Get the New FHWA Drilled Shaft Manual

Get the NCHRP Synthesis 418 – Pile Criteria From Test Pile Data

Dan’s Speaking Schedule

March 16, 2012 - "Advanced" Design and Construction Issues with Drilled Shaft Foundations; Case Histories - ADSC Equipment EXPO and Technical Conference - San Antonio, Texas

March 26-28, 2012 - State of the Art and Practice for Drilled Foundations - GeoCongress 2012 - ASCE/Geo-Institute - San Francisco, California

Other DBA Team Speaking Appearances

Tim Siegel (January 22, 2012): Innovative Techniques for Characterizing Karst Terrain, Workshop on Geo-innovation in Subsurface Exploration, TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.

John Turner and Robert Thompson (February 21-23, 2012): NHI Drilled Shaft Course - Kansas DOT, Topeka, Kansas

Robert Thompson (February 24, 2012): Conservatism in Drilled Shaft Design When Utilizing Rock Sockets, Alabama Transportation Conference, Montgomery, Alabama

Tim Siegel (March 15, 2012): Micropile Design Installation and Performance for the Foothills Parkway, ADSC Equipment EXPO and Technical Conference, San Antonio, Texas

Robert Thompson (March 15, 2012): Full-Scale Load Tests on Drilled Shafts in Tennessee and Georgia, ADSC Equipment EXPO and Technical Conference, San Antonio, Texas

Erik Loehr (March 15, 2012): Slope Stabilization Using Micropiles, ADSC Equipment EXPO and Technical Conference, San Antonio, Texas

John Turner (March 27, 2012): Foundations for the Bridge at Pitkins Curve - GeoCongress 2012 - ASCE/Geo-Institute - Oakland, California

TBA (April 10-12, 2012): NHI Drilled Shaft Course - South Carolina DOT, Columbia, South Carolina

John Turner (May 7-10, 2012): Highway Geology Symposium, Redding, CA

Conferences, Meetings, Seminars, Workshops

New Links – The Academy of Geo-Professionals; Geoengineering Literature Finder

AGP_logo_4c

A link to the Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) has been added to our links in the sidebar.  The AGP is the organization that awards the Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering (D.GE.) which our own Tim Siegel was recently awarded . From the AGP website:

 

The Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) was founded in October 2008 by practicing geo-professionals who were members of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Geo-Institute. The Academy was created primarily to offer a voluntary, post-license credential that provide professional engineers an opportunity to gain further recognition in the broad field of geotechnical engineering.

AGP’s goal is dedicated to improving the practice, elevating the standards, and advancing the profession of geo-professional engineering. The Academy has begun its challenge to try and meet these goals with the oversight of our voluntary, post-licensure, specialty certification program for geo-professional engineers.

geoengineer1height100

A new literature search tool is available from Geoengineer.org for geotechnical engineers – the Geoengineering Literature Finder, or GEOLIFI.  This fee-based service has been created to provide access to published works in conference proceedings, etc. through agreements with publishers, etc.  This service is meant to complement there free Online Geoengineering Library.

 

The Online Geoengineering Library is a popular tool within Geoengineer.org and intends to provide access to publications available online at no cost. However such a database, will always be incomplete, because many publications are not (and will not be) available online.

Thus, Geoengineer.org undertook a 2-year development project to establish GEOLIFI. GEOLIFI intends to become the most comprehensive, searchable online database of geoengineering papers published worldwide not only in journals, but also in conferences, symposia, workshops, and even magazines and reports. GEOLIFI is established in cooperation with publishers, conference organizers as well as professional geoengineering organizations….

 
…..The ultimate goal is to collect and disseminate unprecedented numbers of papers in a effective manner. The database as of today includes over 2,000 papers, most of them not otherwise available online, and will continue to expand on a daily basis. … Many of these publications would not be otherwise available, except by subscribing to a journal or purchasing the proceedings.

 

geoprac_120x60

While I am discussing search links, don’t forget Geosearch.com developed by GeoPrac.net.  A link to Geosearch.com is in our side bar.

