EFFC
European Federation of Foundation Contractors

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Technical Guidance

EFFC-DFI Guide to Support Fluids for Deep Foundations, Edition 1

The guide represents the state of the art of support fluid practice and aims to improve existing design, testing and practices for deep foundation elements – bored piles (drilled shafts), barrettes (LBEs) and diaphragm wall panels. It represents the first time that knowledge of good practice from around the world has been brought together into a single authoritative publication.

The guide is a collaboration between DFI and EFFC, building on the success of the EFFC/DFI Guide to Tremie Concrete for Deep Foundations, which advances the understanding of tremie concrete performance and is the industry authority on the subject. The Guide to Support Fluids for Deep Foundations follows the same model, with the first edition detailing accepted industry good practice followed by a second edition based on a comprehensive R&D program.

The guide is the work of a dedicated 47-strong task group that has brought together contractors, suppliers, consultants and leading academics who have worked for the past 24 months to deliver the guide to the geotechnical industry.

The next phase of the project is to carry out a series of field research studies. The studies will collect data from active project sites and develop and conduct non-standard tests in order to establish what testing methods have substantial value and to better understand the validity of the compliance values in use. The task group will then produce a second edition of the guide that promises to be the best authority on the use of support fluids in the industry.  This is expected to be published in 2021.

Please download the guide here  EFFC_Support_Fluids_Guide_FINAL


EFFC/DFI Guide to Tremie Concrete for Deep Foundations 2nd Edition

This is the 2nd edition guide for June 2018 providing authoritative guidance on the placement and testing of tremie concrete in deep foundations.

It is intended that the guide is used by contractors and concrete suppliers to improve the quality of concrete used in deep foundations. Historically there has been limited research and understanding about how concrete behaves in the ground, which has led to problems onsite as concrete mixes became more complex with the addition of admixtures, additives, aggregates etc.

The new edition incorporates field studies of concrete taken from construction sites in Europe and the US to provide an empirical testing criteria for the acceptability of fresh concrete. The guide’s data has been collected by the Technical University of Munich and the Missouri University, using an agreed methodology that includes a range of onsite and laboratory testing.

The guide now has recommendations on which tests should be used to determine the workability of the concrete. This is particularly useful on site, where construction teams can determine with a high degree of accuracy whether the concrete will work as intended within the pile or diaphragm wall.

In addition, the Guide incorporates work that numerically models the behavior of concrete when it is poured into an excavation. This is a new area of research which provides new insight into what is occurring during the tremie operation.

The Guide is a collaboration between the DFI in the US and the EFFC, and is a piece of work that is intended to benefit the global deep foundations industry.

To download the guide, please click one of the translated versions below:

You can also download the Technical University of Munich’s accompanying technical report that is also referenced in the Guide.  R_D_Report_draft 2018

Also, please find attached the draft report from the MST on the US tests:Progress Report August 18 – Draft

 


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