TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES MANAGER MARY ELLEN BRUCE During the late fall, technical committees maintained their momentum after the DFI Annual Conference by planning and implementing their committee activities. Chairs submitted two-year committee plans and budgets, which will be discussed with the DFI Board of Trustees at the Winter Planning Meeting, January 29-31, 2014. Many activities are planned in 2014 and 2015; all aimed at furthering the understanding and use of deep foundations. Each committee has identified relevant activities, from seminars to white papers, journal articles and guidance documents, to working group activities and research projects. Technical Committees Plan for 2014 DFI always welcomes new committee members. Becoming involved in technical activities can increase your professional network and knowledge and provide opportunities to support the deep foundations industry. We are grateful for the com- mitment of technical committee chairs and vice chairs. New com- mittee leaders are: • Andrew Verity of Gerdau (pic- tured) succeeds Clayton Signor of TXPile LLC as Driven Pile Committee chair. The com- mittee’s activities gained traction under Clayton’s chairmanship, and he will con- tinue to serve the committee as vice chair. • Gerald Verbeek of Allnamics is serving as vice chair for the Testing and Evaluation Committee supporting the efforts of Chair Donald Robertson of Applied Foundation Testing. • Wei-Chun Li of MacLean Dixie is now vice chair to Gary Seider of Chance/Hubbell Power Systems for the Helical Piles and Tiebacks Committee. • Bob Kruger of CBI has agreed to serve as vice chair of the Seismic and Lateral Loads Committee supporting chair Kwabena Ofori-Awuah, KCI Technologies, Inc. COMMITTEE CHAIR NICOLAS WILLIG Slurry Walls Committee The Slurry Walls Committee comprises v e r y a c t i v e and attentive practitioners, including contractors, engineers, owners, researchers, and material and equipment suppliers. The committee has several small subgroups working simultaneously on projects, and is proactively planning activities and events that engage other technical committees and industries. A subgroup continues work on the Guide to Selection of Cutoff Methods, a new document that outlines a decision making process for identifying viable cutoff and barrier methods for seepage control applications. The guide highlights major considerations in selecting cutoff wall and barrier elements for temporary and permanent use, foundation elements, water seepage cutoffs, and environmental barriers. The document provides project owners, design engineers and construction professionals with a systematic procedure for selecting method. It includes guidance on defining the seepage/foundation problem, defining project performance criteria, characterizing subsurface condi- tions critical to method selection, identi- fying project-specific requirements and constraints, evaluating capabilities/features of various cutoff methods, and providing guidance on ranking methods for selection. A separate subgroup is working on basic and advanced DFI PowerPoint presentations on Slurry Walls. The presentations are aimed at educating students and colleagues on diaphragm wall technologies. Any DFI member can use these consensus-based presentations for educating students at colleges/universities and decision makers from the private sector and from government agencies. The presentations will include history, definitions, construction, different wall methodologies, QC/QA, sustainability, challenges and mitigation, alternative tech- nologies, equipment, and example projects. The presentations also include benefits of DFI membership and participation. The committee is in the final stages of finalizing the Spanish version of the 2005 Guideline for Structural Slurry Walls. It is being edited now to include Latin American terms so it is readable in all Spanish-speaking countries. This work parallels an ongoing revision of the English version of this guideline that will include the latest technical trends in equipment, wall repairs and panel joint construction as well as an updated list of diaphragm walls completed since 2005. Members of the Slurry Walls Committee have been pleased to work closely with members of the Sustainability Committee in proactively identifying DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2014 • 65
