GeoCongress '23 Brings PDCA Members to L.A., Features Preview of IFCEE '24


A busy GeoCongress has just completed its annual run; deep foundations professionals from around the world descended on the Los Angeles Convention Center to hear insightful presentations, gain increased technical perspectives, learn about the latest in instrumentation and equipment, and network with industry peers at the premier event offered through the GeoInstitute of ASCE

A very important component of GeoCongress 2023 was the spirited 'kickoff' that IFCEE 2024 received. As many of you know, the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo, or IFCEE, takes place every third year and it is due for a run next May in Dallas, TX. Since IFCEE is conducted through a joint venture involving PDCA, the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors (ADSC), the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), and the GeoInstitue of the American Society of Civil Engineers, many of the event planners were in Los Angeles and met about the major industry affair that is just over one year away. They took the opportunity to all dawn their straw cowboy hats (IFCEE edition), and present to the GeoCongress attendees, an overview of what they can expect next year. PDCA is excited to coordinate with its fellow organizations in the deep foundations industry and assist in hosting IFCEE on May 7-10, 2024.

PDCA recognizes several members who participated in the GeoCongress event, whether they were there to present, exhibit, sponsor, compete or attend purely for enrichment. The following is an INCOMPLETE list of PDCA members who we know were  there in one capacity or another!

  • APE-American Piledriving Equipment, Inc.
  • Eustis Engineering
  • GEOKON
  • GeoSyntec
  • GRL Engineers
  • Haley & Aldrich
  • J.D. Fields and Co., Inc.
  • Keller
  • Morris-Shea Bridge Company, Inc.
  • Nucor Skyline
  • Pile Dynamics, Inc.
  • Smart Infrastructure Group
  • Terracon
Many thanks to PDCA members who posted social media photos of their participation in GeoCongress 2023, we were able to borrow several of them for the photo display below. Also, special thanks to Lucky Nagarajan who went out of her way to help us get a few extras to add to the collection.



and from LinkedIn, here's an exciting post from Engineering Affiliate member Thomas & Hutton who sponsored a team of students from GSU:

 
Thomas & Hutton
Thomas & Hutton

Congratulations to the Georgia Southern College of Engineering & Computing students who represented #GeorgiaSouthern at the Geo-Institute of ASCE's Geo-Congress in Los Angeles last month! The GeoWall Team of Tanvir Ahmed, William Eason, Anu Pradeep, and Ana Lanza Hernandez finished in the top 8 designs in the GeoWall National Competition, where students design and construct mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls.

We were honored to serve as one of the team's sponsors. Thank you to Dr. Soonkie Nam with the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction for allowing us to support these bright and accomplished students! #HailSouthern #GSU #GoEagles #ASCE #GeoWall #GeoWallCompetition #GeoCongress #mygeoinstitute #geocongress2023 Georgia Southern University ASCE - Georgia Section American Society of Civil Engineers


Northeast Chapter Delivers 2023 Professional Develoement Course


The 2023 PDCA Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course took place Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at George Harms Construction Company, Inc.; dozens of industry professionals heard enriching presentations from leaders in deep foundation construction.

Among the presenters was Dr. Cathy Aimone-Martin who has more than 40 years experience as an applied researcher in vibration monitoring and structure response and she shared her thoughts on Vibrations In Pile Driving.  This topic is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented considerations about the pile driving process. Other topics she addressed:
  • Ground vibrations for pile driving
  • Site attenuation model - vibration vs distance
  • Structure response to pile driving
  • Vibration standards
  • Responding to complaints
  • Pile driving vs Mother Nature
  • Need for more data
Later, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers (MRCE) presented on practical design of driven piles for foundations.  The following are the professionals from the New York engineering firm who participated in the program, along with the subjects they addressed:

Andrew Tognon
Proven Design Concepts to Improve Pile Performance
  • Field testing of the performance of driven taper tip piles vs drilled displacement piles in subsurface conditions ideally suited for both types of displacement piles
  • Comparative performance during axial and lateral load testing
  • Please click this link to read the full Andrew Tognon Bio 

