July/August 2021 - 69

MARY ELLEN BRUCE LARGE, P.E., D.GE
DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES
TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES
DF I t echn i ca l
committees are
moving to Microsoft
Teams! In
pursuit of our strategic plan goal to
increase the efficiency of technical
committees, we are using Teams for all
committee calls, to work on projects
and for staying in touch through chatting.
All committee members receive
links for each of their committee teams
along with guidance for access. We look
forward to exploring the features of this
great collaborative platform. As always,
DFI staff are here to help.
New Co-Chair for DFI-ADSC
Joint Micropile
Committee
We welcome Helen
Robinson, P.E., D.GE,
of GEI Consultants
as the new co-chair
of the Micropile
Committee, joining Pete Speier, P.E., of
Williams Form Engineering, who
represents ADSC: the International
Association of Foundation Drilling, for
this joint committee. Robinson succeeds
Steve Davidow, P.E., S.E., P. Eng., of
Quanta Subsurface.
Robinson is a senior project manager
and branch manager at GEI Consultants
in Exton, Pennsylvania. She earned
bachelor's and master's degrees in civil
engineering from Penn State University
and has over 18 years of experience
providing design, analysis and construction
management services for
geotechnical and geostructural projects.
She specializes in design of micropiles,
tiebacks, soil nails, drilled shafts,
retaining walls, braced excavation
support and grouting and ground
improvement methods. Robinson was
COMMITTEE CHAIR MARK BRYANT, EIT
Helical Piles and Tiebacks
The DFI Helical Piles and
Tiebacks (HPT) Committee is
ma d e u p o f s u p p l i e r s ,
manufacturers, engineers,
contractors and educators
who service the helical pile
and anchor industry. Our
commi t tee has about 50 act ive
members attending our periodic
meetings in person or remotely. While
the committee's focus is on improving
the helical industry, we also strive to
educate early career contractors and
professionals.
The committee is currently planning
our next Helical Expo for mid2022
in Kansas City. This outdoor event
will offer a platform for helical product
suppliers to showcase new and proven
products in a hands-on setting. The
program and presentat ions are
structured for all participants in the
helical products industry to learn about
and see helical products in practice.
COMMITTEE CHAIR JONATHAN HUFF, P.E.
Augered Cast-in-Place and Drilled Displacement Piles
DFI published the
third edition of the
Augered Cast-InPlace
Pile Manual in
2017. The committee
has since become
aware of potential confusion in
that manual's comments relating to
interruptions in grout flow during pile
casting for the application of ACIP piles
in low-headroom or other limitedaccess
conditions. It is recognized that
these conditions require projectspecific
techniques that include
planned interruptions in grout flow as a
regular step of the grout placement.
To clarify, the committee has
prepared the following language, which
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * JULY/AUG 2021 * 69
The program includes indoor
educational seminars and
outdoor exhibi t ions that
showcase load testing and
hel ical pi le and t ieback
applications.
The committee welcomes
contractors and young professionals to
join us and offer their voices to the
discussion, while gaining an innovative
perspective on future plans for the
industry. The committee offers an
educational PowerPoint presentation
targeted to college students, model
spec i f i ca t i ons for use in deep
foundation construction projects and a
helical pile design guide for project
designers. The committee is currently
finalizing a design training course
suitable for all levels of expertise, and
based on its helical design guide.
We we l come a l l to j o in the
committee to help shape the helical
industry of tomorrow.
the inaugural chair of the DFI Women in
Deep Foundations Committee and
currently serves as secretary and
trustee for the DFI Educational Trust.
She was named Engineer of the Year by
the Society for Professional Engineers
and was recognized as an ENR National
Top 20 Under 40 in 2019.
July/August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2021
