Get the New FHWA Drilled Shaft Manual
Get the NCHRP Synthesis 418 – Pile Criteria From Test Pile Data
Dan’s Speaking Schedule September 12-13, 2012: Concrete used in Drilled Shaft Construction - ADSC/DFI Drilled Shaft Seminar - Denver, Colorado Other DBA Team Speaking Appearances D. Mike Holloway (May 17, 2012): A Driven Pile is a Tested Pile - Not So Fast - DFI SuperPile - Portland, Oregon
John Turner (September 12-13, 2012): Analysis & Design of Drilled Shafts - ADSC/DFI Drilled Shaft Seminar - Denver, Colorado
John Turner (September 12-13, 2012): Techniques for Drilled Shaft Construction - ADSC/DFI Drilled Shaft Seminar - Denver, Colorado Conferences, Meetings, Seminars, Workshops
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By Robert Thompson, on September 26th, 2011
 It seems that social media and on-line communications have become a major part of our day-to-day communications. If you are like me (Robert), I find it rather annoying at times to filter through what you get to find what you really want or need. Now there is an on-line social networking/community for the geoengineering field – GeoWorld. This new “spot on the web” is a collaboration of Geoengineer.org and ISSMGE (International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering).
After more than two years of development, Geoengineer.org, in collaboration with the ISSMGE, is pleased to announce the development of Geoworld!
Geoworld is a new, free, professional networking platform for professionals, companies and professional organizations in the geoengineering profession. It promotes professional networking, collaborations and information dissemination at a global scale.
Geoworld revolutionizes the way information is circulated and even generated in the geoengineering field. It will serve as a platform to promote professional interactions, foster the formation of formal and informal groups, and support innovation in the geoengineering field at a global scale.
Geoworld is very easy to use and powerful, and has features that are specifically suited for geotechnical engineering professionals. Hundreds of geotechnical engineers as well as companies and organizations have already joined since the first announcement of Geoworld last week.
Here is a video link introducing Geoworld.
Look for DBA and ask to become a Contact. Also look for me and other DBA folks. See you there!
By Robert Thompson, on August 31st, 2011
Dan will be honored at the DFI 36th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in Boston, October 19 to 21. He will receive the award at the annual awards banquet on Thursday, October 20th. From DFI:
The Deep Foundations Institute is pleased to announce Dan Brown, P.E., Ph.D., as the recipient of the DFI 2011 Distinguished Service Award. The award, in its 31st year, honors individuals chosen by their peers for exceptional contributions to DFI and to the industry.
Brown began his career with a B.S. from Georgia Tech, and later received his Ph.D. at the University of Texas, Austin, in only 28 months, while working. He then taught at Auburn University for 22 years before setting up his own consulting firm in Tennessee. The Winter 2011 issue of the DFI magazine included a profile of Brown that chronicled the universal admiration and regard for him within the industry. He was cited by others for his expertise, his intelligence and ability to teach others. Brown and his firm are sought out for advice everywhere.
Follow this link to see the full press release. We’ll post pictures after the ceremony.
By Robert Thompson, on July 20th, 2011
The John James Audubon Bridge was opened to traffic on May 10, 2011 a little earlier than planned. While the project is not 100% complete, the bridge was sufficiently complete to allow an emergency opening due to closure of the nearby ferry the bridge is replacing. From the project website:
Due to the high level of the Mississippi River causing the closure of the New Roads/St. Francisville ferry, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) opened the John James Audubon Bridge at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 5, 2011. This emergency opening allowed continuous river-crossing access for traffic affected by the ferry closure. The ferry, which carried approximately 720 vehicles per day according to 2009-2010 DOTD statistics, is permanently closed with the opening of the Audubon Bridge.
Construction is still ongoing and could affect traffic until the project is 100% complete later this year.
By David Graham, on April 1st, 2011
Well, I, David, have survived my first (and hopefully last) winter in Minnesota. I spent most of January and February observing the installation of the Pier 5 drilled shafts at the new Hastings bridge project in Hastings, Minnesota. In addition to the drilled shafts, there has been a lot activity at Hastings since Aaron last blogged about this project in January. A link to his post is here. All of the ground improvement piles for the column-supported embankment have been installed and approximately 75% of the caps have been poured. The 42-inch piles and pile caps for Piers 8, 9, and 10 are also complete. Piles for the north embankment retaining wall have been installed and construction of the wall has begun. Excavation for the rock bearing spread footings that will support the south land piers is in progress. Work at Piers 6 and 7 and on the north shore are currently on hold as the Mississippi River is experiencing its annual spring flood. The water level is about 14 feet above normal elevation.
