Drilled Shaft Rig Topples in Austin, Texas [Video]

The FHWA has released for download a comprehensive update to the 1999 O’Neil and Reese manual “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods”, lovingly referred to in the industry as the “Brown Book” or the “Drilled Shaft Bible”.  This 2010 manual from the National Highway Institute (NHI) of the FHWA is entitled “Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures Procedures and LRFD Design Methods” and was authored by Dan A. Brown, Ph.D, P.E. of Dan Brown and Associates, John P. Turner, Ph.D, P.E. of the University of Wyoming, and Raymond J. Castelli, P.E. From an FHWA Memo on the manual:

Distributed with this memorandum is the publication entitled "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods" (FHWA-NHI-10-016). This manual is the reference text used for the National Highway Institute (NHI) course numbered 132014 on Drilled Shafts. The publication will become the tenth in the series of geotechnical engineering guidelines called "Geotechnical Engineering Circulars." Geotechnical Engineering Circular (GEC) No. 10 is prepared as a significant revision and update to "Drilled Shafts: Construction Procedures and Design Methods" (FHWA IF-99-025), and reflects the standard of practice for the design, construction and inspection of these features. The guidance is developed following Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) procedures and will enable engineers to identify and evaluate technical feasibility and potential applications. The text is developed with a sufficiently broad scope to be of value to a wide range of transportation specialists responsible for assisting with selection, design, development of materials specifications, construction monitoring, and contracting methods for Drilled Shafts.

Click through for the download link and some preliminary comments on what has been updated in this significant new publication in the drilled shaft construction industry as well as the geotechnical engineering profession.

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[Editor] An effluent pond in southeast Texas was suffering from years of erosion.  Recently, an escalation of subsurface water seepage through the pond’s embankment threatened the community’s main water source. URETEK used their versatile geopolymer product to inject beneath the embankment to seal off the seepage.  The project was a huge success! Read on for this contributed article from GeoPrac sponsor URETEK ICR. [/Editor] 

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Robert Thompson of Dan Brown and Associates has posted a wrapup of the 2008 ADSC Faculty Workshop. They had 20 Civil Engineering faculty attend the event. The field demonstration day was hosted by DBA at the Trial’s Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee. Apparently that site is Dan’s hobby. Read more about the workshop itself and also read Robert’s post about the field demonstration day including photos. In the photo at right (Robert Thompson, DBA) you can see the Statnamic test setup for a drilled shaft. A little more about the event:

Long Foundation and Hayward Baker have installed examples of several foundation and retaining structures, including drilled shafts, micropiles, and soil nails. During the field day demonstrations, the attendees will observe additional installations, load tests, and non-destructive testing.

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