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Articles
Branch Meeting Main Speaker
PROFESSOR ANNA SHIDLOVSKAYA
UNIVERSITY OF MINES, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
Biodata
| Dr. Anna Shidlovskaya received her PhD degree in 2005 from the University of Mines in St. Petersburg, Russia. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology at the University of Mines where she has been since 2005. Her expertise is in engineering geology in general and the impact of microbial activity on soil, groundwater composition, and structural materials in particular. She has published some 50 papers and has lectured in several countries. For her contributions she has been recognized several times by the Russian government. She is currently a visiting scholar at Texas A&M University. |  |
Lecture Abstract
LONG TERM DEFORMATION OF ST ISAAK’S CATHEDRAL
IN ST. PETERSBURG RUSSIA: A CASE HISTORY
St Isaak’s Cathedral was completed in 1858 after 40 years of construction. It is one of the biggest and heaviest structures in St. Petersburg with a 92 by 101 m imprint and a weight of 3138 MN. It is founded on a 7.5 m thick mat of granite and limestone resting on short timber piles and has settled at least 0.8 m. This presentation covers the geotechnical engineering as well as the engineering geology aspects of the Cathedral. It includes the classical issues such as foundation capacity and settlement. It also includes some more unusual aspects such as the influence of microbial activity on the strength and stiffness of the subsoil and groundwater composition. Pictures of some of the more touristic places in beautiful St. Petersburg are also shown for entertainment.
