As part of an ongoing ADSC research project on axial capacity of drilled shaft rock sockets in the Southeastern US, several test shafts were constructed this past week and the load test portion will commence later in August. Dan Brown and Associates are hosting a contest to predict the results of the O-Cell testing. Feeling lucky? Go read more about the project and the contest. Photos and other info should be posted this week to help with the predictions that are due by COB August 12. [Source: Dan Brown and Associates, PC]
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Scot Litke Named 2014 DFI Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Hawthorne, NJ (August 21, 2014): S. Scot Litke, D.GE (Hon.) is the recipient of DFI’s highest award to an individual, the Distinguished Service Award. He is the 34th recipient of the award, honoring individuals chosen by their peers for exceptionally valuable contributions to the advancement of the deep foundations industry. The award will be presented on October 23, 2014, during DFI’s 39th Annual Conference in Atlanta.
Since 1982, Litke has been the editor of the ADSC’s (International Association of Foundation Drilling) Foundation Drilling magazine. He also held the position of Executive Director of the ADSC from 1982 to 2009. During this time, Litke managed over 25 drilled foundation and anchored earth retention research projects funded by the ADSC and FHWA. Litke was inducted into ADSC’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release from DFI [/Editor]
FHWA NHI Manual: Drilled Shafts Construction Procedures and LRFD Design Methods

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.
