ohio power plant foundation
TRANSCRIPT
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Ohio Power Plant Foundation
Project ID: CEEn_CPST_011
by
The U.S./Guam Alliance
Austin Kennedy
Taylor Emmertson
Will Berger
Chloe Gogue
A Capstone Project Final Completion Report
Submitted to
Jaren Knighton
Kiewit Engineering, Inc.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Brigham Young University
April 12, 2021
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Executive Summary
PROJECT TITLE: Ohio Power Plant Foundation
PROJECT ID: CEEn_CPST_011
PROJECT SPONSOR: Kiewit Engineering, Inc.
TEAM NAME: U.S./Guam Alliance
The project requires that group members analyze the soil stresses and provide
recommendations for suitable foundation systems and ground improvement techniques for a power
plant in Ohio. Each member will perform the necessary research, calculations, and analysis needed
to determine how best to approach building the foundations of said power plant. The required load-
bearing capacities of the soil for each area of the power plant will be used to formulate proposed
foundation systems. The project timeline extends from September 2020 to April 2021. Meetings
are to be held regularly; and consistent communication is to be maintained with Jaren Knighton, a
Kiewit Engineering liaison, and the team’s project advisor. A detailed benefit analysis will be
presented comparing multiple options for each section of the power plant. The team will deliver
their final recommendations for the foundation systems on each section of the power plant
determined by Jaren Knighton based on the geotechnical tests performed by Kiewit Engineering.
Performance Standards
The team will provide work for this Capstone project “as is” using best practices and with
best effort. Project results cannot be construed as work performed by licensed professionals and
cannot be used as “stamped deliverables” without first being reviewed, approved, and stamped by
a qualified and relevant licensed professional engineer.
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Table of Contents
List of Figures 3
List of Tables 4
Introduction 6
Schedule 7
Assumptions & Limitations 8
Design, Analysis & Results 9
Lessons Learned 11
Conclusions 12
Recommendations 133
Appendix A 144
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List of Figures
Figure 1 - Required soil bearing capacity for sections of power plant
Figure 2 - Boring test pit locations and site conditions
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List of Tables
Table 1 - Foundation options with advantages and drawbacks
Foundation System Application Advantages Drawbacks
Spread footing with
slab
- Wall loads present
- Shallow
- Cost-effective
- Non-skilled labor
- Simple
construction
- Higher settlement
- Requires higher soil
bearing capacity
- May cause
irregularity in future
structure
Pier and Beam - Shallow
- Steel buildings
- Swelling soils
- Applicable in a
variety of site
locations
- Allows room for
crawl space/
basement
- More expensive
shallow option
Pile - Deep
- Large Structures
- Areas with
unsuitable shallow
soil
- Areas with high
groundwater table
- Bypasses shallow
soil
- High load
capacity
- Corrosion-
resistant
- Possible pile
damage during
construction
- Located below
ground level
- Custom pile lengths
common (increased
cost)
Matte foundation - Large distributed
loads
- Areas with weak soil
- Buildings with
basements
- Resists
differential
settlement
- Very strong
- Low cost when
doubled as floor
slab
- Swelling soils cause
uplift
- May need heavy
reinforcement
- Experienced labor
needed
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Table 2 - Ground improvement techniques with advantages and drawbacks
Technique Application Advantage Drawback
Grouting - Filling pores in soil
or rock
- Decreased
permeability
- Higher shear strength
- Quality assurance
is unknown
- Difficult in
shallow depths
Deep Dynamic
Compaction
- Densifies soil by
dropping heavy
steel/concrete
weight with crane
- Increased density
- Increased strength
- Decreased settlement
- Lower liquefaction
potential
- Higher bearing
capacity
- Non-applicable in
areas with soft
cohesive soils
- Non-applicable
within 100ft of
existing building
Vibro-compaction/
Vibro- Replacement
- Course aggregate
added to existing
hole and compacted
using vibration
- Increased density
- Reduced
differential/total
settlement
- Higher bearing
capacity
- Granular soil
contains more
than 12-15% silt
or more
Rammed Aggregate
Piers
- Aggregate/grout
columns added
below slab
- No dewatering
- Short construction
time
- Increased soil
stiffness
- Limited Bearing
capacity per pier
- Increased cost per
additional pier
Wick Drains - Drainage path for
excess pore water in
soft/compressible
soil
- Reduced long term
settlement
- High equipment
cost
- Only viable in
shallow depths
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Introduction
The project requires that team members provide recommendations based on geotechnical
data provided by Kiewit Engineering for a power plant foundation in Ohio. The power plant is
broken up into sections based on the required bearing capacity of the soil, thus analyses and
recommendations will be made for each section. A final report will be provided to Kiewit
Engineering and Capstone Leadership. This report will detail multiple options for foundation
systems for each section of the power plant differing in cost and ease of construction. The team’s
recommendation will be provided explaining why Kiewit Engineering should construct that
specific type of foundation. A detailed schedule is provided below to aid in showing the approach
in delivering the final recommendations by the end of April 2021.
