Michele Ward, Author at Pieresearch

Tom Witherspoon | The Geotechnical Engineer

Hi, I'm Tom Witherspoon. I am structural and geotechnical engineer. I'm actually a diplomate as a geotechnical engineer, recognized by the Geo-Institute. And by the Structural Engineering Certification Board, I am a structural engineer. I also owned a foundation drilling company and ran that for over 22 years, S&W Foundation, and did a lot of limited access drilling and things that were considered to be impossible...

Walter Scarborough | Specifications Matter

I'm Walter Scarborough and I'm here to tell you why Specifications Matter. I'm an architect and a specifier. I have 40 years of architectural experience, 25 years as a specifier, having provided specifications on over 500 projects. I'm a Fellow of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). I'm a coauthor of the college textbook, "Building Construction — Principles, Materials, and Systems"...

Tom Witherspoon | The Structural Engineer

I'm Tom Witherspoon. I am recognized as a diplomate by the Geo-Institute as a geotechnical engineer, and I'm recognized by the Structural Engineering Certification Board as a structural engineer. I have a BS in civil engineering, a Masters in business. I have a PhD in geotechnical engineering from University of Texas at Arlington and my dissertation studies was in Piering and Piling, so that I know pretty well...

Mike Trull | Rebar Supplier Expectations

What are the expectations of a general contractor and/or a concrete contractor when they're selecting a reinforcing steel fabricator for their new project? Hello, my name is Mike Trull, and I've spent 50 years in the steel industry. 45 of those years, I was with a reinforcing fabricator in North Texas, CMC. For some of you who are viewing this video for the first time, just some elementary notes about steel and how it's made...

The Use of Rebar Cages in Drilled Shaft Construction

In drilled shaft construction, rebar cages are typically used to reinforce the shaft during excavation. The design of this cage is critically important to the stability of the cage and the success of the overall construction project. As a general rule, a rebar cage for a drilled shaft consists of longitudinal bars that are distributed with equal spacing along the perimeter of a cylinder...

Tony Kraut – The Driller

Hi. I'm Tony Kraut with Watson Drill Rigs. I'm the Sales Manager here at Watson. And we're a four-generation family-owned business. We build foundation construction drilling equipment that serves multiple industries. We put them on excavator mount, truck mount, and crawler mount, and even crane mount drill attachments. Watson Drill Rigs right here from Fort Worth, Texas...

Tony Kraut – Watson Drill Rigs

In 1923, Watson began as a house moving company or structure moving company. So they'd lift a structure from one location and transport it and put it in another location. With that required obviously the understanding of crane operation and being able to design a foundation for that structure to sit upon. And at that time, Watson Drill Rigs actually became a contractor...

Tony Kraut – On the Stub

"On the Stub," a poem written and copyrighted by Tony Kraut. Push, pull, turn and twist; any job, I'll do my best. I wear the scars of past jobs done; with my teeth as sharp as the face they're on. A bar commands my every move; whether my encounter is hard or smooth. The job I do is always as told; by the driller's hand on the lever he holds...

Tony Kraut – Slide, Kelly, Slide

Let's talk about Kelly Bars. Where did the term "Kelly Bar" come from? Everybody asks, What's that name "Kelly"? Who is this guy? Why do we call that a "Kelly"? Well, it's an oil field related term ... back in the late 1800s, drilled pipe was always round. There was no Kelly Bar, it was all round drill pipe...

Tony Kraut – The Driller’s Life

In 1987, I separated from the United States Air Force and started working on drill rigs and I had no idea what I was getting into, but I found the challenge was quite rewarding. Every day created another challenge, another surprise to it. So I wrote a poem called "The Driller's Life" …