July/August 2023 - 66

Membership in the Helical Piles
and Tiebacks Committee can be both
fulfilling and informative. Members
have the choice to engage as much as
their schedule allows. Members
participate in committee meetings, as
well as volunteering to support
initiatives and events. If you have any
questions, you are welcome to reach
out: matthew@contecompany.com, or
visit the DFI website and navigate to
'Communities'.
COMMITTEE CHAIR DAVID MILLER, P.E.
Soil Mixing
The Soil Mixing
Commi t t ee has
been expl or ing
issues like benef
i c i a l r eu s e o f
spoils, alternative
binders and testing
methods. During the Midyear Committee
Week meeting in April, the
possibility of using Cone Penetration
Testing (CPT) to evaluate the strength of
in-situ soil cement was discussed. This
has had limited implementation so far.
The committee is in the process of
forming a small group to evaluate its
use and make recommendations to the
entire committee.
In addition, the committee received
an inquiry from the Netherlands about
standardizing tests between labs. They
are in the process of creating a standard
for handling and testing the specimens.
In following up on this request, the
committee learned that beyond compliance
with ASTM and other testing standards,
there is not a method for ensuring
the laboratories are handling the samples
the same. Tom Ortner of Universal
Engineering reached out to the ASTM
committee, and found that due to the
dissimilar nature of deep soil mixture
samples, a polyfoam mixture was used
to establish a bias. We are evaluating
how we can create an interlaboratory
test program using deep soil mix
materials or updates to the standard.
66 * DEEP FOUNDATIONS * JULY/AUG 2023
Another commi t tee member
volunteered that they are having some
success reducing the volume of spoils
and will be providing more information
once they have a project where it can be
trialed on a larger scale.
We continue with our project
funded through DFI's Committee
Proj ec t Fund. The So i l Mi x ing
Committee is eagerly awaiting the
finalization of a technical committee
project titled " Continued Research on
the Effect of Curing Stresses on the
Mechanical Properties of Soil-Cement
Mixed Materials " by George Onorato,
P.E., and Giovanni Bonita, Ph.D., P.E., P.G.,
of GEI Consultants. This research
project marks their second undertaking
within the committee focusing on this
subject. On behalf of the committee, I
would like to thank member companies
that contributed to the research that
helped to make the project a success
and helped provide missing data to
finalize the project. These companies
include Bauer Foundations, CondonJohnson
& Associates, Keller Foundations,
Kiewit Foundations Company
and Trevi.
The final report will provide a
comprehensive summary of the findings
from a multi-year study. Through
meticulous research and analysis,
Onorato and Bonita have examined the
intricate relationship between curing
stresses and the mechanical properties
of soil-cement mixed materials. They
will present a summary of their
research at the upcoming Soil Mixing
Committee meeting at the Annual
Conference in Seattle later this year.
There are many opportunities to get
involved with the Soil Mixing Committee.
For example, I helped to create
and deliver a short course on soil mixing
at the 6th International Conference on
Grouting and Deep Mixing in New
Orleans. Attendance at DFI's many
conferences throughout the year is a
great opportunity to make connections,
gather and share the latest technology,
and have fun! Visit
www.dfi.org for
more information about the upcoming
Slopes, Support and Stabilization (S3)
Conference in August, DFI's Annual
Conference on Deep Foundations at the
end of October and IFCEE 2024 in Dallas.
CO-CHAIRS GREGORY J. CANIVAN, P.E., AND SETH HAMBLIN, P.E.
Driven Pile
With a current roster of just over 50
members, the Driven Pile Committee
has been working diligently in 2023 to
develop new and beneficial programs
and educational content for the deep
foundation industry and our members.
The !mpact webinar series, led by
Travis Coleman, P.E., GRL Engineers,
features speakers from across the
spectrum of driven pile foundations,
highlighting innovative developments,
case studies and current practices in
our field. This bimonthly series began
in February with presentations on
innovation in piling materials and
coatings, the use of signal matching
techniques with vibratory pile drivers,
and presentations showing contrasting
Canivan
Hamblin
views on the use of relatively large- and
small-scale pile driving equipment and
techniques. Additional webinars are
being planned for the remainder of the
year. The committee hopes to develop
'!mpact' into a fundamental component
of DFI's continuing education program.
The committee's primary technical
initiative is the development of a pile
driving vibration-related document
http://www.dfi.org http://www.dfi.org
July/August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2023
