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George M. Filz

Charles E. Via Jr. Professor Emeritus
George Filz
Program Area : Geotechnical Engineering
Professional Registration : Civil Engineer - Oregon
filz@vt.edu

Areas of Interest :

Foundation Engineering; Earth Retention; Embankments, Dams, and Slopes; Soil Improvement; Soil-Structure Interaction; Seepage Barriers

  • B.S. Mathematics, University of Oregon
  • B.S. Civil Engineering, Oregon State University
  • M.S. Civil Engineering, Oregon State University
  • Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  • Assistant Head of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, 2011 to present
  • Charles E. Via, Jr., Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2007 to present
  • Assistant Professor to Professor, Virginia Tech, 1992 to 2007
  • Via Fellow, Graduate Research Assistant, and Instructor, Virginia Tech, 1988 to 1992
  • Geotechnical Engineer, CH2M Hill, Inc., Corvallis, Oregon, 1985 to 1988
  • Geotechnical Engineer, L.R. Squier Associates, Inc., Portland, Oregon, 1981 to 1985
  • Staff Engineer, Willamette Geotechnical, Corvallis, Oregon, 1980
  • Field Engineer, Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, Berri, Saudi Arabia, 1979
  • Distinguished Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2017
  • Cross-USA Lecturer, Geo-Institute of ASCE, 2016 - 2017
  • Chapter Honor Member, Chi Epsilon Society, Virginia Tech, 2016
  • Wallace Hayward Baker Award, ASCE, 2016
  • Best Paper Award, Soil Mechanics Section of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), 2015
  • Best Practice-Ready Paper Award, Design and Construction Group of TRB, 2014
  • Academy of Distinguished Alumni, CEE Department, Virginia Tech, 2012
  • Project-of-the-Year Award, Florida Section of ASCE, 2011
  • William Wine Award for Excellence in Teaching, Virginia Tech, 2007
  • Honorable Mention for Best Paper Award, Geosynthetics International, 2007
  • Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2007
  • J. James. R. Croes Medal, ASCE, 2006
  • Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech, 2005
  • Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award, ASCE, 2003
  • Alumni Advisory Board Teaching Award, CEE Department, Virginia Tech, 2000
  • Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech, 1998
  • Dean's Award for Excellence in Research, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1996
  • CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 1995
  • Certificate of Teaching Excellence, Virginia Tech, 1995
  • Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
  • Earth Pressures and Foundation Structures
  • Foundation Engineering I
  • Foundation Engineering II
  • Environmental Geotechnics
  • Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Stability of Track-Mounted Transporters Carrying New Heavy Lift Vehicles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad B at Kennedy Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Strength and Deformation Properties of Soil-Cement Mixtures for Deep Mixing, Deep Foundations Institute
  • Development of Design Procedures for Pile-Supported Flood Walls, US Army Corps of Engineers
  • GRS Bridge Abutments: Phases I and 2: Design Support and Instrumentation for Towlston Road Bridge at Rocky Run, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research
  • Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement, Rapid Embankment Construction, and Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (through Iowa State University)
  • Interaction of Integral Abutment Piling and MSE Walls, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research
  • IGERT: Exploring Interfaces through Graduate Education and Research, National Science Foundation
  • Deformation-Based Design of Geotechnical Composite Foundation Systems Incorporating Columnar Support with or without Geosynthetic Reinforcement, National Science Foundation
  • Rapid Stabilization/Polymerization of Wet Clay Soils, U.S. Air Force
  • GAANN: An Interdisciplinary Program in Environmental Biogeochemistry, US Department of Education
  • Columnar Reinforcement of Soft Ground beneath Roadway Embankments, Virginia Transportation Research Council
  • Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Walls: Trench Stresses and Adjacent Ground Settlements, National Science Foundation
  • Filz, G., Reeb, A., Grenoble, A., and Abedzadeh, F. (2015). "Material Properties for Analysis of Deep Mixing Support Systems," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 823-834.
  • Filz, G., Bruce, D., Schmutzler, W., Nozu, M., and Reeb, A. (2015). "Deep Mixing Core Data from LPV 111," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 543-552.
  • Cali, P.R., and Filz, G. (2015). "Critique of Specifications for Deep Mixing," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 1051-1060.
