The Drilled Shaft Industry

The North American Drilled Shaft Industry appears to have started on a project in Kansas City in 1890 with the use of hand excavated shafts. The success of this installation was quickly duplicated in many urban centers throughout North America and lead to the creation of an industry which has gone through remarkable growth. Some of the equipment developments were home grown inventions, while others were adaptations from European and Asian technology. Several small companies which sprang up in the early part of the twentieth century have since provided the technology transfer to staff a great many of today's industry leaders. Significant engineering advancements have been made under the tutelage of a few visionary academics and consultants. Original design concepts have been shown to be somewhat simplistic in their understanding of load transfer, and the changes in understanding brought on by research in this area have resulted in technique changes throughout the industry. The paper not only chronicles these technical changes, but also the interrelationship of the companies and academic programs which have spawned the industry.