I have taken the pictures Paul and I have collected over the last few months and uploaded some of the more interesting ones to a Picasa web album. The pictures are generally in chronological order and cover most of the construction process from November of 2010 right up to the end of March 2011. A link to our our video of a Statnamic load test at Hastings that Aaron blogged about is here.
By Robert Thompson, on March 24th, 2011
Paul gave a presentation recently at the Iowa ASCE Geotechnical Conference where he discussed two project case histories for LRFD design of bridge foundations. The meeting was held March 3, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. In his presentation, Paul gave an overview of the LRFD design procedure as it applies to foundations, reminding them that LRFD is not difficult and that it provides a logical framework for incorporating reliability into foundation design. Paul talked about our experiences using LRFD for foundation design for two bridges over the Mississippi River: the Hastings Bridge in Hasting Minnesota and the new I-70 bridge in St. Louis, Missouri. Both bridges are currently under construction.
A PDF of his presentation can be found at the link through the image below, or on our Presentations page.
Previous Hastings posts
Previous I-70 posts
By Robert Thompson, on December 23rd, 2010
By Robert Thompson, on December 8th, 2010
A paper by Paul Axtell and others on shear strength of cement-bentonite grout mixes has been added to our Publications Page.
Axtell, P.J., Stark, T.D., and Dillon, J.C. (2010). “Peak and Post-Peak Shear Strength of Cement-Bentonite”, DFI Journal Volume 4, No. 1, August 2010, Deep Foundations Institute, pp59-65.
By Robert Thompson, on September 16th, 2010
 We are pleased to announce that we are growing again! Recent Auburn University graduate (War Eagle!) David Graham, E.I. has joined DBA. David recently finished the requirements for his M.S. in Civil Engineering at Auburn University, where he also completed his B.C.E. David’s research, directed by Dr. David Elton, P.E. focused on a new method for mitigating liquefaction hazards. Although Dan “retired” while David was just starting graduate school, David was fortunate to have Dan as an instructor for several courses. David has experience in geotechnical construction and consulting working as a co-op with Saiia Construction, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama and as an engineering associate for Bunnell-Lammons Engineering, Inc. (BLE) in Greenville, South Carolina. David will now be joining DBA as a staff engineer, where he will be performing foundation analysis and design, as well as working in the field observing field explorations and construction. Although David has not yet conformed to the standard DBA hair style, we welcome him to our team. Welcome, David!
By Robert Thompson, on August 19th, 2010
As I posted on July 7th, the new FHWA Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods has been released and is available for download (PDF) at the FHWA web site (link at previous post). ADSC has just announced that the printed version is now available to both ADSC members and non-members:
By special arrangement with the FHWA, the ADSC’s Technical Library Service offers the manual to ADSC Members and to the design and construction community at large. ADSC Member Price is $105.00 USD, Non-Members, $140.00. A small shipping charge will be added depending on manner of delivery requested.
You can read more on obtaining the printed manual on the ADSC web site.
By Robert Thompson, on May 25th, 2010
As geotechnical/foundation engineers, we don’t usually get to see much of what happens on a project after the foundations are completed, especially a project like a large bridge that can take years to complete. Technology such as the Internet, webcams, and digital photography have made it easy for us to see how things are progressing on projects, as well as maybe get images of the completed structure. As I have noted before, some projects are using Twitter and Facebook to keep the public informed on closures, delays or overall project progress as part of good public relations. Her are some updates on a few of our recent projects.
kcICON:
The main span is well underway, including the cables. The kcICON Facebook page is here.
 
Audubon Bridge:
Check out the webcam. You can download images if you like. YOu can also do a time-lapse from Day 1 of construction.
 
Beck Street Bridge:
Part of the I-15 Express Link project in Salt Lake City, UT. The photos below I obtained from the photos page on the project web site. We were involved in the design and construction of the foundations for the Beck Street Bridge only.
  
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