The primary goal of the Foundation Performance Association's committee on structural design is to advance the knowledge, performance, and standards of engineering, construction, and repairs related to foundations, soils, and structures.
To achieve our goal, we will discuss various design procedures and results based on past and present experience, we will perform the necessary research and evaluate our findings, and we will summarize and publish our results for the use of all parties involved in the design, construction, inspection, repair, and maintenance of residential and other low-rise structures.
Published
Papers
These
papers have been peer reviewed in accordance with the FPA Peer
Review Procedures
(Unless otherwise noted, these
papers are in an Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat
on your computer, you can download it free from the Adobe
web site.)
Status
Code:
* H=Hold, W=Writing/Working, C=Committee Review, P=Peer Review
To
join the structural committee or to start a new subcommittee, please contact
please contact Ron Kelm, P.E. 713-468-8100.
To join a subcommittee, please contact the subcommittee chair.
Project Details
Project
# / Title
Project
Mission
Project
History
FPA-SC-01 Foundation Design Options for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
on Expansive Soils
Write and publish
a paper that comprehensively describes pros and cons of the various
foundation design options for residential and other low-rise buildings
on expansive soils
An ad hoc subcommittee
was sanctioned by the committee November 1999. The paper successfully
passed FPA peer review and was published 30 Jun 04 as Revision
0. The ad hoc subcommittee with co-chairs George Wozny and Michael
Skoller and members Ron Kelm, Bill Polhemus, Lowell Brumley, Jon Monteith,
Mari Mes, George Cunningham, John Clark, Toshi Nobe, Nicole Wylie,
Denis Hanys, and Jim Austin was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-02
Test Methods for Evaluating Existing Foundations
Write and publish a paper that describes the various testing tools available to forensic engineers and consultants for use in the evaluation of foundation performance of foundations for residential and other low-rise buildings.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Al Bustamante was sanctioned by the committee July 2007 and held its first meeting 7 November 07. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 29 November 2010 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Al Bustamante and members Gerard Duhon, Denis Hanys, Ron Kelm, Gerald Lowe, Bob Newman, Michael Skoller, George Wozny and Nicole Wylie, was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-03 Distress Phenomena Often Mistakenly Attributed To Foundation Movement
Write and publish
a paper that summarizes distress phenomena found in residential and
low-rise buildings that are sometimes mistakenly attributed to being
caused by foundation movement.
An ad hoc
subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The paper
successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 1 Dec 00 as Revision 0, although
it was later updated by the main committee on 13 Apr 03 again to Revision 0 but with a different
title. The ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller and members
George Wozny, Ron Kelm, Jon Monteith, and Moyeen Haque was dissolved
in Dec 00.
A second ad
hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee July 2003 to revise
the paper in response to users’ comments. The revised paper
successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 1 May 04 as Revision 1. The second ad
hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller and members George Wozny
and Ron Kelm was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-04
Recommended Practice for Geotechnical Explorations and Reports
Write and publish
a recommended practice that outlines minimum requirements that Geotechnical
Engineers should follow when providing a geotechnical investigation
and report to be used in the design of foundations for residential
and other low-rise buildings
An ad hoc subcommittee
was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The paper successfully
passed FPA peer review and was published 11 Apr 01 as Revision
0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of with chair Ron Kelm and
members Jon Monteith, George Wozny, Michael Skoller, and Moyeen Haque
was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-05
Comments on the Use of the PTI Method And Suggestions for Further
Research
Write and publish
a paper that summarizes problems found in the use of the second edition
of the Post-Tensioning Institute’s design manual, “Design
and Construction of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground,” and provide
suggestions for improvement in future editions.
An ad hoc subcommittee
was sanctioned by the committee October 1999. The subcommittee’s
paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 11 Dec
02 as Revision 0. The ad hoc
subcommittee composed of chair Lowell Brumley and members Ron Kelm,
Mari Mes, Jon Monteith, Michael Palmer and Michael Skoller was then
dissolved.
FPA-SC-06 Homebuyers’ Guide for Foundation Evaluation
Write and publish
a paper to help prepare buyers in understanding the condition of a
foundation so that a more informed buying decision can be made.
An ad hoc subcommittee
with chair John Clark was sanctioned by the committee November 2002.
