REGIONAL REPORT DFI Middle East The Middle East region is rich with megaprojects that have a diversity of challenging geotechnical and deep foundation complexities. The Middle East is also an area that is multicultural, and companies from different continents are actively involved in the ground engineering industry, including work on oil and gas projects; major infrastructure projects such as main bridges, major highways, airports, railways, and city metro projects; exceptionally tall buildings; hotels and resorts; and marine structures that include artificial islands. The DFI Middle East Regional Chapter (DFIME) has established a remarkable position in the region as a leading body for organizing successful geotechnical events and programs for more than 10 years. DFIME provides such events for members throughout different countries regionally who come from different nationalities and backgrounds, and who serve industry roles such as being contractors, consultants, academics and suppliers. In 2019, DFIME organized and partici- pated in several area events, including providing a regional conference in Dubai. In addition to holding upcoming elections for chapter officers, the chapter has also established a technical committee about cal- careous sand, and is in the planning stage for several activities and events in 2021. First Calcareous Sand Committee A committee focused on calcareous sand was formed by DFIME following our April 2019 conference, based on debates and discussions on the topic. Calcareous sand is mainly used for forming artificial islands in many areas in the Middle East, such as Dubai. The sands are dredged from sea beds at selected locations. The sands are typically classified as uniform fine sands with a high shell content and a high carbonate content (more than 80% to 90%). The application of procedures to evaluate liquefaction potential of calcareous sands published in geo- technical literature has caused debate for many years, and several contrac- tors tend to apply what is called the “shell correction factor,” or SCF, to cone penetration tests to compensate for the calcareous nature of the sand. This practice is very controversial and is rejected by many consultants, particularly because the so-called SCF having a wide range (from 1.2 to 1.5) was arbitrarily selected. The DFIME Calcareous Sand Com- mittee includes about 20 members from leading geotechnical consulting firms, ground improvement contractors, geotech- nical investigation and laboratory testing companies and academic institutions. The committee seeks to develop better proce- dures to evaluate the liquefaction potential of calcareous sands. A draft proposal is being developed to establish the program of study and its phases. I DFI Emad Sharif, Chair DFI Middle East [email protected] The goal of the chapter’s participation is to provide an opportunity for DFI members to network directly with Egypt’s ground engineering industry leaders, experience expertise from different backgrounds, enhance technical awareness and develop opportunities for future collaborations. The conference provides a good opportunity to meet with geotechnical engineers from North Africa, such as from Tunisia and Algiers, in addition to meeting with deep foundation engineering industry leaders from throughout Egypt. DFI Middle East ® One-Day Workshop GeoMEast Workshop DFIME will once again support Egyptian colleagues at this major geotechnical event next planned for 2021. The chapter is organizing a one-day workshop at GeoMEast, which is a well-organized, international congress and exhibition held annually in Egypt. The workshop will include 10 presentations on case histories, innovative designs and practices in deep foundations. During the GeoMEast Conference in Cairo, Egypt 2021 Regional Conference The chapter is also holding its fifth DFI Middle East Conference, February 16-18, 2021, most likely as a virtual event. The two-day conference will focus on topics related to industry requirements, particularly on advances in technologies of ground engineering. These include advances in instrumentation and moni- toring, ground improvement, ground characterization and geotechnical infor- DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2020 • 59 O T N A S D I N N U S T O I F T U E P T E E D
