2015 DFI Committee Project Fund – Awards Announced The DFI Committee Project Fund was established in 2011 to fund DFI technical committee projects that advance the state of practice and understanding of deep foundations and produce a usable deliverable. Since its inception, the DFI Committee Project Fund has awarded over $320,500 in funding for committee initiatives. The 2015 Committee Project Fund awards total $96,410 for four committee projects. All project budgets include significant in-kind contributions from the researchers and associated groups. DFI President John Wolosick chairs the Project Fund Review Committee, a multi- disciplinary and geographically diverse group of 10 active DFI members. The review committee ranked and recom- mended proposals for award based on the following criteria, as appropriate to the scope of the project: • Benefits to deep foundations industry (broad impact) • Innovation • Timeliness/relevance/immediacy of impact from results • Quality of proposal (clarity, focus) • Value of deliverable • Probability of achieving goal • Cost/benefit and cost sharing (matching funding, in-kind contributions) Drilled Shaft Committee - EFFC-DFI Concrete Research Study This study will be conducted with the European Federation of Foundation Contractors’ (EFFC) concrete task force and DFI Europe to improve existing tremie concreting practices for bored piles/drilled shafts and 2015 Committee Project Fund awards total $96,410 diaphragm walls. DFI participation was sought to expand the study to include North American practices. The goal of the project is to produce tremie concrete guide- lines that cover mix design, work prepar- ation, suitability and acceptance, testing and placement, and quality control to improve tremie concrete practices. The total project cost is €87,500 ($98,800). EFFC will contribute €20,000 ($23,000), and the remainder will be provided by industry sponsors. Funding amount: $30,000. Landslides and Slope Stabilization Committee - Design Comparison for Slope Stabilization Methods Researchers will compare limit equilibrium and advanced numerical methods for slopes reinforced with stabilizing piles. This two-phase project involves comparison of 2-dimensional analysis methods for slope stabilization (Phase 1), and comparative analysis of an existing stabilization project with field measure- ments over one year (Phase 2). The Phase 1 comparison will provide an understanding of accuracy and limitations for slope stabilization problems, and the Phase 2 analysis will provide a better under- 14% - $13,500 24% - $23,000 standing of initial construction and long- term performance. Reports for each phase will be published in the DFI Journal. Funding amount: $13,500. Landslides and Slope Stabilization Committee - Laterals Loads on A-Walls This project involves developing a simplified approach to the analysis of lateral loads on A-walls. Through the advent of GROUP version v2014 software, researchers can model distributed lateral loading on deep foundation elements and develop simplified and more rigorous methods to reduce the assumptions made in previous approaches. This project will also assess past research on the strain wedge method funded by DFI in 2012. It will compare instrumented data, hand calculations and software output, and outline a series of steps for streamlined and effective analysis of A-walls subject to lateral loading. Funding amount: $29,910. Seismic and Lateral Loads Committee - Workshop on DFI’s Seismic and Lateral Load Testing and Design Guidelines In 2012, the Seismic and Lateral Loads Committee developed “Seismic and Lateral Load Design and Testing Guidelines” to assist geotechnical engineers, structural engineers, pile designers and contractors in analysis, design and testing of piles and drilled shafts for lateral loads. Despite the existence of the document, experience indicates that the topic is not widely understood in the engineering community. The committee will develop and teach workshops internationally to educate a wider audience on lateral loading design. Funding amount: $23,000. 31% - $30,000 31% - $29,910 24 • DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAR/APR 2015
