The Reference Geological Model (RGM) in the professional practice

Speaker: Dott. Geol. Gianluca Benedetti (ENSER S.r.l. - Società d'ingegneria - Faenza) - Thursday, 2nd December – 4:30 PM | Aula Arduino

02.12.2021

Career Workshop

The Reference Geological Model (RGM) is the basic tool of any civil engineering design and construction as fully described in the “Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni” (NTC2018, D.M. 17/01/2018). Geological structures are normally complex and for the major part cannot be directly observed, for these reasons we can say that in most cases, a fully reliable prediction of the geological, hydrogeological, and geotechnical conditions is not possible. The reference geological model is a conceptual reconstruction of the three-dimensional geometric situation and a succession of time and space geological events characterizing a given portion of the subsurface. It has a logical meaning derived from the objective surface, subsurface, and laboratory data available at the time it is formulated. RGM is subjective, as it is also derived from the interpretation given by the technicians concerned. The model is subject to change over time according to new data that is accumulated after its formulation. The new data can be integrated in a correct way or can justify a revision up to actual reformulation (IAEG, 2009).
The seminar illustrates through a series of practical examples taken mainly from the southern access of the Brenner railway Base Tunnel (BBT), the San Giorgio highway bridge in Gevona, the Oman railway project, and maritime structure in Brazil, how the RGM is elaborated and presented and how it changes according to the design phases.