Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) announces that Professor Gray Mullins and his research team at the University of South Florida are the recipients of the 2014 Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations. The award will be presented at a lunch on August 7 in conjunction with the DFI Marine Foundations Seminar in Tarrytown, NY.
Professor Mullins and his research team are being recognized for performing practical research on base grouted drilled shafts, thermal integrity testing of drilled shafts and tremie concrete bond transfer. For more than a decade, Professor Mullins has conducted valuable, independent research in the use of base grouting for drilled shafts, helping owners and practitioners gain a greater understanding of the mechanism of the base grouting and its influence on the performance of drilled shafts. He has also developed correlations between grout pressure and end bearing improvement, providing engineers with a rational design procedure for predicting the improved performance of base grouted shafts. His research and numerous technical papers and reports on the subject have been directly responsible for establishing base grouting in the U.S. and spurring its growth.
The annual award recognizes innovative excellence in the design and construction of marine foundations, and honors Ben C. Gerwick for his achievements during his 62-year career in the field of marine foundations. The award is sponsored by the Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust, University of California Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Ben C. Gerwick Company. DFI will donate a portion of the seminar proceeds to the DFI Educational Trust Scholarship Fund.