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Schedule
Monday, Oct 26
Week 1 (Oct 26-31)
Week 2 (Nov 2-7)
Week 3 (Nov 9-14)
Week 4 (Nov 16-21)
Week 5 (Nov 23-28)
Monday, Nov 30
Week 6 (Nov 30-Dec 5)
Week 7 (Dec 7-12)
Week 8 (Dec 14-19)
Weeks 9-11 (Dec 21-Jan 9)
Week 12 (Jan 11-16)
Week 13 (Jan 18-23)
Week 14 (Jan 25-30)
Week 15 (Feb 1-6)
Week 16 (Feb 8-13)
Week 17 (Feb 15-20)
Week 18 (Feb 22-27)
Week 19 (Mar 1-6)
Week 20-22 (Mar 8-27)
Week 23 (Apr 1)
Week 24 (Apr 12)
Submit Statement of Work
Print data sheets to bring to the meeting with Dr. Rollins
Schedule meeting with Dr. Rollins
Print data and begin organizing it into sections
Meet with Jaren to clarify questions concerning scope
Research options for foundation systems and their criteria
30% completion report.
Continue research for foundation systems
Begin soil analysis to classify sections with
foundation options
Continue to classify sections with foundation options
Christmas Break
Continue soil analysis/label sections with foundation options
Verify current project direction with Jaren
Bring analysis to Dr. Rollins for verification on numbers
Begin comparing options
Compare options in regards to cost/ease of construction
Gather recommendations
Organize findings
Begin work on final presentation and meeting with
Dr. Rollins
Continue with final presentation/report
Present at Capstone seminar
Present final powerpoint to Jaren
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Assumptions & Limitations
Due to the limited nature of the project, all loadings listed in Figure 1 are assumed to be
distributed or line loads. All recommended foundation systems will be based on this assumption
with little to no regard towards specialized foundation systems required by power plant equipment,
if any.
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Design, Analysis & Results
The design of the project has been determined under the guidance of the group mentor and
project representative. Analysis of the power plant was done in separate sections, where team
members focused on one building per week. Each building had unique circumstances and data
sheets that were produced from test pits (Figure 2). This data played a vital role in determining
which ground improvement technique (Table 2) and foundation type (Table 1) to use.
Provided below is a list of the soil conditions and expected settlement of each building
(Figure 3). Please note that the settlement calculations are based on raw soil data alone and do
not account for ground improvement techniques. Therefore, the values listed provide a “worst-
case” settlement scenario.
The final list of recommended foundation types and ground improvement techniques for
each building can be found in the “Recommendations” section.
Figure 3: Settlement and bearing capacity equations
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Table 3: Soil conditions and anticipated settlement of buildings
Structure Soil Conditions Anticipated
Settlement
Water Treatment
Building
- Sandy clay
- High water table due to entrapped water
⅝ in.
Tank Farm - Sandy gravel
- Entrapped water
⅝ in.
Cooling Tower - Sandy gravel
- Half lies on entrapped water
½ in.
Admin Building - Clayey silty sand ½ in.
GSU/UAT - Gravelly sand
- Must excavate top portion of clay so that deep
dynamic compaction reaches intended soil layers
⅝ in.
Turbine Building - Mostly well-graded gravel, with a patch of clay in
the middle
⅝ in.
AUX BRL Building - Gravelly sand with a top layer of clay
- Entrapped water
⅝ in.
HRSG - Well graded gravel with thin layer of lean clay with
fine gravel
⅞ in.
