Thursday, August 28, 2025



Speakers

The Benefits of Combining Side Friction and End Bearing in Drilled Shafts

headshot of sebastian lobo-guerrero

Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, Ph.D., P.E., BC.GE.
American Geotechnical and Environmental Services (A.G.E.S.) / University of Pittsburgh

This presentation explains and illustrates the benefits of combining side friction and end bearing in the design and construction of drilled shafts. A case study including a bi-directional load test is presented to showcase these benefits. Other important and necessary aspects required to account these benefits are illustrated: testing prior installation of the drilled shaft (sonic calliper, downhole camera, mini-SID) and testing post construction (CSL, TIP, coring). Quality control and quality assurance being key elements to an optimized design.

Download the abstract


Pile Load Testing In Sedimentary Rocks: Three Cases Of Design Optimization

Three cases are presented in which static load tests were carried out on foundation piles: two in Monterrey, where shale and limestone are present, and one in Cancun, where soft limestone rock is found. In all cases, the tests were conducted prior to the construction of the deep foundation.
After performing the tests, it was found that the load-bearing capacity determined through analytical models was significantly lower than the capacity measured in the load tests. A determining factor was the poor quality of the rock cores extracted during the...

Read the full abstract


St. Petersburg Pier – Optimized Pile Design Using SPT Borings and PDA Testing

headshot of

Deborah De Lima
Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti collaborated on the St. Pete Pier project to optimize the originally conservative pre-cast concrete pile design. By analyzing SPT boring data and incorporating real-time PDA testing results, the team refined the foundation design calculations, leading to a more efficient and cost-effective solution that reduced both construction time and costs.

Download the abstract


Professional Development Hours (PDHs)

Each webinar in the series provides 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) to registrants who have paid the $70 fee. Certificates will be generated after the registrant completes the webinar evaluation through the event module. To receive a certificate you MUST register independently, be paid in full, and login and view the webinar for the duration of the event.