Newsletter Volume 10, Issue 1 March 2025

I am truly honoured to be selected as the new Director of the IPA. The non-vibratory, minimal-noise press-in piling driving system is an innovative and highly beneficial solution for a wide range of applications within the Brazilian construction sector. I am excited to join this team and look forward to contributing to the expansion of press-in piling usage in Brazil by highlighting the significance of this technology to both industry professionals and academic communities.

Press-in piling technology were used to build a retaining structure in the mining sector of Minas Gerais, Brazil, with the objective of optimizing both safety and efficiency. The primary purpose of this structure is to contain mobilized material in the event of a tailings dam failure, preventing it from reaching surrounding communities and minimizing environmental and structural risks.

The use of GIKEN press-in piling technology was motivated by its capacity to operate with minimal vibrations, a crucial factor in preventing tailings liquefaction and ensuring the stability of the dam. Moreover, this method offered notable advantages over traditional techniques, as it eliminates the need for deep excavations, minimizes soil displacement, and reduces the impact on native vegetation.

The construction was carried out in phases, with continuous vibration monitoring conducted throughout the entire process. The results confirmed that the recorded vibration levels remained well within safe limits, ensuring the structural integrity of the dam and surrounding buildings. The retaining system was designed with two rows of piles, linked by metallic connectors and filled with concrete, ensuring strong performance and high material retention capacity. Along with the technical and structural enhancements, the chosen solution also provided significant operational benefits. The press-in system facilitated a more efficient, sequential installation process, resulting in faster execution and minimal disruption to the daily activities of nearby communities.

This pioneering application of press-in piling technology in Brazil reinforces the importance of technological innovation in the mining sector, ensuring greater efficiency in construction, reducing environmental and social impacts and increasing the safety of tailing dams and retaining structures.

A brief CV of Prof. Cristina de H. Cavalcanti Tsuha Cristina

Tsuha is a Full Professor at the Department of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She worked as a civil engineer in engineering companies for several years (1995 – 2001). She has been involved in different geotechnical site investigations, foundations, and earth structures projects. She has got her MSc. And Ph.D. degrees in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (2003 and 2007). In 2009, she did Post-Doctoral Research at the Technical University of Grenoble (INPG) in France. She is Associate Editor of the Canadian Geotechnical Journal. and member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics, International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, and of the Geodata and AI journal. Her research focus is on Foundations Engineering, with emphasis on the following topics: pile foundations, helical anchors, ground improvement, foundations in unsaturated soils, physical modelling of pile behaviour in a centrifuge and calibration chamber, geothermal energy piles, and foundations under cyclic loadings.