By Robert Thompson, Dan Brown and Associates
After some lengthy delays, the rock-socketed drilled shaft research sponsored by the Southeast Chapter of the ADSC is back on track. A second site has been selected at the site of Foundation Technologies, Inc. in Lawrenceville, Georgia. This site will investigate the resistance of some of the rocks of the Piedmont for drilled shaft design.
Bruce Long (Long Foundation Drilling Company) is the lead for the ADSC on this project and has requested interested parties to provide comment on the test plan for the second site (see links below). The hope is to have load testing occur this July if everything comes together properly. Bruce sent out an email with some refresher material on the Nashville test site and an update on the startup for the Lawrenceville site. The message can be read at this blog post by Robert Thompson (Dan Brown and Associates, one of the participating firms). A blog page for this test site has been created and will be updated as the project progresses. The group intends to have a prediction contest similar to the one held for the Nashville site.
Load Test Plan Memo from Dan Brown (20 May 2010)
Summary of Test Borings from GeoHydro Engineers (26 Jan 2010)
The first test site was in Nashville, Tennessee. The report of the first test site and other information can befound at the test site page. General information about the complete project, including a list of participating/contributing companies and organizations, can be found at the project page.
SCHEDULE UPDATE - ADSC Load Test Research – Lawrenceville, GA Site
By Robert Thompson, Dan Brown and Associates
The planned second load test in the ADSC research project for rock sockets in the Southeastern U.S. is moving closer to execution. Bruce Long of Long Foundation Drilling Company provides this update:
To Fellow Load Testers,
We want to thank everyone who submitted questions or comments regarding the preliminary load test program submitted to us by Dr. Dan Brown. Those comments, and more, will be considered while fine-tuning the program.
Because we have several companies donating their time and money, we have to be flexible with respect to the installation and testing dates. We have tentatively selected some dates, but these are subject to change depending upon the workloads of those volunteering their efforts. We hope to begin shaft installation during the last two weeks of July (weeks beginning the 18th or 25th). The actual load testing would probably take place the week of August 8th, with the actual test date being decided upon by sometime in early July (I hope to give everyone at least a 3-4 week notice).
The actual test date would include a field day visit by all interested parties to the test site at Foundation Technologies office in Lawrenceville, GA. Activities will include a load testing discussion led by Dr. Dan Brown, along with lunch. We would then move to the test site where Loadtest, Inc. will be conducting the Osterberg Load Test on our first shaft. A discussion of the testing process and procedures by Loadtest will precede the actual testing (We will be submitting information later regarding a load test contest where each of you will get to predict the outcome of the test with a special prize going to the winner). We also hope to be drilling on the second shaft that day and will be discussing the drill rigs, tools, and other equipment being used, as well as having the other Osterberg cell available for viewing. This site visit proved to be very well received when we did it in Nashville at the last load test. We hope for a big turnout that day.
I wanted to give everybody a brief update and will be in touch when additional information becomes available in the near future. Thank you for your interest, and if anyone has any questions regarding this plan, please feel free to call me at your convenience.