The Deep Foundations Institute’s Educational Trust has announced
the winners of its 2010 Paper Competitions. Each year, papers are solicited
from students and entry-level faculty members on topics relating to deep
foundations design and construction.
The winner of the 2010 Student Paper Competition is Jeremy
Kress, who is pursuing an
M.S. in civil engineering at North Carolina State University
(NCSU). His winning paper is titled, “Analysis
of Pile Behavior in Granular Soils using Discrete Element Method (DEM).” Kress
received his B.S. in civil engineering from Lehigh
University in Bethlehem, Pa.
He joined NCSU to conduct research supported by a North Carolina Space Grant
Program. His interests include discrete element method and other numerical modeling
techniques. In his paper, he proposes DEM as a complementary alternative to
analytical solutions and FEM models for the analysis of pile response. He goes
on to state, “DEM is a novel approach to the engineering design of deep foundations
that can be used to provide insight into the mechanics of soil-soil and
soil-structure interaction. It is common to use analytical, empirical and
semi-empirical methods to predict pile behavior, where if granular properties,
pile length or load orientation change, then significant adjustments are made
in the design sequence. DEM provides a more uniform approach in granular
soils.” In conclusion, he does state that “DEM simulations are not yet poised
to supersede existing design methodologies. However, they can provide an added
level of information relative to traditional continuum approaches and, with
increases in computing power, may one day serve to provide a simple,
physics-based approach to pile design.” Future research may include more
complex deep foundation simulations (e.g. micropile, grouting and soil
reinforcement), where detailed soil response is largely unknown.
The winning paper for the 2010 Young Professor Paper
Competition was submitted by Anne Lemnitzer, assistant professor in the Department
of Civil Engineering at the California State University-Fullerton. She received
her BSCE from the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig, Germany; a MASCE
in Geotechnical Engineering as a Fulbright Scholar at California State University-Long
Beach; and an MSCE and PhD in Structural/Earthquake Engineering from UCLA. Her
research work focuses on soil-structure interaction of various bridge
foundation systems. Her winning paper is titled, “Lateral Load Testing of Pile Foundations.” She serves as
a reviewer for multiple geotechnical journals and conferences, and is an active
committee member of the earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and an associate
member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Her research interests
include laboratory and field testing, bridge engineering and
soil-foundation-structure interaction.
The student paper competition also provided an award to a
runner-up, Arash Khosravifar, who currently is pursuing his PhD in geotechnical
earthquake engineering at University of California-Davis after receiving his
Bachelors and Masters in earthquake engineering from Sharif University of
Technology in Tehran, Iran. His research there focused on
seismic vulnerability of masonry buildings affected by the Bam earthquake in
2003. Now, he is working under the supervision of Professor Ross Boulanger on
soil-structure interaction of extended pile foundations in liquefiable grounds
during earthquakes. He is being awarded for his paper titled, “Inelastic Response of Extended Pile
Shafts in Laterally
Spreading Ground during Earthquakes.”
Paper Competition Winners
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!