Fitz Rawls '21, Engineering with Geo Emphasis major

Intern with Universal Engineering Sciences, Summer 2020

This last summer, I interned with Universal Engineering Sciences, a geotechnical consulting firm headquartered in Orlando, FL. I had the unique opportunity to be a lab/field intern at their Tampa location. My main task was running proctor tests, gradations, Limerock Bearing Ratio (LBR), concrete compressive strengths, and other various soil/concrete tests. My favorite soil test was the proctor test which determines the optimum moisture content for soil, so basically trying to find the perfect amount of water for that soil if you wanted to build a sandcastle. As we all know, if the sand is too saturated, the castle turns muddy, but if the sand is too dry, the castle crumbles. Additionally, the lab classifies soil for geotechnical drilling and exploration, giving me the chance to put my soil ID skills to the test.

One drilling project I had the chance to play a part in was for the new Howard Frankland Bridge (with a price tag of $864M) which connects Tampa to St. Petersburg via I-275. The contractor is Archer-Western - Walsh Group and Universal is the subcontractor for the geotechnical drilling services. Boreholes were in every pile location, and Howard Frankland is over 5 miles long, so you can imagine that there are hundreds of bore holes. Each bore hole samples a minimum of 90 feet deep and ends depending on the material they encountered, shallower if they encounter bedrock and deeper if they hit soft material. The material is sampled through a Standard Penetration Test which counts the number of blows to send a split spoon 6'' through material, and the more blows, the harder the material. The material is captured in the split spoon later classified at the lab. Universal is using 6 drill teams to tackle the project in a year. A drill team consists of a barge with a drill rig (normally a truck) sitting on top.

A couple days a week, I would substitute for the Project Geologist who managed logistics for drill teams on the Howard Frankland Project. Once a driller received the all clear to move to another borehole, their barge was moved with a tugboat. Armed with a GPS and walkie talkie I would stand on the barge and communicate to the tugboat captain the desired direction and distance to the next bore hole. In addition to communicating with the captain, I would signal to a driller controlling the spuds. Spuds are heavy piles that drop to the seafloor to keep you from moving from your location. Timing was key with spuds to ensure accuracy. I got the chance to move a few barges each day and it varied depending on what material the drillers were hitting. The experience was definitely unique, and I was lucky enough to play a part in an influential project in my hometown.