James Tantalla - Use of Driven Piles for Ground Improvement

  • An overview of various ground improvement techniques and discuss different applications of driven piles to ground improvement including settlement mitigation, densification, column supported embankments, and slope stabilization.
  • Please click this link to read the full James Tantalla Bio 

Walter Kaeck - Geotechnical Considerations in Selection & Design of Driven Pile Foundations

  • A review of suitability of alternative driven pile types in different site and ground conditions. This presentation included case histories to illustrate successes and failures o alternative piles in various ground conditions.
  • Please click this link to read the full Walter Kaeck Bio 

Sitotaw Fantaye - Use of Driven Piles for SOE and Retaining Walls

  • An overview of the use of driven pilles as they relate to excavation support, retaining walls, and flood walls from conventional H piles to large diameter pipe piles with case histories to illustrate design concepts and methods to evaluate and mitigate impacts when driving in close proximity to existing structures.
  • Please click this link to read the full Sitotaw Fantaye Bio 

Professional Development Hours (PDH) were provided for participants that will apply to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.


Thanks to Program and Lunch sponsor for significant support for the 2023 PDCA NE Chapter Professional Development Course.




Posted in Chapter News.

Texas Chapter Announces 4/11 Meeting, Networking Happy Hour

 
You're invited to join the Texas chapter for our Q2 meeting & Networking Happy Hour on April 11 from 4:30 - 6:30pm at St. Arnold's Brewing Company, graciously hosted by Service Steel Warehouse.

Please RSVP by clicking this link!

Saint Arnold Brewing Company 
2000 Lyons Ave. | Houston, TX 77020
 

Posted in Chapter News.

SAVE THE DATE: PDCA to Host FREE Chicago Reception on May 4


Watch your inbox for forthcoming details about the Mid-America Meet-Up, a FREE meet & greet reception coming to Chicago on May 4, 2023. The event is open to the entire driven pile industry, PDCA members and non-members alike. Sponsors are invited to participate at the $1,000 and $500 levels; we will open registration and announce the venue location and event times very soon. We hope to see you there!

Pacific Coast Chapter: 12th Annual Scholarship Shoot Coming April 28th

Scenes from the 2022 PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter Scholarship Shoot at Birds Landing, CA

The Pile Driving Contractors Association Pacific Coast Chapter 12th Annual Scholarship Shoot is coming Friday, April 28, 2023, to Birds Landing Hunting Preserve, at 2099 Collinsville Road, Birds Landing, CA.  Registration starts at 8:00 AM and the action begins at 9:00 AM. Stick around for lunch (included), immediately after you complete the shoot.
 
Click the image below to REGISTER
 
Thanks to last year's Shooting Station Sponsors!
 
 

How to Participate
 

Please click the button below to register for this event.  In the registration process you will have the ability to:

  • Register yourself

  • Register your team

  • Provide the names of your team members

  • Provide a list of raffle items you would like to provide

  • Purchase raffle tickets

  • Purchase Shooting Station Sponsorships

  • Upload your Shooting Station Sponsor sign logo

  • Make a donation to the PDCA Pacific Coast Scholarship fund

Raffle prizes will include:

  • There will be some amazing raffle prizes

  • Please consider donating an item
    (Help boost the success of the event; list your donations on the registration page.)

Shooters should bring:

  • A shotgun

  • A bag or vest to carry ammo

We will provide:

  • 100 targets

  • 100 rounds of ammo

  • Ear and Eye protection

  • BBQ Lunch

 

 

Lend Support, Even If You Can't Attend
 

Please consider the following options, and click the button if you can help:

  • Providing raffle items 

  • Purchasing Shooting Station Sponsorships

  • Uploading your Shooting Station Sponsor sign logo

  • Donating to the PDCA Pacific Coast Scholarship fund


Please contact us if you have any questions or need assistance to register.

Thank you for your continued support for PDCA Pacific Coast Chapter events.  We look forward to seeing you at Birds Landing.

 

Posted in Chapter News.

CONEXPO Attracts PDCA Members, Other Construction Professionals

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 in Las Vegas took place as the 2023 NCAA Tournament began and people celebrated the religious and cultural traditions of the Irish.  The photos above depict imagery involving these events; (L-R) the PRECO-MSE team trekked to Sin City from Quebec to exhibit, PDCA distributed vintage St. Patrick's Day pins, team members from MKT Manufacturing hosted some traditional Irishmen at their booth, and one equipment exhibitor (non-PDCA member) had a unique, March Madness-related activity; backhoe slam dunks. did you try this one?

