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Pile Driving Inspectors Course

The Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) announces the presentation of a one-day seminar focused on the responsibilities of inspectors of pile driving projects. The PDCA will present this one-day course on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans. Participants will receive a "Certificate of Attendance" worth 8 CPD hours for Louisiana engineers (8 PDHs for others).
 
This course is designed for those who inspect pile-driving operations during construction of foundations and major structures, including suppliers of hammers and piles, contractor's superintendents and foreman, geotechnical engineers and structural engineers.
 
The course registration fee includes all course materials in a 3-ring binder, the presentations on a CD (which will also include the FHWA's "Design and Construction of Driven Pile Foundations, Vol. I & Vol. II" - a $60 value), expanded continental breakfast, refreshment breaks and a buffet-style lunch.
 
The cost of the program is $250 for members before Oct. 30. PDCA has secured a special room rate with the InterContinental Hotel of $129 per night. Contact the PDCA office at 888-311-7322 for all the details. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

DGI-Menard Expands with New Gulf Coast Office

Earlier this year, DGI-Menard Inc. opened a new office in Metairie, La. According to Marty Taube, the firm's director of business development, a large portion of the company's ground improvement projects are based in the Gulf Coast region. "Our ground improvement techniques, in particular controlled modulus columns and wick drains, provide sustainable cost-effective solutions for the soft ground that is common in the region," says Taube. "Our projects in the Gulf Coast focus on improving ground and reducing settlement for above-ground storage tanks, containment structures, platforms, buildings, roads and embankments."

The new office's address is 3501 N. Causeway Blvd., Suite 300, Metairie, La. 70002. The office phone number is 504-836-7412.

DGI-Menard is headquartered in Pittsburgh, and offers a full range of ground improvement services, including wick drains, controlled modulus columns, dynamic compaction, dynamic replacement, vibrocompaction, vibro stone columns and vibro-concrete columns. The company's broad range of ground improvement solutions are alternatives to deep foundations, and have been successfully used in the construction of buildings and warehouses, port and airport platforms, heavy industrial storage facilities, roads and railways.

Gala Fundraising Dinner

The Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust invites you to its 4th Annual Gala Fundraising Dinner. The black tie-optional event takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Chart House Restaurant in Weehawken, N.J.

Special guest speaker for the occasion is Richard Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress. Anderson is a nationally recognized association executive and urban planner. An advocate of strategic infrastructure investment and economic development, he has dedicated his career to promoting the long-term growth of America's foremost urban centers.

When you support the DFI Educational Trust with your tax-deductible contributions, you are helping young students discover the secret of how rewarding a career in the deep foundations industry can be.

Reservations are $350 per seat, and sponsorship opportunities also are available. For complete details, telephone 973-423-4030.

On the Job

Drilled Shaft Foundations for Bridge Piers

The kcICON project in Kansas City, Mo., is a $245 million project to improve and upgrade about four miles of the I-29/35 corridor through Kansas City. The project features a landmark cable-stay Missouri River bridge, and will upgrade the Interstate to six lanes (expandable to eight lanes). Construction began in Spring 2008. Full service to all lanes will be restored by June 1, 2011, with final construction completed by July 31, 2011.

The cable-stayed bridge is approximately 1,700 feet long, with the two cable-stayed spans supported by a single pylon. The main channel span is 550 feet, and the back span is about 450 feet. Approach spans vary in length from 110 feet to 165 feet.

Dan Brown and Associates, Sequatchie, Tenn., performed geotechnical engineering and design of the drilled shaft foundations for the bridge piers. Other services included:

· Quality assurance review of the geotechnical reports for the remaining geotechnical work on the project corridor, including bridges, retaining walls and slopes.
·  Developing and analyzing the drilled shaft load test plan.
· Geotechnical engineering consulting during trial shaft installation and production shaft construction.

Eight drilled shafts, installed by Massman Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., support the main pylon with rock sockets 10.5 feet in diameter. The land-based bents are supported with drilled shafts bearing on rock ranging in diameter from 6.5 feet to 8 feet in diameter. Tip grouting was utilized to enhance the bearing resistance of the shafts at Bent 5 on the north side of the river. Steel H-piles were used to support the end bents (abutments).

ISSMGE Tabs Jean-Louis Briaud

Professor Jean-Louis Briaud, a technical affiliate member of ADSC: The International Association of Foundation Drilling, Geo-Institute president, and holder of the Buchanan Chair in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, recently was elected president of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). The election took place in Alexandria, Egypt, on Oct. 4. ISSMGE works much like the United Nations - one country, one vote, and 74 countries were present for the vote. The voting result was 56 to 18, and gives Briaud a very strong mandate to lead the society for the next four years. In his acceptance speech, Briaud said that he looks forward to helping many countries and many people from all sorts of background come together to exchange ideas and knowledge in a friendly atmosphere. One of Briaud's first steps is to reorganize the society in a more customer-oriented fashion. Also at the top of his priorities is to raise money to help the representatives of the less fortunate countries come to the conferences, and to achieve things that are common expectations in wealthier countries. He and his wife, Janet, pledged $10,000 to get the fund raising process started. Contributors should contact professor Briaud at Briaud@tamu.edu for details.

Show Off Your Company's Work

The December issue of National Driller magazine will include a special section featuring foundation drilling job profiles and case histories. You're invited to submit stories about projects your firm has completed for this issue. It's absolutely free. All you have to do is send the copy in a word document, along with hi-res photos (300 dpi) in jpg format, and your company will be featured in this highly anticipated issue. It's free, it's easy, and it's good P.R. for your firm, so e-mail your submission to NDeditors@bnpmedia.com , or send a CD to Greg Ettling, BNP Media, 1050 S. Busse #200, Bensenville, Ill. 60106. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Nov. 6.

Featured Product of the Month

The Fly Drill

With Pileco's Fly Drill drilling unit, the rotary head, kelly bar and drilling tool are suspended by the hoist rope of the base carrier crane. The hydraulic power for the drill unit is provided from the base crane. The drill head is fixed on the casing with a hydraulically operated system during the drilling operation. The suspended drill, free from base machine, has high versatility when working in different ground levels and with varying working radii (e.g. piles in slopes). The main components of the drill - in particular the rotary drive and the kelly bar - originate from the BAUER BG series. The unit can be rigged-up without external assistance. The drill unit can be fixed underneath the boom, which allows crane-assisted works at the pile location (e.g. vibrator use for casing installation, grabbing, installation of reinforcement and tremie pipes) without removing the drill unit. For more information, visit www.pileco.com.

AEC Store Corner

Geotechnical Engineering, 5th Ed.

$132.00

Geotechnical Engineering Soil and Foundation Principles and Practice offers a concise, easy-to-understand approach to the principles and methods of soil and geotechnical engineering. This updated classic builds from basic principles of soil mechanics and applies them to new topics, including mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) and intermediate foundations. FOLLOW THIS LINK for a complete description or to purchase this item.  Call Stephanie at 248-244-1275 to place your order by phone.