September/October 2023 - 79

MATTHEW R. GLISSON, P.E.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES
TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES
As I am writing this, we are in the final
days and weeks of the summer holiday
for kids in the U.S. My daughter started
high school cross country practice this
week and is back in class next week. My son, who is three
grades younger and attends a different school, has an extra
week of vacation than his sister. (Yes, he is reminding her at
every opportunity that presents itself, like any other younger
sibling is obligated to do!) So, we are in back-to-school mode
around my house.
This started me thinking about how we leave the schoolvacation
cycle behind as we become adults and enter the
workforce. I am a few years past the age where the number of
years not in school is once again greater than the number of
years spent in school, but I would argue that I have probably
learned as much in the last 20-plus years since completing
my undergraduate degree as I did in the 20 years obtaining
that degree. I have certainly learned a lot in the last 18 months
since joining the DFI staff.
I am guessing that most of you have had similar
experiences with post-school learning being on-the-job
training: in the field, in the lab or in the office, working with
project leaders, peers, mentors and collaborators. There were
COMMITTEE CHAIR HANNAH IEZZONI, P.E.
Augered Cast-in-Place and Drilled Displacement Pile
At the end of 2022,
DF I ' s Au g e r e d
Cast-in-Place and
Drilled Displacement
Pile Committee
said thank
you and goodbye to
our previous committee chair, Jon Huff,
Goettle, and I came on as the new chair.
We are very appreciative of the good
stewardship Huff maintained over the
years. In 2023, the committee has now
grown to almost 60 members and has
several new initiatives on our docket, in
addition to several funded committee
research projects.
One of our current initiatives is the
collection of thermal integrity profiling
(TIP) data from augered cast-in-place
piles. TIP testing is a nondestructive
test ing method where the heat
generated by concrete foundations
during curing is related to the quality of
the element's cross section. While the
practice is well documented for drilled
shafts, our committee would like to
better understand any unique results
evident in augered cast-in-place/drilled
displacement (ACIP/DD) pile TIP data. To
aid in our efforts to collect TIP data, our
friends at Pile Dynamics are generously
donating TIP wires plus use of a data
logger to any DFI member and project of
interest. In addition to the TIP data, we
are looking for pile circumference
measurements within the top 4 ft (1.2 m)
of the pile below ground. We are also
requesting the AME and manual
inspection records and photographs of
the excavated pile. Please visit our
committee page to request wires and
data loggers and contribute data.
In the wake of the success the Florida
Department of Transportation (DOT) had
with the Miami Signature Bridge project,
the committee has made a concerted
effort this year to grow our outreach
efforts with state DOTs. The goal is to
encourage the use of ACIP/DD technology
on bridge and other transportation
projects across the country.
We recently presented the Signature
Bridge and ACIP/DD technology in
general to a state DOT on the West Coast.
To complement these outreach efforts,
the committee is pursuing another
avenue to disseminate information:
video. Previously, the committee produced
an excellent video on VHS-format
discussing the history and advancements
of ACIP/DD technology. The committee
has decided to refresh the video -
showing even more technological
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * SEPT/OCT 2023 * 79
the annual or biannual training sessions my employers had,
too. Looking back, however, the largest contributor to my
learning - other than those in that " on-the-job " category -
came from industry organizations. The seminars,
conferences, monthly dinners, training courses and
publications have been a significant source of my learning,
and most of them were from DFI.
What are the top one or two ways that DFI helps you to
continue learning? Is it attending a conference in person?
Participating in committee meetings or activities? Preparing
a presentation or paper for a conference? Reading committee
reports or guidance publications? Reading the DFI Journal or
Deep Foundations articles? Attending a webinar?
What would help you to fill in gaps in your learning?
Videos? Virtual or in-person training courses or programs?
What industry topics do you want to know more about?
DFI is a member organization, which means we are here to
serve you, the members. As I have written previously, only
about 10 percent of our members are committee members.
That means a lot of you are probably not regularly telling DFI
leadership (staff and members) what you need from us. So,
drop me a line. Let me know what you want. I won't promise to
make it happen in the next year, but I will promise to listen!
September/October 2023

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