REGIONAL REPORT DFI Europe DFI Europe celebrates its 10 Anniversary, having been established in May 2005 by the DFI Board of Trustees. The “idea” began years earlier when DFI conferences were held in Europe, starting in 1987 in Luxembourg and continuing into the 2000s jointly with EFFC (European Federation of Foundation Contractors). DFI’s inter- national efforts were initially forged by William F. Loftus, P.E., L.S., past president of DFI. Later, Richard D. Short, P.E., G.E., DFI past president; Maurice Bottiau, past trustee; Sikko Doornbos, an active DFI member from Europe; and then executive director, Geordie Compton, noticed the increased DFI membership on the continent and brought the idea of DFI Europe to the board. Once the chapter was incorporated in the Netherlands, Henk de Koning, an active EFFC member, was hired to serve as the organization’s secretariat. The First Decade — What an Achievement! th Europe, the DFI Board of Trustees has approved a plan to offer students a 2-year free DFI membership with online access to all information available through DFI, starting in 2016. Thank you to the board for this supportive decision. I have not forgotten the strong and time-consuming support for the DFI-EFFC Conferences in Europe, which are always a challenge to get organized. But the last conferences have been successful — 2014 in Stockholm, 2010 in London and 2006 in Amsterdam — and we’re looking forward to the upcoming conference in Rome, tentatively scheduled for May/June 2018. Frank Haehnig President DFI Europe Concrete Task Group A 2007 meeting in Paris with (L to R) Maurice Bottiau, Henk de Koning, Sikko Doornbos (President at the time), Tony Butcher, Vincent Joannes and William van Impe The mission was — and continues to be — to provide additional value and benefits of DFI membership locally as well as increase DFI’s international presence while expanding the network of suppliers, contractors, academics, consultants, clients and all others in the deep foundation industry. Many of the founders remain active in DFI on both sides of the Atlantic. The achievements of DFI Europe are quite impressive. Many workshops have been held, committees have been introduced, an important cooperation with EFFC has grown, a multi-language glossary was developed, and the Carbon Calculator (www.geotechnicalcarboncalculator.com) was developed and is increasingly used throughout the industry. On-Going Activities We are part of a large-scale European-funded pile testing research program (PileInspect) and a tremie concrete task group has recently been introduced, funded by DFI’s Committee Project Fund and the EFFC. We are also pleased to announce that due to efforts by DFI The Carbon Calculator DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2015 • 67 As mentioned previously, a new task group has been formed to research concrete properties and create a “Best Practice Guide” for tremie concrete. Concrete technology continues to advance rapidly, and modern mixes with five components (cement, additives, aggregates, chemical admixtures and water) often have characteristics that are totally different from the older three component mixes (cement, aggregates and water). Recent trends have favoured higher strength classes and lower water/cement ratios, resulting in greater dependence on admixtures to compensate for reduced workability and to meet the often competing demands for workability, both initial and over time, and setting time. Testing methods have not developed at the same speed as the mixes, and it is still not uncommon for the slump test to be used as the only acceptance test for fresh concrete.
