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Civil Engineering = Siviele Ingenieurswese
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.101

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ISSN (Print) 1021-2000
Published by Sabinet Online Ltd

[185 journals]

Progressive steps to move on from the age of Covid-19 : thinking out of
the box
- Authors: Fana Marutla
  Abstract: It is unclear at this stage when economic activities will return to full normality. However, as the saying goes, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Thinking out of the box is what is required of us. Two areas that the country could focus on are infrastructure development and maintenance. My mind is particularly preoccupied with the level of railway infrastructure maintenance which can be done during this lockdown period by the two big rail operators in South Africa (Transnet and PRASA), and by the exciting possibility of high-speed trains (HSTs) as a further jobcreating opportunity.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Is your ethical compass broken'
- Authors: Gregory Skeen
  Abstract: SAICE’s Growing Forward Together strategy comprises eleven different activities grouped into seven areas. The second of these activities is Ethics, which focuses on the promotion of professionalism and integrity in the civil engineering industry. In order to increase awareness of the issue, Civil Engineering will feature short articles on relevant topics around the subject.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
BERRT 2019 - Eastern Cape : a celebration of South African bridge
engineering
- Authors: Alastair Morgan
  Abstract: What is BERRT, you may well ask' And what does it have to do with civil engineering, bridges and SAICE'
  
  Named for the first History and Heritage tour undertaken by members of SAICE in 2012, BERRT is an acronym for the Barkly East Railway Reverses Tour which explored and documented a remote, and yet fascinating and important part of the rich heritage of railway engineering projects and structures that South Africa has been endowed with.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Design of vertical gravity sea and quay walls – an overview
- Authors: Marisa Ackhurst
  Abstract: Gravity quay and sea walls, specifically block walls, have been used as some of the earliest engineering solutions. An example is at the historic Lothal Port (in India) where vertical walls have been constructed with fired mudbrick to provide a four-metre-deep dock. These walls date back to approximately 2400 to 2000 BC. As trade routes developed, knowledge transfer increased, which led to the development in construction materials and techniques. Stone and timber material structure combinations, and later concrete, were used. The Romans introduced the concept of timber caissons filled with marine concrete (De Graauw 2019). In the 19th century steam ships started replacing sailing vessels and the draughts of the vessels started increasing, resulting in the need for deeper berth structures. With the introduction of steel reinforcement more slender structures could be constructed. Steel piled solutions also became a viable structure option. To this day blockwork walls can still be the best solution, depending on the project requirements.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Trains least safe public transport for women
- Abstract: At the 99th Annual Meeting of the United States Transport Research Board (TRB) in Washington DC earlier this year, a South African research paper won the Charley V Wootan Award. The paper (Perception of Gender, Mobility and Personal Safety: South Africa Moving Forward), authored by Marianne Vanderschuren, Sekadi Phayane and Alison Gwynne-Evans, and published in the Transportation Research Record Journal, was the only international winner, with the other ten awards going to US researchers.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Public transport in South Africa – missed opportunities, future
potential
- Authors: Malcolm Mitchell
  Abstract: The current atrociously poor ‘integrated’ public transport system in South Africa’s metropolitan areas has been moulded by short-sightedness in past and present decision-making, as well as political influences. This has led to a number of lost opportunities. More recently alleged mismanagement and corruption have also played a role. Despite all these problems there is an opportunity to restore the system, provided certain actions are decisively taken.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Civillain by Jonah Ptak : It Gantt get any worse
- Abstract: Civillain by Jonah Ptak: It Gantt get any worse
  