CONEXPO CON/AGG is North America's largest construction equipment show which happens in Las Vegas once every three years. The 2023 event concluded March 18th after tens of thousands of construction professionals had perambulated throughout the two, expansive outdoor lots with impressive equipment displays. The massive Las Vegas Convention Center also had hundreds of indoor exhibition booths. PDCA attended a portion of the 2023 event and SPOTTED many members throughout our visit. We appreciate those of you who stood for a photo. Also, thanks to PDCA members who provided photographic coverage of their CONEXPO-CON/AGG participation through social media. See the PHOTO DUMP below for a collection of all the pictures we have obtained:


CONEXPO By the Numbers


PDCA is proud to be a cooperating organization with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which owns and produces the major show. According to that group, many of the numbers from the 2023 show are in and reaveal some broken records! See the data below which was contained in a CONEXPO social media post:

 
 

 

Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course Coming March 29

 
When
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM EDT
Add to Calendar
 
Where
George Harms Construction Company
62 Yellowbrook Rd
Howell, NJ 07727
Driving Directions

 
Register today to attend the 2023 PDCA Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course. The course is FREE for all paid PDCA National and PDCA Northeast Chapter members.

This full day program will feature important presentations on pile driving.  The following speakers have been confirmed for this program.

Dr. Cathy Aimone-Martin has over 40 years experience as an applied researcher in vibration monitoring and structure response and will present her thoughts on Vibrations In Pile Driving.  This topic is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented considerations about the pile driving process.  Dr. Martin will share her insights about how to properly discuss whether pile driving is actually causing damage to structures around a pile driving job.


Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers (MRCE) will also present on practical design of driven piles for foundations. The following individuals will deliver various topics:
  • Andrew Tognon: Proven Design Concepts to Improve Pile Performance
  •  
  • James Tantalla: Use of Driven Piles for Ground Improvement 
  •  
  • Walter Kaeck: Geotechnical Considerations in Selection & Design of Driven Pile Foundations  
  •  
  • Sitotaw Fantaye: Use of Driven Piles for SOE and Retaining Walls
Professional Development Hours (PDH) will be provided for participants that will apply to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Secure your spot in this important program by selecting the Register Now button below.


Professional Development Hours (PDH) will be provided for participants that will apply to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Secure your spot in the program today by selecting the Register Now button below.
We want to thank our sponsor for their significant support for the 2023 PDCA NE Chapter Professional Development Course.
 
Register Now!


Thank you for supporting the PDCE NE Chapter. We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 PDCA Northeast Chapter Professional Development Course.

Sincerely,
  
PDCA Northeast Chapter

Posted in Chapter News.

PDCA Salutes Women in Construction

First of Two DFDTA Courses for 2023 Completes, Next Opportunity This Fall


Pile driving professionals who are interested in completing the Deep Foundations Dynamic Testing and Analysis Seminar and Workshop (DFDTA) will have one more opportunity to do so in 2023; the final installment of the biannual, educational event will return to Cleveland this fall. Watch for future announcements.

The first DFDTA of 2023, an ongoing training through PDCA and Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI,) concluded in Orlando, FL in early March
. Attendees participated in a one-day Deep Foundation Integrity Testing and Wave Equation Analysis seminar, followed by a two-day High Strain Dynamic Foundation Testing workshop. The optional, Dynamic Measurement and Analysis Proficiency Test was offered at the end of the third day. Each DFDTA course concludes with the elective, 90-minute, multiple-choice exam covering the theory of Wave Mechanics, Case Method (PDA) equations, data quality assessment, data interpretation and basic CAPWAP analysis. 


This spring, PDI professionals Ryan Allin, P.E., Michael Morgano, P.E., and Garland Likins, Retired P.E., President Emeritus, instructed the 3-day event for a total of 21 PDH's available to geotechnical, structural and construction engineers, as well as owners, contractors and other professional involved in the design, construction and specification of deep foundations.  



 

Lessard of Interpipe, Inc. Wins February #PDCADriven Contest

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