MELBOURNE, FLA. — The Florida Tech research team of Edward Kalajian, Ph.D., and Paul Cosentino, Ph.D., received a $150,000, 18-month research contract from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). These faculty members, with graduate student assistance, will develop methods to identify soil types where contractors may encounter problems installing large-diameter concrete pilings.
Many FDOT contractors encounter rebounds of up to one-inch per hammer impact after driving pilings in soils that did not display any unusual geotechnical properties. Larger diameter pilings are used to resist vertical and lateral forces from traffic as well as winds and waves. The researchers will develop and evaluate solutions for contractors installing piling in these soils.
Kalajian and Cosentino have worked together on nearly $3 million in funded research in a variety of transportation areas. This project is expected to yield significant cost reduction for the State of Florida due to time savings during construction, according to Cosentino.