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Financing transportation infrastructure development in the Southern
African Development Community
- Authors: Helene du Toit; Etiyel Chibira
  Abstract: Even though transport infrastructure is a foundation for development, the transport sector in Africa is plagued by numerous infrastructure challenges owing to a huge infrastructure gap that has developed over many years. Since the 1980s, the gap between demand and supply in all infrastructure subsectors has been widening rapidly in Africa. While transport demand has increased tremendously due to a high population growth and high levels of urbanisation, supply has remained constant, if not decreased. According to the African Finance Development Bank, a total of between US$35 and US$47 billion is required annually to close the infrastructure gap on the continent by 2025.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Intersection traffic engineering : part 3
- Authors: John Sampson
  Abstract: This is the third in a series of articles dealing with the practical design of intersections. The set considers every aspect of traffic engineering that affects intersection control devices, including daily traffic volume patterns, safety, capacity, delay, queues and levels of service. The first article in this series appeared in the October 2019 edition of Civil Engineering (pp 49–55) and discussed the basics of intersection control devices and traffic stages. The second article (November 2019 pp 26–29) dealt with traffic patterns and traffic counts. This third article considers the capacity of priority control devices.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Mechanically stabilised earth reinforcements
- Authors: Andrew Smith
  Abstract: French engineer and architect Henri Vidal invented Reinforced Earth® in the 1960s, an invention that has spawned a global industry of earth-reinforced structures. Vidal founded Reinforced Earth® design and supply companies throughout the world. Reinforced Earth South Africa (Pty) Ltd (RESA) was founded in 1975 and is a subsidiary company of Soletanche Freyssinet.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
PPPs can be the future, underpinned by technical excellence
- Authors: Bruce Engelsman; Darryll Kilian Steve Bartels
  Abstract: There is a growing realisation that large-scale infrastructure development in Africa will only be achieved through a co-funding arrangement with the private sector, but even then there are plenty of technical hurdles that projects must clear.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
In brief
- Abstract: Fifth edition of the Franki “Blue Book”
  Output at OMV Stilfontein boosted by upgrades
  Legal requirements for borrow pits
  Revolutionising cost and quality for a flawless spray-painting finish
  No shortcuts to quality – an alert from SAPPMA
  BCCEI gets green light from CCMA
  UKZN Civil Engineering is flying high
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Variation Orders in terms of GCC 2015 – what lies beneath'
- Authors: Theunis van Zyl
  Abstract: Variation Orders have always been an interesting topic, as the very nature of the Variation Order, or the timing thereof, may bring about some interesting consequences for the Parties to the Contract.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Dispute boards – ethics in today’s world of DRBs (article 12)
- Authors: Anton van Langelaar
  Abstract: An introductory article on Dispute Board ethics appeared in the July 2017 edition of Civil Engineering.
  
  It reminded the reader of a series of six articles on Dispute Boards (DBs) which had appeared in previous editions of Civil Engineering and advised that the next series of articles on DBs are aimed at specifics, dealing with pertinent aspects of DBs in more depth. It also advised that interspersed with these will be a series of articles on DB ethics penned by Jim Phillips PhD, Chair of the Dispute Review Board Foundation (DRBF) Ethics Committee. These articles were first published under the general heading of “Ethics in Today’s World of DRBs” in the DRBF Forum and are republished by kind permission of the DRBF and the author Jim Phillips.
  
