LEEP Mats are generally constructed of Douglas
Fir Grade 1 lumber. Mats are put through a rigorous
inspection process prior to being assigned a grade
and becoming available for use.
H.B. FLEMING
Contracting - Engineering
H.B. Fleming specializes in pile driving, excavation support,
cofferdam installation and subaqueous pipelines throughout
northern New England.
89 Pleasant Avenue South Portland, Maine 04106
(207) 799-8514 (207) 799-8538 (fax) www.hbfleming.com
PDCA YOUNG GUN
To meet client and internal expectations,
I was sent to PDI’s office in
Cleveland, Ohio for training in dynamic
monitoring (PDA), CAPWAP analysis
and wave equation software. Throughout
my training and to this day, I have had
the pleasure of being guided and mentored
by Brent Robinson from GRL/
PDI. My accelerated success and ability
to learn the complex nature of dynamic
monitoring is accredited to his keen
interest in the matter and dedication to
answering my countless emails.
Regardless of the investigations carried
out, geotechnical engineering is the
combination of art and science, as all the
parameters and unknowns under the surface
can never be fully accounted for. To
this day, the power of dynamic monitoring
is an awe-inspiring event. Engineers
can essentially now look underground
and represent pile-soil capacities and
evaluate pile integrity – the closest parallel
that I can think of is when doctors
were first able to look into the structural
components of the body using X-rays.
Moving forward, my goal has been to
advance the understanding and utilization
of dynamic monitoring not only for
driven piles, but also for screw piles and
concrete caissons to optimize designs. To
help achieve this goal, I have worked with
my colleague, Ryan Harty, to design and
build a drop-weight system with its own
self-contained winch and release mechanism
to eliminate the need for a crane.
This system will provide an economical
option instead of or in combination with
static load testing when pile drivers are
not on site. A senior engineer once told
me that it’s easy to design a pile that does
not move, but hard to design one that
moves exactly six millimeters at service
loads. My intent is to use our drop-weight
system as an available tool to help design
engineers get closer to the predicted sixmillimeter
movement scenario. I believe
that instead of overdesigning and being
scared of failure, we should respect the
consequences of our final design while
trying to promote economical and sustainable
design solutions – this will ultimately
lead to better outcome for the
project owner. Dynamic testing allows
us to reduce safety factors, thus reducing
the length and number of piles on
projects.
I have noticed throughout my career
that the fear of failures has led to the
Call for Rental Info
LEADING EDGE
EQUIPMENT PARTNERS
(206) 999-1503
USED MATS
• Condition: Very Good
• General Use: – Crane Mats
– Digging Mats
– Outrigger Pads
• Condition: Good
• General Use: – Crane Mats
– Digging Mats
– Outrigger Pads
• Condition: Fair
• General Use: – Access Mats
– Digging Mats
AGRADE
BGRADE
CGRADE
PILEDRIVER | 107
/www.hbfleming.com
/www.mreco.com
