COURSE 2: IN SITU TESTING USING THE DMT AND SHEAR WAVE VELOCITY MEASUREMENTS WITH SEISMIC PROBES (SDMT AND SCPT)

Eng. Diego Marchetti worked in cooperation with Professor Silvano Marchetti since 2001 and developed the Seismic Dilatometer (SDMT) in 2004. Together they founded Studio Prof. Marchetti and started the worldwide distribution of the SDMT, which is used today in over 80 countries. He is the coordinator of the production line of the DMT, SDMT and Medusa DMT equipment and is responsible for the research and development team of the company. He has supervised SDMT testing in over 80 sites world-wide, a dozen of which in nearshore/offshore projects. He delivered over 120 presentations on the testing equipment and its applications to design, mostly at International Conferences or as a guest speaker in Universities and Research Institutes. He cooperates actively in research projects and is author/co-author of over 60 publications.

Paola Monaco is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of L'Aquila, Italy. Her current research activity is mainly focused on the characterization of soil deposits by in-situ tests and soil liquefaction. On these topics she has provided original contributions, in particular with the development of simplified methods for liquefaction assessment based on flat/seismic dilatometer tests (DMT/SDMT). Other research interests include: seismic site response analysis and site effects, design and testing of geo-structures (retaining walls of deep excavations, shallow and pile foundations), stability of natural and artificial slopes. She has authored more than 150 publications in journals and conference proceedings. She has been invited lecturer / general reporter / panelist in ISSMGE international conferences. She has been a member of the organizing / scientific committee of numerous conferences, seminars and workshops. She has lectured in several courses and seminars organized by research institutions and professional associations worldwide. She has been/is Principal Investigator / coordinator of international and national research projects, including the project PRIN 2022 'TRANSITION' on characterization and modelling of intermediate soils funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (2023-2025) and the Transnational Access project 'JELLYFISh' funded by H2020-GEOLAB on Medusa SDMT testing at NGTS Geo-Test Sites in collaboration with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (2022). She has been active in the ISSMGE Technical Committee TC102 – In-Situ Testing, currently as Vice Chair and formerly as Secretary (from 2018 to 2023) and nominated member.

Sara Amoroso is Associate Professor of Soil Mechanics at the University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy) since February 2022 and she is Research Associate at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) since June 2020. Formerly, from 2019 to 2022 she was Assistant Professor of Soil Mechanics at the University of Chieti-Pescara, while from 2013 to 2019 she was a researcher at INGV in L’Aquila (Italy). Since 2019 she is also Visiting Professor within the “Master in Geotecnia” provided by the Facultad de Ingenieria en Ciencias della Tierra, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Guayaquil (Ecuador). The research activity, documented by more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 130 conference papers, is mostly focused on use, interpretation and applications of in-situ tests, often regarding flat dilatometer and seismic dilatometer, liquefaction, ground improvement for liquefaction mitigation, blast liquefaction testing, G – γ decay curves, ground response analysis, and seismic microzonation. She is/was also Principal Investigator or Member of several national and international research projects related to these topics. She has participated as lecturer in more than 70 International conferences and seminars in Geotechnics since 2008 in additional to performing research activities at an International level in most of the continents. She also received a national nomination from the Italian Geotechnical Society to participate in the 5th International Young Geotechnical Engineers’ Conference (31 August– 1 September 2013, Paris, France) with a selected presentation on the Prediction of the shear wave velocity VS from CPT and DMT. She is a member of the Italian Geotechnical Society (AGI) since 2008 and of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) since 2013. She is also Nominated Member of the Technical Committee “TC102 In-Situ Testing” of ISSMGE for AGI since June 2018. In 2015 and 2016 she was member of the Standardization/Technical Commitee UNI/CT021/SC07 “Geotechnical design” and of the Standardization/Technical Commitee CEN/TC341/WG2 “Cone and piezocone penetration tests”.

Dr. Antônio Sérgio Damasco Penna was Professor of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering at Mackenzie University, in São Paulo - Brazil, for 37 years. Dr. Penna obtained his degree in civil engineering from the Mauá Institute of Technology, in São Paulo - Brazil, in 1974, receiving the award for best student throughout the undergraduate course. Dr. Penna completed a master's degree and doctorate from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP), respectively in 1983 and 1993, with an emphasis on foundations and geotechnics. Dr. Penna founded his own company (Damasco Penna Engenharia Geotécnica) in 1980, currently working in consultancy, foundation and earthmoving projects, and carrying out geotechnical investigations. Dr. Penna has been involved in more than 6,000 geotechnical works projects.