PDCA INDUSTRY PIONEER
Taking the Lead
in over 40 countries around the world
Taking the Lead
in over 40 countries around the world
Taking the Lead
in over 40 countries around the world
Taking the Lead
in over 40 countries around the world
in over 40 countries around the world
Lead Systems
Impact Hammers
Lead Systems
Impact Hammers
Lead Systems
Impact Hammers
Lead Systems
Impact Hammers
Lead Systems
Impact Hammers
Reverse Circulation Drills
Hard Rock Drill Bits
Custom Foundation Equipment
Reverse Circulation Drills
Hard Rock Drill Bits
Custom Foundation Equipment
Reverse Circulation Drills
Hard Rock Drill Bits
Custom Foundation Equipment
Reverse Circulation Drills
Hard Rock Drill Bits
Custom Foundation Equipment
Reverse Circulation Drills
Hard Rock Drill Bits
Custom Foundation Equipment
Site Support
Project Planning
Site Support
Project Planning
Site Support
Project Planning
Site Support
Project Planning
Site Support
Project Planning
600 Ferguson Avenue North
600 Ferguson Avenue North
600 Ferguson Avenue North
600 Ferguson Avenue North
600 Ferguson Avenue North
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
Tel: 1.905.528.7924 Fax:1.905.528.6187
Toll Free: 1.800.668.9432 (in Canada and USA)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
Tel: 1.905.528.7924 Fax:1.905.528.6187
Toll Free: 1.800.668.9432 (in Canada and USA)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
Tel: 1.905.528.7924 Fax:1.905.528.6187
Toll Free: 1.800.668.9432 (in Canada and USA)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
Tel: 1.905.528.7924 Fax:1.905.528.6187
Toll Free: 1.800.668.9432 (in Canada and USA)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 4Z9
Tel: 1.905.528.7924 Fax:1.905.528.6187
Toll Free: 1.800.668.9432 (in Canada and USA)
www.berminghammer.com
www.berminghammer.com
www.berminghammer.com
www.berminghammer.com
www.berminghammer.com
Email bfssales@berminghammer.com
Email bfssales@berminghammer.com
Email bfssales@berminghammer.com
Email bfssales@berminghammer.com
Email bfssales@berminghammer.com
Research and development
Hartman is the first to admit the industry has changed a lot since
his early days.
“The equipment is bigger, and in some cases, very different;
pile hammers have totally changed from impact hammers to vibratory
hammers, which became prevalent in the 1970s and ‘80s.
From our perspective, Hartman Engineering got involved early
in building circular cofferdams, and I feel like we’ve advanced the
knowledge for those. Circular cofferdams are useful; with rectangular
cofferdams there are struts, and so as you are excavating, you
have to work around those, and they also interfere with building the
new structure inside the cofferdam. With one big open circle, there
is nothing in the way of excavating the soil or of building the new
structure. A circular cofferdam is currently being built in South
Carolina. It is 97 feet in diameter and 35 feet deep.”
Hartman has also been a pioneer in activities related to transverse
stress in steel sheet piling. The original work, started in 1990,
was sponsored by Bethlehem Steel Company and the L. B. Foster
Company. The research has been an ongoing process and is continuing
today with Gerdau.
“Transverse stresses load sheet piling perpendicular to its longitudinal
axis,” explained Hartman. “Historically it was believed
that these stresses were so small relative to the longitudinal stress
that they were not considered during the design of cofferdams
and retaining walls. In 1991, we designed a testing apparatus that
allowed sheet pile to be loaded by water pressure. Strain gauges
monitored the behavior of the test piles.”
The testing was performed in partnership with the late Dr.
John A. Neal at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Eight
sheet piles were assembled and clamped together. It was observed
that continued deformation of some sheet piles occurred even
though the longitudinal stresses were below the level at which plastic
deformation should have occurred.
An excerpt from the full report was published in 1992 with the
conclusion, “The current design practice of using section modulus
of the piling as the only structural criteria is inadequate and must
be refined. It is appropriate that bidirectional loading and section
slenderness ratios be recognized in design of sheet pile structures
similar to the manner in which they are recognized in other types
of structural design.”
In 1997 a second document, Report of Investigation of the
Effect of Transverse Loads on the Behavior of Z-Shape Steel Sheet
Piling was published. The purpose was to provide a technically reliable
and easy to use design tool for practicing engineers. This tool
is used to determine the appropriate sheet pile to use based on the
allowable moment and the pressure for a given set of design criteria.
Since the initial experimentation, Hartman Engineering, in
cooperation with Gerdau, has been instrumental in the design of
sheet pile sections that incorporate the need for transverse stress
resistance. Hartman holds four patents for technology used to
design sheet piling shapes. Work is ongoing to develop additional
sections. (Copies of the original reports are available by contacting
Hartman Engineering.)
As for Dick Hartman and his legacy, one question remains:
How do you sum up nearly five decades of work in an industry
known for its inherent danger and never-ending demand?
“How many people get to see a finished product of the magnitude
we’ve had the privilege to work on, and know they contributed
to it?” he said. t
122 | QUARTER 4 2014
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