Peter Brenner (civil engineer)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Brenner (2009)

Rolf Peter Brenner (born December 14, 1937 in Frauenfeld ; † March 31, 2019 in Weinfelden ) was a Swiss civil engineer , geologist and author .

Life

Peter Brenner grew up in Weinfelden , Canton Thurgau , and graduated from elementary schools there. This was followed by a visit to the Frauenfeld canton school (grammar school), where he graduated with a high school diploma. He then began studying civil engineering at the ETH Zurich , which he finished in 1962 with top marks in all subjects. He gained his first professional experience at Conrad Zschokke in Geneva and then at Dames & Moore in San Francisco , California. From 1966 to 1971 he studied at the University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , USA, in the fields of soil mechanics and soil dynamics. His doctoral thesis dealt with the influence of vegetation on the stability of slopes. His Ph.D. took place in 1971. He then returned to Switzerland. For the Swiss Army he studied the effects of nuclear explosions on the ground and fortified underground structures.

From 1974 he was at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok , Thailand, professor in the department of geotechnics and director of the geotechnical laboratory. He dealt in detail with the geotechnical problems of soft clay deposits in the greater Bangkok area, such as the new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. During his seven years of teaching and research at AIT, he made a significant contribution to the appropriate training of master’s students from many Asian developing countries. After returning to Switzerland, from 1981 he worked for Elektrowatt Ingenieurunternehmung AG (today Pöyry Schweiz AG ) in Zurich.

He worked as an expert in geotechnical problems with large embankments in over 30 different countries. He was involved in several professional organizations. He was chairman of the dam foundations committee of the International Commission for Large Dams (ICOLD). Numerous publications testify to his creative power and recognition by specialist colleagues. As a freelance expert, he received assignments until 2015, which is the year his last publication was made. He continued to maintain close contact with the geotechnical department at AIT.

Brenner leaves behind a wife, daughter and son.

Memberships

Publications, selection

  • RP Brenner: Liquefaction (soil liquefaction) as a result of earthquakes (or atomic earthquakes). Research Institute for Military Structural Engineering, Volume 71, 1971, Issue 14
  • Brenner RP: A Hydrological Model Study of a Forested and a Cutover Slope. Hydrological Sciences Bulletin, Volume 18, 1973, No. 2, pp. 125-144
  • Brenner RP and Chittikuladilok B .: Vibrations from Pile Driving in the Bangkok Are. , Geotechnical Engineering, Volume 6, 1975, No. 2, pp. 167-197
  • EW Brand & RP Brenner: Soft Clay Engineering. Elsevier Science, 1981, 780 pp. ISBN 978-0444417848
  • Editorial Advisor Geotechnical Engineering (Journal of the Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society)
  • D. Abolhassani; RP burner; F. Bahrami-Samani: Unusual Behavior of an Earth-Rockfill Dam. Proc. Second International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, St. Louis, (3.01), June 1988.
  • Brenner, RP: Borehole sealing: material properties of high-density bentonite with suitability assessment. Technical report 88-04, Nagra, 1988, 71 pp.
  • RP Brenner & R. Straubhaar: The use of a platey, marly limestone in an embankment dam. In: The Engineering Geology of Weak Rock. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, UK, September 1990, pp. 175-183
  • RP Brenner, G. Eppinger, K. Mettier: Tunnel sealing - concept and proof of concept. Nagra 91-05, Elektrowatt Ingenieurunternehmung AG, Zurich. January 1991, 170 pp.
  • Brenner, RP: ICOLD's Committee on Dam Foundations will review the state of the art of foundation engineerin. Int. Journal on Hydropower & Dams, Volume 1, No. 5, 1994, pp. 51-52.
  • Watanabe, M., Brenner RP, Malla, S. and Solomatine, N .: Mudflows: Experience and Lessons learned from the Management of Major Disasters. United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Geneva, 1996, 139 pp.
  • Committee on Dam Foundations (Chairman RP Brenner) Dam Foundations: Geologic Considerations, Investigation Methods, Treatment, Monitoring. Bulletin 129, Int. Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), Paris, 2005, 488 pp.
  • M. Wieland, A. Bozovic and RP Brenner: Dam design - the effects of active faults. waterpowermagazine.com, August 19, 2008, accessed April 22, 2019
  • Wieland, M. and Brenner, RP: Life-span of concrete and embankment damsand economic benefits of dam safety projects. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Volume 30, 2008, No. 11, pp. 1692-1698
  • Brenner, RP: Correlations for parameters of cohesive loose rock. Announcements of the Swiss Society for Soil and Rock Mechanics, No. 159, 2009, pp. 5-14
  • Messerklinger, S., Straubhaar, R., Brenner, RP, Herzog, R., Laue, J. and Springman, SM: Large.scale cyclic triaxial tests for the seismic safety assessment of a high earth-core rockfill dam. Proc. XV European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Athens (Greece), Volume 2, 2011, pp. 1171–1176. The co-author was Sarah Springman , the current rector of ETH Zurich .
  • Brenner, RP: Technical basics for raising embankments. Water Energy Air, Volume 104 (3), 2012, pp. 220–227.
  • M. Wieland, RP Brenner: Performance criteria for rockfill dams subjected to multiple seismic hazards. Q98, R. 16, Proc. 25th Int. Congress on Large Dams, ICOLD, Stavanger, Norway, June 2015.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Peter Brenner obituary notice
  2. ^ RP Brenner et al: Apparatus for compression testing of hollow-cylinder soil samples under differential confining pressure. University of Michigan, 1969, accessed April 22, 2019
  3. ↑ Weapon effects and construction of shelter. ETH Zurich, Dept. IMS, 1976
  4. ^ Brenner, RP and Wieland, M .: Regional Center of Excellence Halts Asian Brain-Drain. Asian Education & Training, Volume 1, No. 3, 1988, pp. 18-21.
  5. ↑ a b Elektrowatt Ingenieurunternehmung AG, Zurich, NTB 91-05. National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), 1991, accessed April 22, 2019
  6. ^ Mighty Clutha, Expert Opinion . blogspot.com, accessed April 22, 2019
  7. ↑ Editorial Panel of SEAGS
  8. ^ Geotechnical Engineering. Editorial Advisors. SEAGS, accessed April 22, 2019
personal data
SURNAME Brenner, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brenner, Rolf Peter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss civil engineer, geologist and author
DATE OF BIRTH December 14, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Frauenfeld , Thurgau
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 2019
Place of death Weinfelden