Papers Added from Tim Siegel

I have added most of Tim’s published technical papers to our on line library.  Most of Tim’s published works cover topics such as karst terrain, ground improvement, and augered cast-in-place piles.  Links to each paper are below and on the Publications page.

Siegel, T.C. and McGillivary, A. (2009). “Interpreted Residual Load in an Augered Cast-in-Place Pile”, Proceedings, Annual DFI Conference, Kansas City, MO.

Siegel, T.C. and NeSmith, W.M. (2009). “Shortcomings of the Davisson Offset Limit Applied to Axial Compressive Load Tests on Cast-in-Place Piles”, 2009 International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo, Contemporary Topics in Deep Foundations, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 185, ASCE, pp. 568-574.

Fellenius, B. H. and Siegel, T.C. (2008). “Pile Drag Load and Downdrag in a Liquefaction Event”, Journal of Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, ASCE, Vol 134, No. 9.

Siegel, T.C., NeSmith, W.M., and NeSmith, W.M. (2008). “Increase in Cyclic Liquefaction Resistance of Sandy Soil Due to Drilled Displacement Piles”, Proceedings, Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics IV Conference, Sacramento, CA.

Bivens, M.J. and Siegel, T.C. (2007). “Case Histories of Micropiles in Karst: The Influence of Installation on Design and Performance”, Contemporary Issues in Deep Foundations, GeoDenver Conference, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 158, ASCE.

Siegel, T.C., Cargill, P.E., and NeSmith, W.N. (2007). “CPT Measurements Near Drilled Displacement Piles”, Proceedings, FMGM, Boston, MA.

Siegel, T.C., NeSmith, W.M., NeSmith, W.M., and Cargill, P.E. (2007), “Ground Improvement Resulting From Installation of Drilled Displacement Piles”, 32nd DFI Annual Conference, Colorado Springs, CO.

Camp, W.M. and Siegel, T.C. (2006). “Failure of a Column-Supported Embankment Over Soft Ground”, Proceedings, Fourth International Conference on Soft Soils, Vancouver, B.C.

Siegel, T.C. and Cargill, P.E. (2005). “Use of the Cone Penetration Test for Geotechnical Site Characterization in Clay-Mantled Karst”, Proceedings, 10th Multi-Disciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, San Antonio, TX.

Siegel, T.C., Caskey, J.M., and Huckaba, D.A. (2005). “Combination of Ground Improvement Techniques for Support of Shallow Foundation in Karst”, Innovations in Grouting and Soil Improvement, GeoFrontiers Conference, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 136, ASCE.

Siegel, T.C., Chnag, C.C., and Loizias, L. (2003). “Seismic Stability of Rock Islands for Bridge Protection in Coastal South Carolina”, Proceedings, European Conference of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Prague, Czech Republic.

Siegel, T.C. and Mackiewicz, S.M. (2003). “Failure of Axially Loaded Augered Cast-in-Place Piles in Coastal South Carolina”, Proceedings, Soil and Rock America: 12th Panamerican Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Boston, MA.

Siegel, T.C., Camp, W.M., Chnag, C.C., and Loizias, L. (2002). “Site Response of Improved ground in the Coastal Eastern United States”, Proceedings, 4th International Conference on Ground Improvement Techniques, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Siegel, T.C. and McCrackin, D.W. (2001). “Geotechnical Characterization and Modeling of a Shallow Karst Bedrock Site. Proceedings, 8th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, Louisville KY.

Siegel, T.C., Cargill, P.E., and McCrackin, M.W. (2001). “Geosynthetic Reinforcement Above Sinkholes to Protect Landfill Liners”, Proceedings, 8th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, Louisville KY.

Siegel, T.C., Belgeri, J.J., and McCrackin, M.W. (2001). “Case History of East Tennessee Karst: Static Stability of Some Shallow Caves”, Proceedings, 2001: A Geo-Odyssey – Foundations and Ground Improvement, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 113, Blacksburg, VA.

