Building foundations under difficult geological conditions: Seminars of Finnish and Soviet experts

On the initiative of the Finnish Soviet Workinq Group for Construction, a Finnish expert group "The Laying of Foundation under Difficult Geological Conditions" was formed in 1971. Professor K.H. Korhonen has been the chairman of the group from the beginning and Professor M.O. Juhola, Mr. Aarne Ruoppa, Civ.Eng., Mr. Unto Räihä, Civ.Eng., and Mr. Antti Natukka, Civ.Eng. have been members.To replace Mr. Ruoppa and Mr. Räihä, Mr.Reino Hiltunen, Civ.Eng., and Mr. Nikolai Solovjew, Civ.Eng., were named new members in 1977. Professor Markku Tammirinne from the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland has been the secretary of the group since 1976. The chairman of the corresponding Soviet group has been Mr. P. Konovalov, Cand.Techn.Sc., and members have been Professor A. Stroganov, Mr. J. Ivanov, Cand.Techn.Sc., and Mr. A. Kuzhlev, Eng. Professor Stroganov, Mr. Konovalov and Mr. Ivanov are working in the Research Institute of Bases and Underground Structures /GOSSTROY/ in Moscow. Mr. Kuzhlev was until 1977 the director of the Vologda District Building Trust (Vologdapromstroi). The trust employs over 10 000 persons and it builds residential and industrial buildings. Mrs.Margaret Mozalevskaja from Glavleningradstroi was the local hostess when the Finnish group visited Leningrad in 1975 and 1977. The above mentioned research institute in Moscow is the centre of the scientific technical research foundation, underground structures and soil mechanics in the USSR. The institute has over 1 000 employees.Besides basic research, the institute is also in charge of standards concerning foundation and soil mechanics in house buiding. For the standardization work the institute has a separate division. The Finnish group has visited the Soviet Union regularly every second year ever since 1971. Correspondingly, the Soviet group has visited Finland since 1972. During the visits of the Soviet group, the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland has in co operation with the Finnish Geotechnical Society arranged meetings, where the guests have given lectures on the foundation methods used in the Soviet Union and on the research and standardization work in the field.In connection of the visit of the Finnish group in 1975, similar meetings were arranged in Moscow and Leningrad. The papers in this publication comprise lectures given in above mentioned meetings and some results from research carried out by the working groups in co operation during 1974-1978. These investigations have, according to the research programmes approved by the working groups, been carried out in the Soviet Union by the above mentioned Research Institute of Bases and Underground Structures and in Finland by the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Institute of Road Construction and Foundation Engineering of the University of Oulu. Research carried out in Finland has been financed by the Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Academy of Finland and the construction and consulting firms mentioned in Rathmayer's paper. The translation costs of this publication have been supported also by the Joint Finnish Soviet Commission of Scientific and Technical Co operation.