  The article that follows is the twelfth of these articles on DB ethics that we will be reproducing (the first eleven articles appeared in the August and September 2017, and March, May, August and September 2018, and January/February, March, June and July 2019, and January/February 2020 editions of Civil Engineering, respectively).
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
SAICE-PDP impacts lives
- Abstract: SAICE Professional Development and Projects (SAICE-PDP), a non-profit company set up by SAICE to develop and drive capacity building initiatives, continues to contribute to capacity development both in South Africa and further afield. In response to the findings of the Numbers and Needs research carried out in 2004/2005, the company has worked tirelessly to address challenges faced by those wishing to develop in the engineering profession, and more recently has spread its wings to also support engineering institutions in the SADC region with capacity building.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Obituary - Solly Gerald Stoch – the last of a generation 17 January
1925-6 March 2020
- Abstract: Gerald, as he was popularly known, grew up in Carnarvon where he attended primary school. His father, who started off as a smous, became both a successful sheep farmer and a businessman in the town, owning a number of small businesses in the main street. His father was fondly remembered by the community of Carnarvon for his generosity during the Great Depression.
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
SAICE Training Calendar 2020
- Abstract: SAICE Training Calendar 2020
  PubDate: 2020-05-01T00:00:00Z
Meet SAICE’s new CEO – Vishaal Lutchman
- Abstract: Vishaal, who has been a devoted member of SAICE since 2004, moved into SAICE National Office as its new CEO only a few weeks ago, but within days he was already ‘part of the family’.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Between a rock and a hard place : navigating uncharted territories in the
age of Covid-19
- Authors: Fana Marutla
  Abstract: A lot will have changed by the time of reading this piece, due to the fluidity of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world. Its rapid spread has caught the entire world by surprise, disquietingly unprepared for this unknown-unknown. The full impact of its devastation on the economies of affected countries will only become clearer in months to come. Even before the announcement of the lockdown, many companies had already decided to allow their employees to work from home, where practical, to limit the spread of the virus – a commendable move, but one that required the support of all stakeholders. The subsequent spirit of cooperation between business, government, the institutions of culture and learning, and the general public has been phenomenal, indeed.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Franki supports the Great River Bridge in Mauritius
- Abstract: Paving the future for one of the most aesthetically pleasing infrastructure landmarks in Mauritius, the Frankipile team achieved another milestone with their successful completion of the foundations for a new iconic ravine bridge.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Ron Tluczek – 2019 recipient of the SAICE Geotechnical Gold Medal
- Authors: Verelene de Koker
  Abstract: His daughter calls him a “ROCK star”, but you won’t find him on stage belting out his latest hit. No, Ron is a hands-on ‘rock mechanic’ who absolutely loves his work and thrives on solving the unique challenges posed by tunnelling and rock-support projects.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
The Pit Bull and the obstacle course – journey of a dragline
- Authors: Stèfan Fourie; Reghardt Steenkamp
  Abstract: As part of the Khwezela LifeEx Project, Anglo American Coal South Africa (AACSA) recently successfully relocated a dragline, colloquially known as the Pit Bull, from its Kromdraai opencast mine to its Navigation Pit reserves near eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, to enable access to previously mined underground resources.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Wind energy powering a changing landscape for South Africa
- Authors: Gabi Wojtowitz; Janice Foster
  Abstract: An elegant turbine slowly turning in the distance as one drives through parts of the Eastern and Western Cape has become a more frequent sight – transforming the South African landscape. The REIPPPP (Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme), coupled with the IRP (Integrated Resource Plan), has been a catalyst in changing the energy outlook in South Africa.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Digging deeper – a review of South African practice on deep
excavation design in urban areas
- Authors: Frans van der Merwe; Dimitrios Konstantakos
  Abstract: A comprehensive questionnaire was developed to gauge the current design practices followed for deep excavation design in South Africa. This forms part of the compilation of the revised SAICE Lateral Support in Surface Excavation (LSSE) Code of Practice incorporating limit state design in accordance with EN1997 (Eurocode 7 – Basis for Geotechnical Design). The current LSSE Code was last revised in 1989 and is based on working stress design. In November 2017 the SAICE Geotechnical Division resolved to adopt EN1997 for South Africa; this subsequently necessitated an update to the LSSE to include limit state design and align it with the requirements in Eurocode 7. The questionnaire, with 27 questions, was distributed to design consultants and design-build contractors who are routinely involved in major lateral support (LS) projects.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z
Geotechnical considerations and challenges faced during the widening of
Sani Pass
- Authors: Katy O’Brien; Thomas O’Brien
  Abstract: The Drakensberg (uKhahlamba, or barrier of spears) forms the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment of South Africa and defines the border between the west of KwaZulu-Natal and the east of Lesotho (Figure 1). This barrier of rock comprising basalt of the Jurassic Era, underlain by sandstones and mudstones of the Triassic Era, intermittently intruded by doleritic dykes and sills, proved impenetrable to early travellers and explorers seeking passage to the interior of South Africa and Lesotho. An access route to the Lesotho Plateau was discovered at Sani Pass, which was scaled along various tracks by foot, often with the aid of pack mules. The scars of the early routes are still visible today on the mountainous slopes.
  PubDate: 2020-04-01T00:00:00Z