Seventy-four Geo-Institute & Deep Foundation Institute (DFI) members and guests gathered at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 8th, 2017 for an ASCE Pittsburgh Section Geo-Institute and DFI Chapter short course.  The course was presented by members of the DFI Committee on Augered Cast-in-Place (ACIP) and Drilled Displacement Piles, led by Morgan NeSmith, P.E. (right), presented latest advancements in design methodology, testing, quality control and assurance, and recent case history regarding ACIP piles.

A total of ten presentations were presented during the Saturday short course. Morgan NeSmith, P.E. started off the morning session by introducing the committee projects, the development of ACIP, and current installation procedures. He also talked about their commitment to introduce ACIP and its usefulness to various Department of Transportation entities. Following Mr. NeSmith’s presentation, various DFI Committee members of ACIP piles presented about quality control and assurance, design methodologies, case histories, non-destructive testing, challenges in ACIP construction, grouting, and applications of ACIP. A full list of speakers and their background is available online at ASCE Pittsburgh Geo-Institute web page.

Feedback of the survey handed out during the short course offered us a highly positive response from the attendees. Many attendees were extremely satisfied with the technical presentations offered at the short course while some even said ‘It was one of the best I have ever attended- and I have been to a lot.’

The short course took place from 8am to 5:30pm and included a continental breakfast and lunch. The Geo-Institute & DFI were happy to be able to provide up to 7.5 PDHs, including 6.75 hrs accredited for New York professional engineers.