Presented by Morgan Neesmith, Director of Engineering, Berkel & Company, Atlanta, USA
Liquefaction induced settlement or structure movement due to lateral spread are two significant design challenges in seismically active areas. In deep liquefiable sands (e.g. 9 m and deeper), traditional vibration or soil mixing techniques may prove to be financially and operationally inefficient. Drilled displacement systems that densify the sands by mechanically displacing them laterally can be an efficient alternative in this scenario. The presentation will provide background on drilled displacement piles/elements and their modification to ground improvement systems including for liquefaction mitigation.
Morgan is the Director of Engineering at Berkel & Company and has more than 20 years of experience in geotechnical contracting and consulting. Since 2004, he has specialized in the design and installation of cast-in-place piles and ground improvement systems for Berkel & Company Contractors. Morgan is a Deep Foundation Institute (DFI) trustee and the immediate past chair and current trustee liaison of the DFI ACIP and DD Pile Technical Committee.