APTLY
Archived APTLY Postings

(00.11.02)

The DFI Members Meeting in Dearborn, Michigan (14-16 October 1999) included a "live" demonstration of construction methods as
a concurrent part of the overall program.  APTLY arranged for demonstrations of shaft integrity methods and demonstrations of
high strain testing methods included Pile Dynamics' new PAL-R, which permits remote PDA testing via cell phone link.

A  two day seminar preceeded the DFI Members Meeting

The  seminar, co-sponsored with DFI, included the following contributors....

Topics and Presenters

Integrity Testing -- Joram Amir, Bernie Hertlein
High Strain Testing and Analyses -- Mike Holloway, Jim Long, Mark Svinkin
Statnamic Testing Comparisons -- Mike Muchard, Hernan Goldemberg
Vibration Monitoring and Vibratory Driving-- Rainer Massarch, Barry Roth
Pile Installation Recorders -- Tracy Brettmann,  Shachar Magali

(98.11.29)

The  seminar, co-sponsored with DFI, occurred immediately following the DFI Meeting in Seattle.

Topics and Presenters

Integrity Testing -- Joram Amir, Bernie Hertlein
High Strain Testing -- Peter Middendorp, Mike Holloway
Statnamic Testing Comparisons -- Mike Muchard
Vibration Monitoring and Vibratory Driving-- Rainer Massarch
Quality Assurance and Quality Control -- Marie-Aline Cintrat, Mark Svinkin, Bert Miner, Michael Frank

(98.11.29)

Friday following the first course of the above seminar,  a wide ranging discussion ensued on the directions in which APTLY should go.

• John White  expressed his appreciation for the 12 hour seminar, as well as his interest in developing a demonstration test program for the DFI meeting in Detroit next year. (John, a newly elected  DFI Board member,  is in charge of developing portions of the program in Detroit.)
• Manny Fine and Geordie Compton expressed a strong DFI interest in collaborating with APTLY on future DFI activities.
• Rainer Massarch indicated that a new georesource website will be coming online in the near future, and that APTLY will be well integrated into the features of the new site.
• The members in attendance selected Mike Holloway as APTLY chairman.
• You will learn more of these events in the coming days, both on this page and via email.

Joram Amir, Marie-Aline Cintrat, Bill Cody, Michael Frank, Bernie Hertlein, Mike Holloway, Rainer Massarch, Peter Middendorp, Bert Miner, Mike Muchard, and Mark Svinkin

(4.25.99) * * * HELP * * *  Rebounding Mail: With our recent mailings the following addressees messages bounced back apparently without connection --  Keith Bennett,  Bill Harris, Joseph Lee, Yoon Gil Lim, Mait Mets, Tom McDaniel,  Ron Moore,  Ben Sha'al, Chuan Siang, Bruce Spiro, and Gorazd Strinisa.  If this includes you, or you have a current address for any of these individuals, please send it in.  Thanx...

(2.25.98) Fundex PLT System: American Piledriving, Inc., demonstrated a new dynamic pile load testing system in the San Francisco Bay Area recently.   The system was used to test an existing test pile on a construction site at San Francisco International Airport.  Contact Mark Presten at 510-426-8269 for further details.   A description of the pile test system can be found at the following link: http://www.americanpiledriving.com/new_page_1.htm

(2.23.98) PDI/GRL Software: Recent communications with PDI in Cleveland revealed that the software from GRL and PDI is no longer provided on a "service contract" basis to existing users, but rather new versions will be offered for sale as they become available.  The current versions of the high strain testing software include:

• PDAPLOT version 5.03
• PAK and PDAPC version 5.0
• CAPWAP version 1997-1
• GRLWEAP version 1997-2 (W95 version is in beta testing, I am told)

(3/30/98): APTLY Business Meeting -- There was a meeting of APTLY folks  at GeoLogan last summer (1997).   A plan was hatched to pursue an APTLY-sponsored program at the DFI Members Conference in Vienna in June; the APTLY program will not come to pass in Vienna.

We developed a user/usage day program in association with DFI at their fall meeting in Seattle (see above).

Additional topics of our Logan meeting in the works include:

• publishing or providing access to key publications of our members via this web site, and

developing a matrix of services provided by APTLY members for public information.

APTLY News Brief (4/7/98): DFI (Seattle) 1998 Annual Meeting Program Chair, Tom Armour, is seeking additional abstracts for consideration as presentations for the technical program.  Tom's address: DBM Contractors, Inc., 1220 So. 356th St., Federal Way, WA 98003.  Phone: 253-838-1402 -- Fax: 253-874-6574 -- Email:dbm@nwlink.com. Abstracts Deadline: April 10, 1998

PAK User News

PAK Upgrade from PDI (6/2/98): From a flier sent out last month by PDI.... A hardware and software upgrade to your PAK system is now available.  The hardware options include mother board, ram, floppy and hard drive improvements.  A Windows 95 operating system, the new Windows version, and the most current  DOS version of the PAK program are included.  Contact info@pile.com for further details.

