MEMBER PROFILE – ENGINEERING AFFILIATE
GRL Engineers, Inc.
Driving solutions in deep foundations
By GRL Engineers, Inc. GRL Engineers, Inc. is a professional engineering firm
established to provide specialized testing, analysis and
consulting services to the deep foundation construction
industry. Under the direction of Professor George G. Goble,
and with the participation of Frank Rausche and Garland Likins,
a research project in 1964 at Case Institute of Technology in
Cleveland, Ohio, is where it all began. This research pioneered the
basic concept of dynamic pile testing, now referred to as the Case
Method. The success of the research project provided the basis
for a valuable new tool for pile design and construction control
known as the Pile Driving Analyzer® (PDA). The CAPWAP® software
program for deriving the soil resistance from pile top measurements
was also developed from this research effort.
In the early 1970s, the research team began a consulting practice
to provide a service based on the Case Method and utilizing
the PDA for the deep foundation industry. Since its incorporation
in 1975, GRL Engineers has continued to expand its capabilities
in the dynamic testing field through in-house research
efforts and the results of several funded studies. In 1976, the Wave
Equation Analysis Program (WEAP) for pile driving evaluations
was developed for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
This program was updated in 1980 and in 1987 before becoming
the proprietary program known today as GRLWEAP. In 1986,
The Performance of Pile Driving Systems, was developed for and
published by the FHWA. GRL has also authored the last three editions
of the FHWA manual Design and Construction of Driven Pile
Foundations in 1996, 2006 and 2016.
GRL operates the largest dynamic pile testing firm in the world.
The dynamic test methods originally developed by the founding
principals of the firm are applied worldwide on a routine basis,
both on land and offshore. The methods provide improved foundation
solutions, better quality control and often significant savings
in foundation cost or construction time.
Specialized deep foundation testing and
analysis services
Bonner Bridge Replacement in North Carolina
Located in the outer banks of North Carolina, the three-mile-long
Bonner Bridge had endured numerous hurricanes since its inception
in 1965. Due to the scour damage and destabilization of the
bridge, a new design for a replacement bridge began to take shape.
During a preconstruction test program, GRL Engineers performed
both static and dynamic load tests to assess the pile capacity for
designers of the new structure. The team performed one static
compression load test on a 36-inch prestressed concrete pile that
had 11 levels of embedded strain gages for load transfer information.
A lateral load test including deflected shape versus depth
measurements was also performed.
GRL Engineers on-site to perform load tests
Photo courtesy of GRL Engineers, Inc.
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