Electrical/Ammonia
Building
- First two feet are clay and need to be excavated
- The soil underneath is gravelly sand
½ in.
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Lessons Learned
This project has taught us many lessons in communication and collaboration. The greatest
challenge we faced was our limited knowledge and general inexperience. Therefore, we
emphasized reaching out to our mentors, leaders, and professionals in the field to help us gain a
basic understanding of the principles we employed in our calculations for this project. These
circumstances have helped us maintain communication with our faculty mentor for help and
direction in interpreting data and choosing an ideal foundation system.
Given our busy schedules and the current world social state, we have also learned how to
effectively communicate within the team via social media messaging and Zoom calls. This formed
part of our Wildly Important Goal, which was to maintain regular communication. We predicted
that by doing so we could best complete the project. Over the course of the project, we have also
come to better understand the importance of meeting attendance and the crucial role that each team
member plays. Additionally, we have learned how to properly reach out to professionals to seek
advice and coordinate meetings.
Through this collaboration, we have learned more about computing differential settlement
and have applied this new knowledge over the course of this project. We have also had the
opportunity to look over various charts, graphs, tables, and other compilations of data collected
from the field where our project is being built. We have been interpreting the data and comparing
the plots to see how different soil characteristics relate to each other. As we have neared the end
of our project and begun to make final decisions, we have come to understand that practice and
real-world experience are essential in this field. Armed with the knowledge, advice, and insights
from professional civil engineers, we feel confident in the recommendations we have made.
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Conclusions
As the end of the project approaches, conclusions have been made concerning the results
of the soil analysis. Each building has been recommended a foundation type and ground
improvement technique to be used in order to reduce total soil settlement under each building.
These results have been reached via intensive research and collaboration with professionals. The
list of recommendations can be found in the following section of this report.
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Recommendations
Below is a compiled list of the recommended foundation system, ground improvement
technique, and anticipated settlement (Table 4). Recommendations were decided via group
collaboration and based on the soil conditions and anticipated settlement found in Table 3.
Projected settlement and the possible effects of preventative settlement techniques were also taken
into account. These conclusions were made based on thorough research and study, and to the best
of the team’s ability.
Table 4 -Ground improvement techniques and foundation type
recommendations per site area
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Appendix A
Chloe Gogue
275G Farenholt Ave. Suite S-366, Tamuning, GU 96913
1(801) 577-8302 · [email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-gogue-a1a0b616b/
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering December 2021
Brigham Young University Provo, UT
● 2.56 GPA
SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
● Proficient in: Geographic Information Systems (ArcMap, ArcGIS), AutoCAD, Microsoft Office
● Familiar with: Autodesk Revit, SAP 2000
● Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition (2020)
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Civil Engineering Intern June - July 2020
N.C. Macario & Associates Inc. Tamuning, GU
● Created engineering diagrams (architectural, structural, electrical, and plumbing) in AutoCAD for
residential buildings
● Improved understanding of AutoCAD through daily use
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Club Officer August 2019 – Present
Co-President (August 2019 - April 2020), President (April 2020 – Present)
● Seismically designed and tested a scale-model balsa wood skyscraper to compete internationally
● Participated in the Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition 2020
● Performed managerial tasks such as, organizing meetings and ensuring deadlines were met
Full-time Volunteer Representative December 2014 – July 2016
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Denver, CO
● Built relationships with individuals through communication in both English and Spanish
● Developed both interpersonal and multicultural skills through interactions with people of diverse
cultures and backgrounds
● Taught goal-setting and problem-solving skills to local residents
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Taylor Emmertson ∙ (251)-490-2821 ∙ [email protected] ∙
∙ https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-emmertson ∙
Education Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering December 2021
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT GPA: 3.25
● Relevant Courses - Statics, Engineering Drafting with CAD Applications, Computational Methods,
Sustainable Infrastructure, Mechanics of Materials, Statistics for Engineers, Geomatics, Global
Leadership, Introduction to Transportation Engineering, Dynamics, Hydraulics and Fluid Flow Theory,
Technical Writing, Structural Analysis, Elementary Soil Mechanics, Materials Analysis
● Student Leadership - 2012 BYU ASCE Student Chapter Vice President, BYU Southern Students’
Association Committee Member
● Scholarships - Brigham Young University Academic Scholarship, Douglas R. & Nancy P. Ferrell
Scholarship
● Student Membership - BYU Society of Women Engineers, BYU Society for Women in Civil Engineering,
BYU ASCE Student Chapter, BYU Southern Students’ Association, BYU Honor Society - Phi Eta Sigma
Engineering Experience Intern - Utah Department of Transportation May - August 2020
● Tested asphalt samples from road construction projects and recorded information to verify the sample
materials met project standards.
