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 February 28th, 2012
I was finally able to make my first visit to the Bond Bridge in Kansas City since it was completed. It is a very beautiful bridge that fits well into the approach to Kansas City from the north. As foundation engineers, we don’t always get a convenient opportunity visit the large bridge structures we work on since our work is usually completed very early in the overall schedule. We are often too involved in other projects by the time a bridge is finished on which we were the foundation/geotechnical engineer. So, it was a personal pleasure to make a visit and drive over the bridge when John Turner and I flew into Kansas City on our way to Topeka to present the NHI Drilled Shaft Course earlier this month. Although it was a cloudy and cold day, I think the few photos I took with my phone (camera battery was dead!) turned out good. Mouse over each for a caption. Enjoy!
  
Click here for previous posts on this bridge.
By Robert Thompson, on February 15th, 2012
Another paper featured in the December 2011 issue of the DFI Journal was authored by Steve and Dan, along with Dr. Bob Parsons at the University of Kansas.
Dapp, S.D., Brown, D.A., and Parsons, R.L. (2011). “Hyperbolic P-Y Model for Static and Cyclic Lateral Loading Derived from Full-Scale Lateral Load Tesing in Cemented Loess Soils”, DFI Journal Volume 5, Number 2, December 2011, Deep Foundations Institute, pp35-43.
The paper describes a program of lateral load tests on six drilled shafts installed in a loess deposit at a site in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The lateral load test data, along with site characterization data that included CPT data, were used to develop a hyperbolic model to generate p-y curves for use in lateral load analyses in cemented soils. The model should be applicable to many “c-phi” soils (soils with both a cohesion intercept and a friction angle, such as cemented soils). Degradation of the static soil model to account for cyclic loading effects is included in the new model.
This paper was originally published in the DFI Journal, Vol. 5 No. 2, December 2011, the bi-annual Journal of the Deep Foundations Institute. DFI is an international technical association of firms and individuals involved in the deep foundations and related industry. The DFI Journal is provided to DFI members at no cost electronically or can be purchased in print at www.dfi.org.
This paper is one of several papers and articles published form a series of research projects by KU and the Kansas DOT. Some of the previous work can be found at these links:
Characterization of Loess for Deep Foundations (1/26/10)
Pierson, M., Parsons, R.L., Han, J., Brown, D.A. and Thompson, W.R. (2008). "Capacity of Laterally Loaded Shafts Constructed Behind the Face of a Mechanically Stabilized Earth Block Wall", Report for the Kansas Department of Transportation
Lateral load tests of drilled shafts behind an MSE wall – research with KDOT and KU (12/6/07)
By Robert Thompson, on February 13th, 2012
The new I-70 Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri is moving along and getting noticed in the news. Here are a couple of (somewhat) recent articles:
The Republic (Columbus, Indiana) (01/29/2012)
St. Louis Business Journal (01/10/2012)
KMOX CBS (12/28/2011)
The New Mississippi River Bridge Project page maintained by MoDOT has links to all that is happening on the project.
You can get real-time updates of the construction from three web-cams at this link. As I type today, the site is covered in snow. Very beautiful, unless you are trying to build a bridge on time!
The project page also has photo galleries and other neat stuff.
stltoday.com has some albums with good photos, including this one.
Previous posts on this bridge project are here, including the world record O-Cell test!
Photo Credit: MoDOT (http://www.newriverbridge.org/img/galleries/year2012/010612/2012-01-05mrbtowers-jan12-10.JPG)
By Robert Thompson, on February 2nd, 2012
 The report for the ADSC Southeast Chapter Lawrenceville, Georgia Test Site is complete and published (link below).
This is the second report from their research project on rock-socketed drilled shafts in the Southeast U.S. This report is from the Lawrenceville, Georgia test site where shafts constructed in metamorphic rock of the Piedmont geologic province were load tested using the O-Cell load test device. The report link is below. Additional information about the test site can be found at the Lawrenceville Site Page.
The first site of this project was in Nashville, Tennessee where shafts constructed in limestone were tested. Information on the Nashville Site and the test reports can be found at the Nashville Site Page.
Both reports will be the feature of a paper and presentation by Robert at the 2012 ADSC Expo, March 13-17, in San Antonio, TX. More information about the Expo can be found here.
Thompson, W.R., Brown, D.A., and Hudson, A.B. (2012). “Load Testing of Drilled Shaft Foundations in Piedmont Rock, Lawrenceville, GA, Report for ADSC Southeast Chapter, January, 2012.
By Robert Thompson, on January 24th, 2012
The drilled shaft foundations for the new I-70 Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis, MO are the subject of two recent papers written by Paul and Dan and published by DFI. Dan presented the paper focusing on the Alternate Technical Concept (ATC) process at the DFI 36th Annual Conference in October. (previous post here). A case history paper by Paul and Dan was published last month in Volume 5, Number 2 of the DFI Journal. Links to the papers are below, as well as on our Publications page. Other posts on this bridge are here.