Presentations Posted – GeoFlorida and More!

Tim Siegel’s presentation on plate load testing of grout columns from GeoFlorida 2010 in February has been added to our Presentations Page.  I have also added some older presentations from IFCEE09, the 41st STGEC,  and other conferences.

 

 

 

 Axtell - Construction Considerations

Construction Considerations in the Selection and Design of Drilled Shaft Foundations for Bridges – Paul Axtell, P.E. – 11th University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Structural Engineering Conference, April 8, 2010.

 

IFCEE09 Drilled Shafts-Calcareous_Thompson_Brown 

Drilled Shaft Performance in Cemented Calcareous Formations in the Southeast US – W. Robert Thompson, III, P.E. – IFCEE09, Orlando, Florida – March 18, 2009.

 

IFCEE09 Slope Stabilization with H-piles_Thompson

Case History: Value Engineering of Driven H-Piles for Slope Stability on the Missouri River – W. Robert Thompson, III, P.E. – IFCEE09, Orlando, Florida – March 16, 2009.

 

STGEC 41 - LRFD Case History - Thompson

LRFD in Practice – A Case Study for Foundation Designers – W. Robert Thompson, III, P.E. and Liz Smith, P.E. (Terracon, Inc.). – 41st STGEC Conference, Wilmington, North Carolina – November 4, 2009.

Professor Ralph Peck Legacy Website Launched

ralphpeck

The Professor Ralph Peck Legacy Website has been launched by Geoengineer.org:

Geoengineer.org is pleased to announce the launch of "Professor Ralph Peck’s Legacy Website". The Website has been developed to celebrate the life and legacy of one of the Heroes of the geotechnical engineering field and honor a distinguished geotechnical engineer for his dedication and contributions to the society as a teacher, author, and engineer. The Website includes a lot of resources such as biographical data, quotes, photos, powerpoints, and even videos of lectures by Professor Peck.  The Shamsher Prakash Foundation has generously sponsored this activity. The website has been developed in collaboration with Mrs. Nancy Peck-Young, Prof. Peck’s daughter and was supervised by an international Advisory Committee of distinguished members of our community that had the luxury of knowing Prof. Peck and consists of Prof. Dobry, Prof. Cording, Prof. Prakash and Dr. Lacasse. The content of the website is divided in three parts: "About his life", "Publications" and "Resources".  We hope that this resource will be a source of inspiration for the future generations of geotechnical engineers. We also encourage you to provide us with any additional resources/content and we will be glad to include it in the website’s content.

Such a website is a fitting tribute to such an icon in the geotechnical engineering and construction industry.  Make sure and check it out.  I have added a link on our sidebar in the Geotechnical Resources section.

Artistic Construction Photo Contest – Volume 1

Old School (HPL) - R. Thompson

With all of us visiting construction projects across the country, occasionally we take a photo that appears to be somewhat “artistic” – maybe the lighting (or lack of), or the aspect.  I have assembled a few such photos submitted by DBA engineers in the first installment of the DBA Artistic Construction Photo Contest. Included in this installment are such items as: “Daybreak on Night Shift at JJA” and “Fountain” by S. Dapp, the series “Evolution” by P. Axtell, “GI Rig at Sunset” by T. Siegel, and “Piles in the Mist” by R. Thompson.  This first volume has more photos of mine than others, but we’ll work on better balance in future volumes.

Feel free to “vote” for your favorite in the comments.  I’ll try to update periodically as we have more “worthy” photos!

Daredevil Engineer

Those of you that know Dan know that he is into motorcycles, especially trials riding.  Some of you may thing that the headline means this post is about one of his latest riding exploits.  Surprisingly, it is not.

Recently, I (Robert) and my family went to a World of Wheels car show in Birmingham, Alabama.  This is not our normal family activity, but we went to watch Alex Bedly, an instructor at the Trials Training Center, perform as part of the On The Edge bike stunt team.  Alex is an instructor at the TTC and is the son of Catherine Bedley, our administrative assistant.  My family and I had a great time.  I was even part of the show, unknown to me until the show had started and I was called out to “volunteer”.  Check out the 35-second video below.  No engineers were harmed in the making of this clip.