● Inventoried and organized concrete cylinder samples for load-bearing tests, which assessed the strength
of the concrete material and its concurrence with regulation requirements.
● Supervised road construction projects and kept track of the progress in reference to deadlines and
completion requirements.
● Collaborated with employers and other coworkers to discuss important project matters and foster
internal growth as an engineering team.
Projects
● Strawberry Reservoir Mill and Fill: road reconstruction May-July 2020
● Mayflower Mountain Resort: bridge construction May-July 2020
● Traffic Signal Installation projects in Heber and Charleston, Utah: May-July 2020
● Kiewit Engineering Group Inc.: Ohio power plant foundation Sept 2020 - April 2021
Skills/Certifications
● ArcGIS
● AutoCAD/Revit
● VBA Spreadsheet Coding
● Oral and Written Presentation Skills
● Proficiency in Microsoft Office
● ASCE BYU Student Chapter Member
Additional Work/Service Experience Humanities 202 Teaching Assistant - BYU Online August 2019 - Present
● Review textbook material and information with students to prepare them for tests. Tutoring and academic support are
offered through video chat, collaborative documents, and other study aids.
● Discuss with 20th-percentile students how they might improve their writing skills for routine assignments. Students’
writing grades have improved by up to 27%.
● Attend weekly meetings with the professor to discuss expected learning outcomes and calibrate the grading curve.
● Completed frequent surveys to evaluate my performance as an online TA and record my work hour
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Austin Kennedy (970) 274-6202 ∙ [email protected] ∙ linkedin.com/in/austin-kennedy-b973b817a/
EDUCATION
Brigham Young University Jun 2021
Bachelor of Science: Civil Engineering, Emphasis in structures Provo, UT GPA 3.59
BYU President’s Leadership Council Scholarship
ASCE member
Structural Analysis, Computational Methods, Engineering with CAD Apps, Structural Steel Design,
Foundations of Global Leadership, Geomatics, Technical Writing
INTERNSHIPS
Summer Intern, Instrument Person May 2019-Aug 2020
High Country Engineering Glenwood, CO Assisted party chiefs in 50+ surveying jobs to improve efficiency over the course of two summers
Utilized surveying instruments such as GPS and total station to conduct As-Builts, ILC’s, and ISP’s
Created hand-drawn sketches of 10 buildings for ISP CAD work
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Team Lead Sep 2020-Apr 2021
Brigham Young University Capstone Project Provo, UT Coordinated with Kiewitt Engineering to design a foundation system for a power plant in Ohio
Reported hours to client and faculty mentor to maintain a consistent schedule
Directed team efforts in research and design to generate foundation ideas
Custodian, Floor Lead Sep 2018-Apr 2019
Missionary Training Center Provo, UT Oversaw cleaning procedures for several floors of a building to maintain a pleasant learning environment
Instructed and interacted with 10 volunteers per day in additional cleaning services
Reported weekly supply needs to maintain sufficient stocks
EXPERIENCE IN SERVICE
Volunteer Sep 2020
Humanitarian Experience for Youth Salt Lake City, Utah
Managed a station in Reservoir Park for 6 hours for youth to color a section of sidewalk
Engaged with and tutored 120 teenagers in how to use chalk to create images about hope for the future
Full-time Volunteer, Secretary July 2016-June 2018
Religious Organization Lima, Peru
Conducted training meetings for 20+ representatives
Managed inventory of supplies in office and in 180+ representatives’ living quarters
Planned and reported daily, weekly, and monthly goals to improve efficiency and impact
Collaborated with organizational members to increase efficiency and minister to new members
SKILLS/INTERESTS/ACHIEVEMENTS/ABILITIES
Fluent Spanish International Baccalaureate programme graduate, Life rank as Boy Scout
HazCom Training
Personal talents and interests include hiking in the outdoors, making sketches of architecture and nature,
writing, learning new topics
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