Editorial Note - Vol. 12, No. 1, 2018-Article

Article

Pdf Summary

The first 2018 issue of the <em>Journal of the Deep Foundations Institute</em> presents research and case studies on foundation design, construction, testing, and ground improvement.

Studies examine how vertical loads affect micropile behavior in sand, finding that combined axial and lateral loading can cause more abrupt failure—especially in loose sand and when pile heads lack restraint. A Buffalo redevelopment case study describes using micropiles to support a new building amid groundwater, existing structures, construction obstructions, and asymmetric foundation geometries.

Other articles compare the lateral performance of helical and driven piles across five Alberta sites. Their resistances were similar for piles with comparable geometry, though soil disturbance became more influential at larger displacements. Dynamic testing of H-piles driven into fractured shale found side resistance consistent with local guidance, while measured tip resistance was substantially higher than design predictions.

In Nigeria, low-strain integrity testing of bored and auger-cast piles identified a small number of defects, while most piles met quality-control expectations. Finally, laboratory and field studies of organic soils introduce a binder-factor design approach for predicting strength gains from soil mixing, accounting for cement content, organic content, and soil porosity.

The editors emphasize the practical value and diversity of the issue’s contributions.

Keywords

micropile behavior

foundation design

ground improvement

helical piles

driven piles

dynamic testing

bored piles

organic soils

soil mixing

case studies