DFI ACTIVITIES 2019 DFI Committee Project Fund – Awards Announced Congratulations to DFI Technical Committees who were awarded funding for 2019 through the DFI Committee Project Fund (CPF). Fourteen proposals were received for the 2019 round of funding, and five projects were approved for a total of $123,095. The fund was established in 2011 to support DFI committee projects that advance the state of practice and understanding of deep foundations and that produce a usable deliverable. Since its inception, the CPF has awarded more than $971,000 in funding for committee initiatives. All project budgets include significant in- kind contributions from the researchers and associated groups, which are estimated to exceed $2 million. Deliverables from completed projects are available for download from the DFI website under the ‘Publications’ and ‘Awards’ tabs. Scopes of work for projects in progress are also listed. Jesús Gómez, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, of GEI Consultants, is the chair of the Project Fund Review Committee, a multidisciplinary and geographically diverse group of 11 active DFI members. The review committee ranked and recommended proposals for award based on the following criteria, as appropriate to the scope of the project: • Probability of achieving goal • Value of deliverable • Quality of proposal (clarity, focus) • Timeliness/relevance/immediacy of impact from results • Innovation • Benefits to deep foundations industry (broad impact) The Request for Proposal (RFP) for 2020 funding is on the Commit- tee Project Fund webpage at dfi.org/awardslectures.asp?cpf. Proposals must be submitted through and endorsed by the technical committees. Unsolicited proposals and proposals to develop proprietary systems will not be accepted or considered for funding. Proposals for funding in 2020 are due December 2, 2019. Please contact Mary Ellen Bruce Large, P.E., D.GE, DFI director of technical activities, at [email protected] for more information. Committee Anchored Earth Retention Project Scope Creep testing of various diameter bars and comparison of results with bars that confirm to ASTM A722 to assess if creep characteristics should be considered in evaluating proof/performance test acceptance criteria BIM and Digitalisation Conduct workshop and develop guidance document that provides better understanding of the application of BIM and digitalisation in geotechnical industry Ground Improvement and ACIP Piles Conducting 3D finite element analyses to evaluate lateral loading of unreinforced rigid elements and basal stability of column-supported systems, calibrated to a real life MSE project Seismic and Lateral Loads Evaluate experimental evidence for a brittle response in rock p-y curves through review of lateral load test data and 3-D numerical analyses Testing and Evaluation Comparing CSL and Thermal Integrity Profiling Test Data on Drilled Shafts with Known Defects Deliverable White paper with test results Lead Researcher Peter Speier Williams Form Funding Award $ 19,525 Guidance document Jason Boddy Arup $ 10,200 Final research report and technical paper for DFI Journal Prof. Aaron Gallant, P.E., University of Maine $ 33,380 Report including design examples, and technical paper for DFI Journal Prof. Arash Khosravifar, Ph.D., P.E., Portland State University $ 29,990 Report and analyses, white paper, Deep Foundations magazine article, technical paper for DFI Journal, and presentations at DFI SuperPile or Annual Conference Les Chernauskas, P.E. Geosciences Testing and Research $ 30,000 DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAY/JUNE 2019 • 23
