring technologies are playing a crucial role in the bridge move remaining on track. Our team is closely observing the launching nose assembly to help prevent excessive downward deflection while maintaining horizontal alignment. Multiple high-precision monitoring systems are in place, including an Automated Motorized Total Station (AMTS) mounted on the bridge, strain gauges, laser distance meters, and two additional AMTS units monitoring bridge pier and launching nose deflections from the ground.
Throughout the process, the client and the Ohio Department of Transportation have been actively following live monitoring data with Geocomp’s iSiteCentral® platform, gaining real-time insights into the bridge’s movement and structural performance.
With the first bridge push complete, the SR8 bridge moves closer to completion, and Geocomp is proud to support this engineering project with advanced monitoring and expertise.
Commitment to Excellence
GeoGro Welcomes Shana Carroll for an Engaging Discussion on Effective Communication
Geocomp’s internal women’s group, GeoGro, recently welcomed Shana Carroll, President of DW Kozera, for an insightful session on Effective Communication. With extensive experience in geotechnical engineering and leadership, Shana shared practical strategies for professional growth, including active listening, adapting communication styles, building confidence, and handling difficult conversations with empathy. She also emphasized the importance of non-verbal cues, receiving feedback thoughtfully, and maintaining a career journal. Her insights resonated deeply, equipping the women of Geocomp with valuable tools to enhance workplace communication and career development. GeoGro extends a warm thank you to Shana for her expertise and inspiration!
GeoTesting Express (GTX) Achieves Perfect Scores in CCRL Concrete Proficiency Tests
GeoTesting Express (GTX) earned perfect scores, straight 5’s, on the latest American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL) concrete proficiency tests, demonstrating our exceptional precision and consistency across multiple test parameters. A score of 5 in the CCRL program signifies performance within one standard deviation of the global average, placing GTX among the industry’s most reliable laboratories. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to delivering accurate, high-quality testing that aligns with industry best practices, ensuring dependable results for our clients.
