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About Us A brief history of PDI and GRL
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Professor Goble on a job site.
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In 1964, Professor George Goble (with the later assistance
of graduate students Frank Rausche and Garland Likins) began a research project
at Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, Ohio. The research focused on an electronic
device that would display, for each hammer blow, the bearing capacity of a
pile. The Ohio Department of Transportation was interested in new technologies
of pile testing and funded the effort. Dynamic Load Testing or High Strain
Dynamic Testing according to the Case Method, as the methodology is now called,
was seen as a viable supplement or alternative to conventional Static Load
Tests.
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Frank Rausche testing a foundation with an early PDA.
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In 1972, the Journal of Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers published a seminal paper by Frank Rausche, Fred Moses (also a Case professor at the time) and George Goble: Soil Predictions from Pile Dynamics. Also in 1972, Dr. Goble formed a company named Pile Dynamics, Inc. to transfer the new technology tools required to perform dynamic pile testing to the deep foundations industry. This technology consisted of the Pile Driving Analyzer®, and its associated signal matching software today known as CAPWAP®.
In 1976, George, Frank and Garland founded Goble and Associates, Inc., now GRL Engineers, Inc. GRL’s mission has been to provide dynamic pile testing services based on the Case Method for the deep foundation industry.
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Applied research continued to interest the founders of PDI and GRL. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the firms developed a software program to predict the performance of piles during driving and in 1976 issued the final research report on Wave Equation Analysis of Pile Driving – WEAP Program. That program formed the basis of the GRLWEAP program, which contributed significantly to the worldwide spread of the Wave Equation approach to capacity prediction and to the use of dynamic pile testing methods.
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Garland Likins analyzing foundation testing data.
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To this day both PDI and GRL remain committed to advancing the art of testing and quality assurance for deep foundations through research and innovation. Pile Dynamics, Inc continues to focus on the manufacture and improvement of foundation monitoring and testing equipment. It has grown and expanded its product line considerably since its inception. (Read more in About PDI.) GRL Engineers, Inc., now with branch offices throughout the US, continues to provide testing and consulting services to the foundation industry. (Read more in About GRL.) The two sister companies maintain their separate identities, missions, and commitment to serving their client base, while taking advantage of the synergies that exist between them. Dr. George Goble retired from PDI and GRL in 2000, while Garland Likins and Frank Rausche remain at the helm of both companies. Both companies maintain their corporate headquarters in Cleveland Ohio, USA.
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