Support Fluids – About the Field Research Study and the 2nd Edition of the Guide

The European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) and the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) jointly published Edition 1 of the “EFFC/DFI Guide to Support Fluids for Deep Foundations” in April 2019. The Support Fluid Task Group comprises experts from contractors, materials suppliers, consultants and academics and is actively working in enhancing industry knowledge and good practice building on a field research study and academic research. The field research study and academic research commenced in 2020 and is still ongoing. The field research study covers a large range of deep foundation elements from piles to diaphragm walls excavated under either bentonite-based support fluid or polymer-based support fluid at depths greater than 30 m and in different ground conditions. The Paper presents analysis and findings of the field research study and associated funded academic research on different aspects of the support fluid management. The Paper focuses on fluid samplers’ performance, support fluid monitoring, relevance of standard and non-standard testing, base quality evaluation, interaction between support fluid and concrete, sustainability and environmental considerations. New features and key topics to be addressed in Edition 2 of the “EFFC/DFI Guide to Support Fluids for Deep Foundations” are also discussed in the Paper.