Brown, D.A., Axtell, P.J., and Kelley, J. (2011). “The Alternate Technical Concept Process for the Foundations at the New Mississippi River Bridge, St. Louis”, Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, 2011, Boston, MA, USA, pp171-177.
This paper was originally published in the Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations, the 2011 annual meeting of DFI. Go to www.dfi.org to purchase the procedings or for further information.
Axtell, P.J. and Brown, D.A. (2011). “Case History – Foundations for the New Mississippi River Bridge – St.Louis”, DFI Journal Volume 5, Number 2, December 2011, Deep Foundations Institute, pp3-15.
This paper was originally published in DFI’s bi-annual journal, Volume 5, No. 2 in December 2011. DFI is an international technical association of firms and individuals involved in the deep foundations and related industry. The DFI Journal is a member publication. To join DFI and receive the journal, go to www.dfi.org for further information.
By Robert Thompson, on November 4th, 2011
 DBA is pleased to announce that Dr. D. Michael Holloway, P.E. has joined the DBA team. Mike is a recognized expert in driven pile foundation design and dynamic testing, in-situ testing, instrumentation, and earthquake engineering. His over 40 years of foundation and geotechnical engineering experience includes stints at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, MS, and Woodward-Clyde Consultants in Oakland, CA. He founded InsituTech, which specialized in engineering deep foundations and applying insitu soil testing services.
When starting InsituTech, Mike broadened the professional practice beyond “conventional” PDA-related testing and analyses services. Rather than just test and report to satisfy QC requirements during construction, he applied dynamic testing and analyses to enhance foundation design and constructability, as well as to improve on-site troubleshooting of construction problems. The efforts paid off as the firm made significant changes in the way PDA services became integrated into the design/build process on several major marine facilities and bridge projects in the west and in the Pacific.
Mike is a Blue Devil, having earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. at Duke University in North Carolina. Raised in New York, he made his way to California seeking engineering gold soon after his time at WES. He has been based there ever since.
Mike’s presence in California makes DBA a practically coast-to-coast firm (well, at least East Tennessee to California). We at DBA are excited at the expertise Mike adds to our portfolio and look forward to his contributions to the team. Welcome, Mike!
Holloway DBA Announcement (Press Release)
By Robert Thompson, on November 2nd, 2011
Dan and Steve co-authored an article in the Fall 2011 issue of Deep Foundations (from DFI) that covered the foundations for the recently completed record-setting Audubon Bridge in Louisiana. Dan and Steve cover not only the shaft testing, design, and construction, but also the unique cofferdam used for the tower foundations. I recently highlighted an article by Sereno Brown, P.E. of Flatiron that covered the design and installation of the cofferdam in detail.
You can receive Deep Foundations every quarter (soon bi-monthly!), as well as the DFI Journal, by joining DFI. Get information on joining at this link – click on “Membership” at the top banner.
By Robert Thompson, on September 14th, 2011
 The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has published a National Cooperative Highway Research Program synthesis report by Dan and Robert: NCHRP Synthesis 418–Developing Production Pile Driving Criteria From Test Pile Data. This synthesis provides a survey of the current practices used by transportation agencies to develop pile driving criteria, with special attention on the use of test pile data. The report covers issues related to developing driving criteria, the current practices used by the responding agencies, recommended useful practices that were identified, along with descriptions of the practical approach several agencies use to integrate a range of technologies to develop pile driving criteria under typical conditions. The information collected indicates that practices used by transportation agencies to develop pile driving criteria for production pile installation can be described as highly variable in terms of the level and sophistication of the testing performed.
Included in the report are:
- Responses from a survey sent to all 50 state departments of transportation plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (44 of the 52 agencies provided responses).
- Interviews performed by telephone or in-person of nine of the responding agencies selected based on the written survey responses.
- A comprehensive literature review on the range of practices included in test pile programs and their use in developing production pile driving criteria.
- Discussions of the survey results.
- Useful practices identified from the surveys.
- Identification of research needs for this topic.
To purchase the print version of this report or get a PDF, follow this link to TRB. Click the “View This PDF” to get the PDF.
Please note that if you order the printed version, Appendices B and C (copies of the completed survey forms and interview notes) are available via download only.
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 31st, 2011
As noted earlier on this blog, the Audubon Bridge opened a little bit earlier than planned. Although over a year old, an article recently came to my attention that puts a spotlight on the unique engineering and construction that went into the cofferdams for the two main bridge piers in the Mississippi River. The article is “John James Audubon Bridge Project – Cofferdam Construction for the Main Span Pier Foundations”, published in the February 2010 issue of Louisiana Civil Engineer, the Journal of the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The article’s lead author, Sereno Brown, P.E., was the construction team’s Project Engineer for the design-build project. In the article, Mr. Brown outlines the issues that led to the team selecting a pre-cast concrete cofferdam over other methods, the design methodology, and then the construction of the cofferdam. The effort posed several significant design and construction challenges, including the sequence of lowering the cofferdam into place through a set of hydraulic jacks. The entire process was truly an amazing engineering and construction feat.
Download the article here.
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