Drilled shaft foundations in soils are often a technically sound and cost-effective foundation choice where a deep foundation solution is appropriate based on-site conditions, applied loads and project schedule and performance requirements. To avoid adverse performance issues, design of drilled shafts must be performed based on consideration of site-specific geologic conditions and construction methods. To help comprehend these crucial considerations for successful implementation of drilled shafts in soils, the thrust of the discussions in this workshop is to establish a good understanding of the design procedures for drilled shafts and how construction procedures can affect the design of drilled shafts. Various design considerations and methods will be discussed. Different construction methods such as dry, cased, and wet will be discussed. The evaluation of structural integrity of constructed shafts using methods such as cross-hole sonic logging (CSL), gamma-gamma logging (GGL) and thermal integrity profiling (TIP) will also be presented. The presentation will be based on latest (2020) version of the Bridge Design Specifications (BDS) based on the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) platform of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials which is a key component of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidelines for drilled shafts. Information from AASHTO’s latest (2020) guide specification for Service life design will also be presented.

Using a collaborative and interactive learning approach, this virtual workshop will help you understand: (a) the design and construction procedures for drilled shafts in soils, and (b) the importance of constructability considerations in design of drilled shafts. The workshop will help you assimilate these crucial considerations through active participation by frequent interactions throughout the workshop and real-time expert feedback. The interactions will facilitate a better understanding of the nuances of the various design and construction procedures which would help you avoid costly design and construction errors in real-world projects. In between the two live sessions, attendees will independently work on an application (e.g., exercises) or a reflection (e.g., reading) assignment.

DAY 1 – Thursday, August 11, 2022

• Introductions
• General terminology for drilled shafts
• Overview of construction of drilled shafts
• Failure modes and limit states
• Resistance and resistance factors
• Evaluation of geotechnical axial resistance using chart approach
• Concepts for evaluating lateral response
• Considerations for Extreme Events (Scour and Seismic)
• Typical structural details
• Introduction to drilled shaft construction processes in soils
• Review of Day 1
• Interactive Question and Answer (Q&A) session
• Assignment of homework
• Adjourn

DAY 2- Monday, August 15, 2022

• Roadmap for Day 2
• Review of homework assignments and recap of Day 1
• Dry shaft construction
• Cased shaft construction
• Wet shaft construction
• Mineral and polymer slurries
• Slurry management
• Shaft excavation and cleaning
• Reinforcing cage
• Concrete operations
• Tolerances and checklists
• Integrity testing
• Closure and references
• Review of Day 2 and full workshop
• Interactive Question and Answer (Q&A) session
• Adjourn