On-Line Courses - Helical Pier World

One of the biggest challenges facing the Helical Pier industry is educating the engineers around the globe about the benefits of Helical Piers.  This challenge just got a little bit easier.  HPW investigative reporting has uncovered two helical pier courses available online.

Don Bobbitt, a member of HPW’s Technical Review Panel, has taken the initiative and produced an on-line course titled “Helical Foundations and Tiebacks.”  This one hour course is available at http://www.redvector.com/web_store/add_course.asp?id=4397 at a cost of $24.95.  RedVector.com provides online continuing education for professionals, specifically engineers and architects.

The Red Vector course was written by Don Bobbitt.  “I was looking for geotechnical offerings and ended up speaking with the course director Mrs. Victoria Zambito, who suggested I write a course on the subject of Helical Foundations,” Bobbitt explained.  “The purpose of the course is twofold.  The first goal is to inform engineers about the versatility of helical foundations for use across a broad spectrum of applications.  Secondly, the course focuses on how relatively easy it is to execute foundation designs using helical piers.  I used the approach that has been successful for me for many years, which is to start with the basics and extend them to the present situation,” Bobbitt added.

Bobbitt is currently working on a second course that will focus on Tiebacks and Soil Nails.  The second course will be longer than the introductory course, and he hopes to have it complete before the 2007 mid-year deadline imposed by many states.

Also available at the University of Missouri-Rolla is a course entitled (you guessed it) “Helical Foundations and Tiebacks.”  The course is available at http://dce.umr.edu/NonCredit/PDH/Helical_Foundations.html at a cost of $80.  The UMR course was authored by Dr. Richard Stephenson.  His course presents design methods for helical anchors loaded in either compression or tension. The course also focuses on the advantages of rapid installation and immediate loading of helical piles, which results in cost-savings over other deep foundation solutions like reinforced concrete, grouted anchors, and driven piles.

Both courses address the use of helical piers or helical anchors in either compression or tension applications. 

Each state has its own requirements for professional development hours (PDH) that registered engineers are required to take to stay current with the emerging science.  Both of these courses should appeal to individuals seeking PDH credits.