  • MacKay, K., Siddle, D., Chapman, G.A., and Filz, G. (2015). "Quality Control and Material Properties of Soil Cement on a Cutter Soil Mixing Project in Kitimat, British Columbia," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 1101-1110.
  • MacKay, K., Cleary, R., Siddle, D., Bruce, D., Chapman, G.A., and Filz, G. (2015). "Construction Operations and Challenges of a Cutter Soil Mixing Project in Kitimat, British Columbia," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 1091-1100.
  • Li, M., Williams, R., Filz, G., and Wilson, B. (2015). "Load-Deformation Based Design of Deep Mixing for Supporting MSE Walls at Kitimat LNG, BC," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 101-110.
  • Li, M., Williams, R., Wilson, B.. and Filz, G. (2015). "Effective Sampling, Testing, and Specifications Approaches for Deep Mixing at Kitimat LNG, BC," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 591-602.
  • Bertoni, M., Leoni, F., Schmutzler, W., and Filz, G. (2015). "Soil Mixing for the LPV-111 Levee Improvements, New Orleans: A Case History," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 247-256.
  • Bertero, A., Morales, C., Leoni, F., and Filz, G. (2015). "Three Deep Mixing Projects: Comparison between Laboratory and Field Test Results," Proc. Deep Mixing 2015 Conf., Deep Foundations Institute, Hawthorne, NJ, 699-714.
  • Reeb, A., Filz, G., Johnson, J., Varuso, R., Panagiota, K., Tessari, A., and Abdoun, T. (2015). "Validation of a Numerical Model to Analyze Pile-Supported T Walls," Proc., International Foundations Congress and Equipment Exposition, ASCE, Reston, 192-201.
  • Phillips, E.K., Berg, R.R., and Filz, G.M. (2015). "Required Ultimate Geosynthetic Reinforcement Tensile Strengths According to Five Analysis Methods for MSE and GRS Walls," Proc. Geosynthetics 2015 Conference, Industrial Fabrics Association International, Roseville, MN, 727-737.
  • McGuire, M.P., Filz, G.M., and Sloan, J.A. (2015). "Surface settlement of column-supported embankments: Results of laboratory tests," Proc. Geosynthetics 2015 Conference, Industrial Fabrics Association International, Roseville, MN, 766-775.
  • Kost, A.D., Filz, G.M., Cousins, T., and Brown, M.C. (2014). "A Full-Scale Investigation of Differential Settlements beneath a Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Bridge Abutment," Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2462, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, 28-36.
  • Reeb, A.B., Filz, G.M., and Volk, J.C. (2014). "Numerical Modeling of a Pile-supported T-wall Structure for Hurricane Protection," Proc., International Foundations Congress and Equipment Exposition, ASCE, Reston, 192-201.
  • Esterhuizen, J.J., Riker, R.E., Bushey, R.K., Anderson, L.R., Filz, G.M. (2013). "Risk of Dam Failure Due to Sinkhole Formation," Dam Safety 2013, Proc. 30th Annual Conference of State Dam Safety Officials, Providence, RI, 21 p.
  • Bruce, M.E., Berg, R.R., Filz, G.M., Collin, J.G., Terashi, T., and Yang, D.S. (2013). "FHWA Design Manual: Deep Mixing for Embankment and Foundation Support," FHWA-HRT-13-04. Federal Highway Administration, Washington DC, 244 p.
  • Sloan, J.A., Filz, G.M., and Collin, J.G. (2013). "Field-Scale Column-Supported Embankment Test Facility," Geotechnical Testing Journal, ASTM, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, 36(6), 891-902.
  • Arenas, A.E., Filz, G.M., Cousins, T.E. (2013). "Thermal Response of Integral Bridge Abutments with Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls," Final Report VCTIR 13-R7, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, Charlottesville, 70 p.
  • Filz, G., Adams, T., Navin, M., and Templeton, A.E. (2012). "Design of Deep Mixing for Support of Levees and Floodwalls," Proc. 4th Int. Conf. Grouting and Deep Mixing, ASCE Geo-Institute, Reston, Virginia, GSP 228, 89-133.
  • Bruce, D.A., and Filz, G.M. (2012). "Quality Control and Quality Assurance in Cut-Off Walls," Innovative Dam and Levee Design and Construction for Sustainable Water Management, U.S. Society on Dams, Denver, 1595-1606.