The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was
published 10 October 2005 as Revision
0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair John Clark and members
Toshi Nobe, Jack Spivey, Ron Kelm, Nicole Wylie, Mari Mes, Michael
Skoller, David Dorr, Karla Kurtanich, Michael Gray, Terry Taylor,
Jim Austin, Dick Peverley, and Denis Hanys was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-07
Foundation Maintenance and Inspection Guide for Residential and Other
Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish
a guide for owners and tenants of residential and other low-rise buildings
to follow in order to maintain their foundations
An ad hoc subcommittee
was sanctioned by the committee July 2000. The subcommittee’s
paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 25 Mar
03 as Revision 0. The ad hoc
subcommittee composed of chair Jim Austin and members John Clark,
Ron Kelm, Bill Polhemus, Taylor Sealy, Michael Skoller, Jack Spivey,
and George Wozny was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-08
Design, Manufacture, and Installation Guidelines of Precast Concrete
Segmented Piles For Foundation Underpinning
Write and publish
a guideline for procurement of the engineering, manufacture, and installation
of precast concrete segmented piles that are commonly used for underpinning
foundations during repair.
An ad hoc subcommittee
with chair George Wozny was sanctioned by the committee January 2001.
Soon after, the subcommittee went on hold for about two years until
Karl Breckon was appointed by the committee to chair the subcommittee
in March 2004. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer
review and was published 17 July 2005 as Revision
0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Karl Breckon and
members George Wozny, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Bill Polhemus, Dan
Jaggers, Lowell Brumley, Mari Mes, David Dorr, Nicole Wylie, and Bob
Newman was then dissolved.
An ad hoc subcommitee with chair Karl Breckon was sanctioned by the committee May 2012 with the goal of updating the paper to Rev. 1 to comply with current industry codes and standards.
FPA-SC-09
Examples of Consulting Services Agreement
Write and publish a paper that offers contract examples that can be used by a consultant to develop a standardized agreement in typical consulting projects .
An ad hoc subcommittee # FPA-SC-15 with chair Karl Breckon was sanctioned by the committee September 2005. The subcommittee attempted to address the subject of design contracts along with design specifications. In October 2006, the Structural Committee decided to break the design contracts portion into a separate subcommittee no. FPA-SC-09 with David Dorr as chair. The paper was submitted into peer review in December 2011.
The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 2 January 2013 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair David Dorr and members, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller and Rob Riedel was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-10 Quality Control Checklists for Foundation Inspection of Residential
and Other Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish
quality control checklists that can be used in the construction of
various parts of foundations to improve the quality of construction.
An ad hoc
subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2001. The subcommittee’s
paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 9 Oct
03 as Revision 0. The ad
hoc subcommittee composed of chair Jack Spivey and members Ron Kelm,
Jon Monteith, Michael Skoller, Terry Taylor, Mari Mes, Mike Palmer,
Lowell Brumley, George Wozny, Dan Jaggers, and Toshi Nobe was then
dissolved.
On 27 Jan 05,
the committee voted to form a new ad hoc subcommittee, again chaired
by Jack Spivey in order to update the current quality control checklists
and to add at least two new checklists to the paper.The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 19 Feb 07 as Revision 1. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Jack Spivey and members Michael Skoller, Ron Kelm, Mari Mes, Dan Jaggers, Jon Monteith, and Dick Peverley was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-11 Specification and Application of Void Spaces below Concrete Foundations
Write and publish
a paper that investigates the proper use of void space systems in construction
of foundations supporting residential and low-rise buildings in expansive
soils.
An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee May 2005 with subcommittee chair Michael Skoller. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 11 November 2007 asRevision 0.
The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Michael Skoller and members, Mike Turner, Ron Kelm, Mohamed Moussaoui, Al Maceiras, Mari Mes, Jim Austin, and Karl Breckon was then dissolved.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee September 2012 with the subcommittee chair Michael Skoller in order to update the Rev.0 paper. The subcommittee is open to new members.
FPA-SC-12 Guidelines for Evaluating Foundation Performance by Monitoring
Write and publish
a recommended practice for forensic engineers and consultants to follow
when performing monitoring of foundations as part of forensic investigations.
An ad hoc subcommittee
with chair Ron Kelm was sanctioned by the committee October 2003.
The subcommittee went on hold shortly afterwards until Nicole Wylie
took over the chair in June 2005. The subcommittee's paper successfully
passed FPA peer review and was published 9 January 2006 as Revision
0.
The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Nicole Wylie and
members, Ron Kelm, Dick Peverley, Michael Skoller, Gary Boyd, Dan
Jaggers, and Mari Mes was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-13 Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other
Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish
guidelines for the forensic evaluation of foundation movement for residential and other low-rise buildings using the FPC-201-97,
FPC-201-99, FPC-201-2001 and FPA-201-2001 papers as a starting point.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Lowell Brumley was sanctioned by the committee in February 2003. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 15 July 2007 as Revision 0, (available to all browsers) along with a Calculation Spreadsheet for FPA-SC-13-0 (for Members Only).
