DFI Conference Review
DFI Conference Classes Up the Omni Shoreham
With Washington DC as the backdrop and the luxurious Omni Shoreham as the venue, the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) celebrated its 31st annual conference on October 4th and 5th. The delegates had to be wowed by the history of the Omni Shoreham. It has hosted each presidential inaugural ball since Franklin Roosevelt, and it is still the place to be seen as a visiting dignitary.
Once conference attendees settled inside the conference rooms however, it was down to business. The Helical Foundation and Tiebacks Committee meeting was held on day one with just two hours slotted to complete an aggressive agenda, but the committee was focused and determined to complete the work at hand.
First up was the review of the latest draft of a “tension” specification. There was a little debate regarding some terminology, but with 2 ½ years invested in the draft, the participants were pleased with the final version and voted 8-0 to approve the specification. It will now undergo the DFI review process.
With the excitement of passing the tension specification still in the air, the committee quickly proposed to begin development of similar specifications for compression, lateral, and soil nailing. They committed to having first drafts of soil nailing and compression ready by January 1, 2007
Next up was an update on the progress of the new helical pier acceptance criteria submittal to the ICC-ES. As of this latest update, the submittal will be reviewed on November 15th and will be posted for public comment on December 15th. Voting on the acceptance criteria will be in February of 2007.
The next item on the agenda, and one of significant interest to HelicalPierWord.com, was the update on the development of a student lecture presentation on helical foundations and tiebacks. Committee secretary Dr. Howard Perko had previously volunteered to lead the development effort, and he is now proposing to have the presentation completed by the end of the year. Once the project is complete, HPW is anxious to assist the DFI with the process of promoting the presentation to academicians around the world.
Following was some general discussion about terminology - helical “piers” vs. helical “piles.” The DFI has been reticent to use the term “helical pier” due to the existence of a registered trademark on the term held by AB Chance / Hubbell. Chance’s Gary Seider addressed the issue by assuring the committee that “Chance no longer cares to defend that trademark.” This information was passed along to DFI executive director, Theresa Rappaport, who vowed to look into the matter.
Lastly, the committee acknowledged the problems created for people by scheduling the Helical Foundation and Tiebacks Conference (scheduled for Nov. 10th) so close to the DFI annual conference. All members agreed (8-0) the two events should be spaced further apart. The task groups for each seminar are responsible for selecting a time and place for it, with general guidance from the committee membership. We’ll have to wait to see if any announcements are forthcoming.
All told the 31st DFI conference was a rousing success with 361 people attending this year’s event. I look forward to seeing you at the next Helical Foundation and Tiebacks Seminar in Newark on November 10th. Don’t be left out – register now at www.dfi.org!
Rich Davis
Editor-in-Chief
Helical Pier World