CMOS Battery Failure (6/14/98):  PDI recently mailed out notices to PAK users concerning this battery problem, and its simple replacement solution.  If you did not receive a notice from PDI, you are probably not affected.  There is a problem with the PAK CMOS batteries for older PAKs (486s and older) failing early (clock date & time not keeping up is your first indication).  When this battery fails, the PAK crashes!  We understand that the PAK is fully operational if you restore the setup parameters!

PAK Problems Update (6/14/98): The original notice and messages  describing PAK crashing problems got considerable attention from PDI, in an effort to identify the nature of the problems and to determine the best remedial actions. Six other firms/agencies replied, describing  problems that were in some cases similar, while in others were easily identified as specific hardware problems.

PDI is up to version 5.0 on the PAK DOS software.  The expert advice features do not work properly, however -- user beware!  (PDI  advises to avoid using the "expert advice" features in the software.  According to PDI very few customers use this feature!)

Recently  PAK 1171 was crashing under various conditions in the field and in the office using the 5.0 PAK software.  The warning signals of the CMOS battery fading were evident;  the battery was replaced without solving the other problems.    This PAK continued to crash in the field, even without invoking the expert advice features.  A power supply connector, dust/moisture contamination or hard disk problems remain the best guesses as to the cause of the problems.   PAK 1171 has been returned to PDI for checkout, repair and upgrading; the user has received a loaner through PDI's upgrade offer, and has access to another PAK through a fellow APTLY member.

Is anyone else encountering problems with a similar vintage PAK these days?  PDI believes that this PAK is unique in developing these difficulties.  Kindly reply to APTLY and copy Garland Likins with your reply.

Original Message Describing PAK Problems (16 Sept 1997): "We have been having problems in the field operating PAKs no. 1322 & 1379. The PAK has rebooted repeatedly and inappropriately, and failed to store field data, with serious project consequences. If you are a PAK user familiar with such problems, we would like to discuss the nature of the problem(s) and the apparent solutions."

Previously, with the two newer PAKs (1322 and 1379), we worked around the problems by switching to an older version of the PAK software (4.05 instead of 4.11, 4.12 or 4.13)!  The newest PAK (1379) apparently was sent to Cleveland for diagnosis at PDI.   Upon its return, the operator has elected to continue using software version 4.05, and reports that the system is working well.

We will continue to update this page with response(s) to this request. Thanx for your consideration, and your reply to APTLY at your earliest convenience.

New Frontiers and Challenges --
08-12 November 1999
Announcement and Call for Papers
Geotechnical Engineering Anniversary Event
School of Civil Engineering, AIT
Conference on Civil  and Environmental Engineering
Contact: Prof. A.S. Balasubramaniam, Thailand -- bala@ait.ac.th

Stress Wave 2000
11-13 September  2000
Sao Paulo City, Brazil
Sixth International Conference on the Application of Stress-Wave Theory to Piles
Communicate via stress@acquacon.com.br or contact: Mr. Jorge William Beim -- info@pdi.com.br

DFI Members Conference
7-9 October 1998
APTLY "Pile Testing and Analysis Methods -- Uses and Abuses"
9,10 October 1998
Seattle, WA, USA
DFI Contact: Geordi Compton, dfihq@soho.ios.com
APTLY Contact: Mike Holloway, aptly@insitutech.com

Third International Geotechnical Seminar
Deep Foundations on Bored and Auger Piles
19-21 October 1998
Ghent, Belgium

Second International Seminar on Statnamic Testing in Kuala Lumpur -- 1998
Contact: Peter Middendorp -- p.middendorp@bouw.tno.nl

First International Conference on New Information
Technologies for Decision Making in Civil Engineering
11-13 October 1998
Montreal, Canada
Organized by:
University of Quebec, Ecole de Technologie Superieure, Montreal, Canada
and
Laboratoire d'Informatique de Paris 6 University Pierre et Marie Curie et CNRS, France
Contact: Professor  Edmond T. Miresco, EMIRESCO@CTN.ETSMTL.CA
 
 

7th International Conference & Exposition -- Deep Foundations Institute
15-17 June 1998
Vienna, Austria
DFI Contact: Geordi Compton, dfihq@soho.ios.com
APTLY Contact: Joram Amir, jamir@ibm.net

Seminar and Workshop on Applications of Dynamic Methods...
15,16 May 1998
Irvine, California, USA

THE LIFE-CYCLE OF IT INNOVATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION -
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE -- 3-5.6.1998
The CIB Working commission W78, (Information technology in
construction) conference in Stockholm

4th International Conference on
Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering -- University of Missouri - Rolla
8-15 March 1998
Contact: Buddy Poe buddyp@shuttle.cc.umr.edu
 

GeoLogan 97 -- July 15-19, 1997 -- "The first national conference of the Geo-Institute" -- COMPLETED ******
This was a landmark gathering of the geotechnical engineering community. On Thursday afternoon, July 17th, there was a six-and-a-half hour field session, that included deep foundations, geophysics and insitu testing demonstrations that our members and friends found especially interesting. If you are planning to attend, and have an interest in alerting other APTLY members of your intentions, I will list you here as such.