Cross posted at the Trials Training Center blog.

Characterization of Loess for Deep Foundations

loess map

 

I have added a recent paper that Dan and Steve contributed to concerning loess that is in the November, 2009 issue of the DFI Journal.  The paper describes the results of site investigation and laboratory tests at a site in Kansas with loess deposits.  The effectiveness of various correlations between field and laboratory tests and design properties are evaluated.  Steve is currently working on the follow-up paper that evaluates lateral load tests of drilled shafts at the site.

Parson, R.L., Johnson, R.M., Brown, D.A., Dapp, S.D., and Brennan, J.J., 2009. “Characterization of Loess for Deep Foundations”, DFI Journal Volume 3, No. 2, November 2009, Deep Foundations Institute, pp14-24.

kcICON project moving along – see it on Facebook and YouTube

The kcICON project in Kansas City, Missouri is using Facebook and YouTube as a public relations tool.  They have recently posted new videos and pictures.  The latest video is of demolition of one of the existing approach structures.   It is all done for public relations, so the photos and videos are oriented for the general public, showing how the project is moving along, how their tax dollars are being spent, and providing information on lane closures, etc.

The kcICON Facebook page is here.  The project website with more photos and a web cam is here.  You can also follow the project on Twitter here.

I expect we’ll see more use of Facebook, Twitter, etc. on projects in the future.  It appears to be effective, at least for the techno-savy crowd!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from DBA!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a great year in 2010!

 

contractor-christmas-card

 

Comments are welcome on which of the elves are Aaron, Paul, Robert, and Steve.

(Image form our Christmas Holiday card purchased from www.KerstenCards.com)

Events Calendar Updated for 2010

 

I have updated our calendar for 2010 to include many events in the geotechnical and foundation engineering world that may be of interest, plus known speaking/teaching appearances by Dan.  I’ll put in a plug for the events calendars and listings for ADSC, DFI, Geo-Institute, and PDCA.  I get most of my information from them.

 

Some, but not all events,(in addition to my previous post) are:

 

DFI Helical Foundations & Tiebacks Specialty Seminar – Feb 1

 

geo_header_2009    Geo-Florida 2010 – Feb 20-24

 

DFI and PDCA – A Joint Conference on Driven Pile – Mar 12

 

adsc_logo_color_small1 ADSC Drilled Shaft Foundations Seminar – Mar 19

 

PDCALogo PDCA 14th Annual International Conference and Expo – May 6-8

 

2nd International Symposium on Cone Penetration Testing – May 9-11

 

bridge-home-template_r1_c6_sm International Bridge Conference 2010 – June 6-10

 

DFI Super Pile – June 10-11

 

er2010_header_002 Earth Retention 2010 – Aug 1-4

 

DFILogo DFI 34th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations – Oct 12-15 

 

5c24ff58c9bf4a5f988f0f34e0266ffc TRB 7th International Bridge Conference – Dec 1-2

Archives

GeotechSearch.com

DBA Photo Albums

ADSC SE Drilled Shaft Research Project, Lawrenceville, GA Test SiteDBA Honors and Awards
JJA Pictures from Chris Ursery (FIGG)Hastings Bridge Construction
Ownesboro Hospital Ground ImprovementArtistic Construction - Vol 1
JJA Construction 2010LPV-145 Test Piles 2009-2010
DFI 2009JJA Construction - Shaft 3W South Load Test - October 2009
Huey P. Long Bridge Drilled Shafts - October 2009JJA Construction - Pier 2W - September 2009 Photos
Univ Kansas Research - Lateral Load Test on Drilled ShaftsHuey P. Long Bridge, New Orleans - Test Shaft Construction - July 16-19, 2009
GIWW West Closure Complex Test Piles June and July 2009Garden State Parkway Mullica River Bridge - Test Shaft Construction - June 2009