SCO Building common mistakes
SCO Building · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Treating one borehole as the whole ground model
Subsurface materials and groundwater can vary between observations.
What to do instead
Test plausible geological continuities and uncertainty against additional suitable evidence.
Subtracting pore pressure twice
Using buoyant unit weight and then removing the same water pressure again understates effective stress.
What to do instead
Choose a consistent total-stress-minus-pore-pressure or effective-unit-weight calculation.
Calling capacity proof of acceptable settlement
A foundation can meet a resistance check while movements remain unacceptable.
What to do instead
Assess strength, deformation and structural integrity as separate compatible requirements.
Applying a supplied factor as universal law
An exercise coefficient can be specific to a model or assumed design condition.
What to do instead
State its source and assumptions and obtain actual applicable design requirements before real application.
Mixing force, stress and moment units
Numerically plausible values can conceal a missing length or area conversion.
What to do instead
Carry units through each balance before comparing with a compatible resistance quantity.
Using rainfall depth as intensity
A depth lacks the duration required by an intensity-based runoff model.
What to do instead
Use the explicitly appropriate rainfall duration and unit conversion.
Confusing treatment transfer with removal
Moving or transforming a contaminant does not necessarily remove its mass from the whole system.
What to do instead
Define system boundaries, species and all relevant output streams.
Reporting a calculation as complete approval
One correct model does not validate assumptions, interfaces, current rules or construction evidence.
What to do instead
Separate the computed result from the remaining engineering checks and authorized acceptance.