The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) is an international membership association of contractor

General contractor

A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...

, engineers and suppliers in the field of design and construction of deep foundation

Deep foundation

A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...

s and excavations. The organization is classified as a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation under the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Internal Revenue Code

Internal Revenue Code

The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...

. DFI was formed in 1976.

The institute functions via the volunteer activity of its members, including an 18 member board of trustees, and through the management of its staff located in Hawthorne, New Jersey

Hawthorne, New Jersey

Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,218.Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park,...

.

Mission statement

The institute is organized to serve as a primary means for members to participate in improvement of the planning, design and construction aspects of deep foundations and deep excavations. The basic mission of the institute includes but is not limited to the following:

1. To affiliate contractors, engineers, owners, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers and other persons concerned with the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and protection of deep excavations.
2. To improve and extend knowledge of new ideas and practices of geotechnical design, construction and installation.
3. To encourage and participate in the practical application of research related to deep foundations and deep excavations.
4. To gather, catalog and disseminate information to effect the most economical design and construction for support of structures on deep strata
   Stratum
   In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
   
    and for protection of deep excavations.
5. To improve understanding by the public and by government bodies of the deep foundation industry.
6. To establish contacts with other groups working on related goals in the United States and abroad.
7. To participate in or conduct such other activities as will best promote these foregoing purposes.

Technical committees

• Augered Cast-In-Place Pile
• Codes and Standards
• Deep Foundations for Landslide/Slope Stabilization
• Drilled Shaft
• Driven Pile
  Pile driver
  A pile driver is a mechanical device used to drive piles into soil to provide foundation support for buildings or other structures. The term is also used in reference to members of the construction crew that work with pile-driving rigs....
  
  
• Ground Improvement
• Helical Foundations & Tiebacks
  Tieback (geotechnical)
  A tieback is a horizontal wire or rod, or a helical anchor used to reinforce retaining walls for stability. With one end of the tieback secured to the wall, the other end is anchored to a stable structure, such as a concrete deadman which has been driven into the ground or anchored into earth with...
  
  
• Marine Foundations
• Micropile
• Seismic & Lateral Loads
• Slurry Wall
  Slurry wall
  A slurry wall is a technique used to build reinforced-concrete walls in areas of soft earth close to open water or with a high ground water table. This technique is typically used to build diaphragm walls surrounding tunnels and open cuts, and to lay foundations.A trench is excavated to create a...
  
  
• Soil Mixing
• Sustainability
• Testing and Evaluation
• Tiebacks
  Tieback (geotechnical)
  A tieback is a horizontal wire or rod, or a helical anchor used to reinforce retaining walls for stability. With one end of the tieback secured to the wall, the other end is anchored to a stable structure, such as a concrete deadman which has been driven into the ground or anchored into earth with...
  
   & Soil Nailing
  Soil nailing
  Soil nailing is a construction technique that can be used as a remedial measure to treat unstable natural soil slopes or as a construction technique that allows the safe over-steepening of new or existing soil slopes...
  
  

External links

• Deep Foundations Institute Website
• DFI Corporate Member Directory of Foundation Specialists
• DFI Europe Website
• DFI Educational Trust Webpage