EFFC and the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) are pleased to announce the release of the EFFC/DFI Support Fluids Guide 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.

DFI and EFFC would like to thank the sponsorsof the guide for their generous contributions of financial support, equipment and access to sites to facilitate the next phase of the project.

The guide is available for free download here EFFC_Support_Fluids_Guide_FINAL