  • Filz, G.M., Sloan, J., McGuire, M.P., Collin, J., and Smith, M. (2012). "Column-Supported Embankments: Settlement and Load Transfer." Proc., Geotechnical Engineering State of the Art and Practice: Keynote Lectures from GeoCongress 2012, ASCE, Reston, VA, 54-77.
  • Filz, G.M., Templeton, A.E., and Adams, T.E. (2011). "Stability Analyses for Levees on Deep-Mixed Shear Walls," Ground Improvement, 164(1), 1-11.
  • Plaut, R.H., and Filz, G.M. (2010). "Analysis of Geosynthetic Reinforcement in Pile-Supported Embankments. Part III: Axisymmetric Model," Geosynthetics International, 17(2), 77-85.
  • Halvordon, K.A., Plaut, R.H., and Filz, G.M. (2010). "Analysis of Geosynthetic Reinforcement in Pile-Supported Embankments. Part II: 3D Cable-net Model," Geosynthetics International, 17(2), 68-76.
  • Jones, B.M., Plaut, R.H., and Filz, G.M. (2010). "Analysis of Geosynthetic Reinforcement in Pile-Supported Embankments. Part I: 3D Plate Model," Geosynthetics International, 17(2), 59-67.
  • Filz, G.M., and Navin, M.P. (2010). "A Practical Method to Account for Strength Variability of Deep-Mixed Ground," GeoFlorida 2010: Advances in Analysis, Modeling & Design, (GSP 199), ASCE, Reston, 8 p.
  • Filz, G.M. (2009). "Design of Deep Mixing Support for Embankments and Levees," Proc. Int. Symp. Deep Mixing & Admixture Stabilization, on CD-ROM, Japanese Port and Airport Research Institution, Tokyo, 23 p.
  • Plaut, R.P., and Filz, G.M. (2008). "Deformations and Tensions in Single-Layer and Stacked Geosynthetic Tubes," Proc. First PanAmerican Geosynthetics Conf. & Exhibition, CD-ROM, International Fabrics Association International, Roseville, Minnesota, 382-389.
  • McGuire, M.P., and Filz, G.M. (2008). "Quantitative Comparison of Theories for Geosynthetic Reinforcement of Column-Supported Embankments," Proc. First PanAmerican Geosynthetics Conf. & Exhibition, CD-ROM, International Fabrics Association International, Roseville, Minnesota, 1303-1312.
  • Adams, T.E., Filz, G.M., Cali, P.R., and Woodward, M.L. (2008). "Stability Analyses of a Levee on Deep-Mixed Columns, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana," Geosustainability and Geohazard Mitigation, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 178, ASCE, Reston, 708-715.
  • Filz, G.M., and Smith, M.E. (2007). “Net Vertical Loads on Geosynthetic Reinforcement in Column-Supported Embankments,” Soil Improvement, GSP 172, (on CD-ROM), ASCE, Reston, VA, 10 p.
  • Filz, G.M., Hodges, D.E., Weatherby, D.E., and Marr, W.A. (2005). “Standardized Definitions and Laboratory Procedures for Soil-Cement Specimens Applicable to the Wet Method of Deep Mixing,” Innovations in Grouting and Soil Improvement, GSP 136, ASCE, Reston, Virginia, 13 p.
  • Britton, J.P., Filz, G.M., and Herring, W.E. (2004). "Measuring the Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil-Bentonite Backfill," Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 130(12), 1250-1258.
  • Filz, G.M., Adams, T., and Davidson, R.R. (2004). “Stability of Long Trenches in Cohesionless Soil Supported by Bentonite-Water Slurry,” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 130(9), 915-921.
  • Marques, A.C.M., Filz, G.M., and Vilar, O.C. (2003). “A Composite Compressibility Model for Municipal Solid Waste,” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 129(4), 372-378.
  • Esterhuizen, J.J.B., Filz, G.M., and Duncan, J.M. (2001). “Constitutive Behavior of Geosynthetic Interfaces,” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 127(10), 834-840.
  • Filz, G.M., Esterhuizen, J.J.B., and Duncan, J.M. (2001). “Progressive Failure of Lined Waste Impoundments,” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 127(10), 841-848.