The ad hoc subcommittee with chair Lowell Brumley and members John Clark, Michael Gray, Denis Hanys, Dan Jaggers, Mari Mes, Ron Kelm, Dick Peverley, Michael Skoller and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.
A second ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee August 2012 with the subcommittee chair Lowell Brumley in order to update the Rev.0 paper. The subcommittee is open to new members.
FPA-SC-14 Comments on the Post-Tensioning Institute's "Design of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground" 3rd Edition
Write and publish
a paper that summarizes problems found in the use of the third edition
of the Post-Tensioning Institute's design manual, "Design and
Construction of Post-Tensioned Slabs-on-Ground," and provide
suggestions for improvement in future editions.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Nicole Wylie was sanctioned by the committee March 2004. In April 2006 the subcommittee's paper was submitted into FPA peer review and was also sent to several PTI Slab-on-Ground Committee members. The subcommittee's paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 28 June 2006 as Revision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Nicole Wylie and members, Mari Mes, Lowell Brumley, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Jim Austin, and Mohamed Moussaoui was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-15Foundation Construction Drawing Notes for Residential and Other Low-Rise Structures
Write and publish a paper that gives foundation design engineers guidelines for writing standard design notes for use on design drawings.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Karl Breckon was sanctioned by the committee September 2005. The subcommittee attempted to address the subject of design contracts along with design notes. In October 2006, the Structural Committee decided to break the design contracts portion into a separate subcommittee (FPA-SC-09). In June 2008 the paper was issued for FPA peer review. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 8 November 2008 asRevision 0. The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Karl Breckson and members, Ron Kelm, Michael Skoller, Mari Mes, David Dorr, Charles Jenkins, and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-16 A Design Procedure for Drilled Concrete Piers in Expansive Soils
Write and publish a paper and spreadsheet software that gives foundation and geotechical design engineers a design method to estimate matric suction and corresponding concrete pier dimensions where expansive soils exist and no suction and hydrometer testing is available.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Nicole Wylie was sanctioned by the committee March 2012 and the subcommittee is open to new members.
FPA-SC-17 Drainage Guidelines
Write and publish a paper that gives engineers, architects, developers, builders, owners, inspectors and code officials comprehensive guidelines for establishing good drainage techniques in and around foundations to improve foundation performance.
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Gerard Duhon was sanctioned by the committee March 2009. In October 2011 the paper was issued for FPA peer review. The paper successfully passed FPA peer review and was published 5 March 2012 asRevision 0. Gerard Duhon presented the paper to the general FPA membership on 14 March 2012.
The ad hoc subcommittee composed of chair Gerard Duhon and members, Kumar Arya, Gary Beck, Francisco Carrillo, Dan Jaggers, Ron Kelm, Mike Qaddumi, Michael Skoller
and Nicole Wylie was then dissolved.
FPA-SC-18 Standard of Care for Engineers and Other Professionals Working in Texas.
Write and publish a guideline that educates Texas professionals concerning the procedure to determine their applicable standard of care.
An ad hoc subcommittee was sanctioned by the committee February 2010 with attorney Bob Newman as chair. Before the subcommittee was able to hold its first meeting, Mr. Newman fell ill and relinquished his chair position. Attorney Bill Morfey was approved by the committee in July 2010 and accepted the chair position. The subcommittee held its first meeting in September 2010 and is now closed to new members.
FPA-SC-19
(Preserved for future project)
FPA-SC-20
(Preserved for future project)
FPA-SC-21 Quality Control Checklists for Windstorm Inspections of New Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings
Write and publish checklists to be used by licensed professional engineers in Texas who are signing off on the design and construction of new residential and other low-rise buildings in the windstorm counties as specified by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).
An ad hoc subcommittee with chair Michael Skoller was sanctioned by the committee January 2011. The first meeting was held 25 May 2011. The subcommittee plans to publish the complete document in two revisions. The first revision (Rev. 0), when published, will contain the Design Checklists and is closed to new members, though others are welcome to audit. The next revision (Rev. 1) will contain both the Design Checklists and Inspection Checklists and will be open to new members when it gets started in late 2013.
Committee
Members For a printable a copy of the committee members,
click the button below:
Under current structural committee rules, committee members are considered active if they regularly participate in the main monthly structural committee meetings or in one of its subcommittee meetings and do not become inactive for three or more months.