TIP recognized by ASCE and Deep Foundations Institute

The Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP) was awarded the 2015 winner of the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The award celebrates collaboration in innovative design, materials, or construction-related research and development transferred into practice in a sustainable manner.  The award also rewards innovative approaches that help achieve at least one of the national construction technology goals

The TIP, which uses the heat generated by cement curing to assess the shape and integrity of concrete foundations, was recognized by ASCE in part due to the collaborative efforts that were key to its development.  

“The thermal integrity profiling technology was developed initially at the University of South Florida (USF) where it evolved throughout three Florida Department of Transportation funded research project,” says Gray Mullins, PhD, PE, the USF professor.  “A fourth study was performed in cooperation with Washington State Department of Transportation. A joint effort was then undertaken by Foundation & Geotechnical Engineering, LLC (FGE), using the USF-licensed technology, and Pile Dynamics, Inc. (PDI).  The 2 firms transformed the thermal integrity profiling technology into the Thermal Integrity Profiler.” 

An evaluation performed with TIP may yield evaluation result as early as 12 to 24 hours after concrete casting, depending on shaft diameter.

Thermal Integrity Profiling is also less labor intensive than other integrity testing methods, and examines portions of the cross sectional area of the foundation that are in the ‘’blind zone” of those other tests.

Earlier this month, the Deep Foundations Institute announced that Prof. Mullins and his research team at the University of South Florida, were the recipients of the 2014 Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations. That honor was granted “for practical research on multiple subjects”, among them thermal integrity profiling of drilled shafts.

Image from Pile Dynamics Inc.