
Driven Pile
DFI Driven Pile Committee (aka DFI DPC) is a group of professionals that support the use of driven pile foundations. This DFI professional committee is responsible for the Driven Pile Workshops, Educational Programing and Web Seminars throughout the world. These professionals have collaborated to produce the Inspector’s Guide to Driven Foundation Piling, Driven Foundation Piling Catalogs, and Driven Sheet Piling resources. Currently, this group is producing a vibration study database to support the use and benefit of vibratory pile drivers in deep foundation work, an electronic library supporting cost savings in driven pile foundations and mid-sized diameter pipe plugging study.

Committee Chair
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA
[email protected]
“The driven pile industry needs advocates. Not because driven pile is a standard and not because driven pile is used on most structures exceeding 3-stories and not even because a driven pile is a tested pile. This industry needs advocates that can remind & educate the project owners through designs that showcase the full suite of driven pile benefits. Reduced costs and improved safety are just the beginning.
It is my hope that our committee will continue to influence and refocus this ever-changing deep foundation industry by always ensuring our foundation work is driven, tested, and maintained. And the best part, Pile Driving advocates are building our infrastructure for a better tomorrow…”

Upcoming Events
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47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations
October 4–7, 2022 – National Harbor, Maryland
Cost Effective Pile Project Case History Library
Collection of case histories that illustrate how driven pile foundations can take advantage of cost-saving design and installation factors to contribute to a cost-effective design, including
- Soil/Pile set-up
- Testing
- Higher allowable loads
- Design stresses
- Pile type
- Driving criteria
- Pile material
- Matching allowable loads to column loads
Promote and Support the Design, Construction and Equipment Supply for Marine Foundation Projects
DFI’s former Marine Foundations committee is now operating under the Driven Pile committee and is continuing these ongoing initiatives:
- ASCE COPRI Collaboration – bi-annually joint seminars with ASCE Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Rivers Institute (COPRI) Met Section – view April 2021 Seminar Proceedings
- Ben C. Gerwick Award – An annual innovation award recognizing the spirit of Ben C. Gerwick and his phenomenal contribution to the marine foundation industry.
- Research – Study of factors that influence vibrodriveability, pile behavior and axial and lateral capacities of vibratory and impact driven piles.
Safety in Driven Pile Subcommittee
This task force is producing a safety briefing six times per year to “tell stories on what you have seen.”
Crane Lift Charts Specific to Driven Pile Subcommittee
Examining formulas used for crane lifting and supplying a single-spot resource for manufacturer details to further the conversation about safe crane lifting of pile driving equipment.
Geotechnical in Pile Driving Subcommittee
Exploring driven pile specific considerations for collecting and designing with geotechnical characterization data, understanding soil borings, sizing and tooling the equipment for project-specific soil conditions, and reading and implementing the recommendations in geotechnical reports.
Social Media Subcommittee
Leveraging social media tools to highlight advancements and innovations in driven pile technology and achievements of the DPC and its members and companies.
Mid-sized Diameter Pipe Study
Studying the use, design, and performance of mid-size diameter pipe piles.
ASTM and State Specifications
Hosting an industry-wide conversation about driven pile related specifications, the industry’s relationship with ASTM, and state-specific provisions to advance mutually beneficial industry practices.
Fundamentals
FHWA Design and Construction of Driven Pile Foundations (2016) – addresses design aspects including subsurface exploration, laboratory testing, pile selection, aspects of geotechnical and structural limit states, technical specifications; and construction topics including static load tests, dynamic tests, rapid load tests, wave equation analyses, dynamic formulas and development of driving criteria, pile driving equipment, pile driving accessories, and monitoring of pile installation inspection. Step by step procedures are included for most analyses and design examples.
PDCA Glossary of Driven Pile Terms – industry preferred terms as defined by Pile Driving Contractors Association members.
Deep Marine Foundations – A perspective on the design and construction of deep marine foundations.
Related Links
- DFI Testing and Evaluation Committee
- Pile Driving Contractors Association
- ASCE Geo-Institute Deep Foundations Committee
- ISSMGE TC212 Committee on Deep Foundations
- AASHTO Committee T-15
- ASTM Subcommittee D18.11 Deep Foundations
- TRB Committee AKG70 Foundations of Bridges and Other Structures
- ASCE COPRI Met Section
- GeoTech Tools