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This paper analyzes the results of a driven pile side shear setup (SSS) test program performed at the University of Florida and described in a companion paper. All pile segments showed SSS, with similar magnitudes in both cohesionless and cohesive soils, and irrespective of depth. Horizontal effective stresses increased after driving, but then stabilized as induced pore pressures dissipated. SSS continued long after pore pressure dissipation due to other aging effects. Pile load tests in all soil types, and standard penetration tests with torque measurement (SPT-T) in cohesive soils, confirmed the approximate semilog-linear time versus SSS behavior and the usefulness of the setup factor A. Staged (repeated) tests significantly increased SPT-T measurements, suggesting a reduction factor of 0.4 for SSS results measured by staged testing. We believe that engineers can now include SSS in routine design, using a minimum setup factor A=0.1 for soils similar to those tested, or higher if supported by dynamic or static pile tests, or by SPT-T predictor tests. Examples demonstrate a proposed SSS design method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the 136th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) to be held in Orlando, Florida in 2007. Among the highlights of the event are the presentation of the largest number of papers and the unveiling of the ten greatest moments in materials science and engineering.

An essay is presented on challenges and opportunities in the engineering disciplines to a successful renewable energy transition. It offers the contours of the "engineering challenge," wherein both engineers and nonengineers differ significantly in conceptualization of the boundaries between "policy" and " engineering." The author mentions a conference in Florida in May 2003 that patterns science, sustainability and engineering into a more ordered and standardized form.

A sand deficit on Florida's Atlantic coast affects sea turtle nesting, dune ecosystems, and storm protection. Ecological benefits of restoring very large deficits could exceed ecological costs. Dredging and beach nourishment databases revealed sand disposal dynamics and deficit size. Dredge-and-fill activities increased after 1950, peaked in the 1980s, then declined somewhat. Most sand disposal accompanied channel and harbor deepening; little was primarily for beach nourishment. Until the 1970s most dredged material was placed outside the coastal sand-sharing system (offshore and upland). After 1970, beach and nearshore disposal rapidly increased, but generally involved sand already within the system. Moreover, offshore and upland disposal did not immediately decline. To date, little sand has been returned. By 2003, net removal totaled ∼130 × 106 m3. Channels and harbors increased by ∼70 × 106 m3, leaving 60 × 106 m3 of standing sand deficit. Jetties could have redistributed another 70 × 106 m3 from beaches and dunes to inlet shoals. Overall, loss of beaches and dunes could approach 130 × 106 m3. Engineering responses to past objections have improved both habitat suitability and longevity of nourished beaches. Through field trials and adaptive management principles, ecologists could now develop beach nourishment into a management tool to rebuild lost habitat, restore the sand deficit, and stockpile additional sand before nonessential channels and harbors are allowed to refill. With large projects, sand from offshore, upland, and ebb shoal sites and natural wave energy for stable beach building, beach and dune habitat can be restored within decades, better preparing threatened animals for rising sea level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]