Modern Piling Practice — Seminar and Workshop
April 25&26, 1997 — Oakland,California -- COMPLETED

The application of dynamic methods to solve deep foundations problems was one focus of a full day seminar. The second day provided a wave equation analysis workshop. Attendees were welcome to participate in one or both days. It was a whirlwind tour of some of the more innovative things happening in the local SF Bay Area practice, and the wave equation analysis workshop was the best we've ever held!

For more detailed information on our past program, visit the webpage describing the above seminar or call 510-254-0460. InSituTech will sponsor similar local-practice-focused programs in other cities soon.

Are dynamic load tests rubbish?! There is a gentleman in my country (Argentina) that says that Dynamic Load Testing and Pile Monitoring are not good at all and that they are not very used worldwide! So please, if posible, could you e-mail me figures on amount of tests that your Company performs- if they are available of course- or regional data, lets say during 1996? This is a request made by Hernan Goldembergseeking an e-mail reply --- GEOTECNICA@datamarkets.com.ar Hernan, please let us post the results of your search here. Thank you. (5/12/97)

4th International Geotech Conference & Exhibition -- Sept. 8-11, 1997
Xijiao Hotel, Beijing China -- He Yizhang provided the announcement concerning this conference. His message contains details for this event. (5/3/97)

Request: Information on Pile Integrity Testing -- "We are considering possibilities for testing timber wharf/jetty piles to determine the extent of deterioration due to decay or marine borer. Have you heard of this being done elsewhere?" (4/27/97)

Tim Logan (Geophysicist) Opus International Consultants Ltd
Central Laboratories, PO Box 30 845, Lower Hutt
ph: (04) 568 3118 ext 834, fax: (04) 568 3169 email: tim.logan@opus.co.nz
(Please reply to Tim Logan directly. When you get a satisfactory answer, Tim, please submit some details for posting on this page!)

GEOTECNICA CIENTEC S.A.C. Request. At the APTLY meeting in Orlando in September, 1996, Hernan Goldemberg passed out a copy of a draft specification for dynamic pile testing, soliciting feedback from others as he finalizes the document for local practice. He now can be reached on the 'net at the GEOTECNICA CIENTEC S.A.C address given above. We will add this document to our references once Hernan can transmit it to us for website publication. Please transmit your feedback directly to Hernan. (1/16/97)

DFI 96. The Deep Foundations Institute sponsored a conference in San Francisco October 2nd thru 4th, with the theme of "Design and Construction of Deep Foundations for Extreme Events." Contact Geordie Compton @DFI for more information -- E-Mail, Phone 201-567-4232/fax 201-567-4436. The technical papers were wide ranging, and many were well presented.

Very few APTLY members attended this conference, which was otherwise rather well attended by the broad range of members attracted to DFI. The only pile testing vendor present was George Goble representing PDI.

StressWave96.The last formal gathering of APTLY members and others interested in participation was held the evening of September 13th, 1996, following the StressWave '96 Conference in Orlando, Florida. A number of new members joined us, and the discussions continued for two hours among 25 attendees. TNO and IFCO representatives were in attendance, while those invited from the other supplier organizations were absent.

The discussions focused on several different subjects. The first, and most lively topic involved the question of making APTLY membership "open" or "closed". It was finally agreed that APTLY membership and participation is open to all engineers involved in pile testing activities, including those who work for the major supplier/vendor/competitor firms.

Secondly, it was agreed that the APTLY website you are viewing will be maintained by InSituTech. Listings and/or postings on these pages require direct request and instructions from you to Mike Holloway. (The 'net savvy of the attendees present at this meeting ranged from experienced to paranoid/aversive!)

Additional discussions in Orlando included forthcoming ISO 9000 requirements (likely to include pile testing laboratories), concerns about competitors providing inferior or bad services (membership criteria for APTLY members, education of the perpetrators and customers,...), collaboration among APTLY members on upcoming projects (mutual support), and dealing with supplier/competitor problems (e.g. GRL&PDI versus their customers). All of these items remain active subjects among various members.

Created by Jason Ernst Holloway - Last modified:03.07.31 (lkh)