The 5th Edition of The Franki Guide to Geotechnical Engineering in Africa

PRESS RELEASE

The 5^th
Edition of The Franki Guide to Geotechnical Engineering in Africa

 [Johannesburg, 5 February
2020]: Reflecting the rich history of the Franki legend, the
Fifth Edition of the widely acknowledged “Blue Book” on geotechnical
engineering incorporates elements of its holding company, the Keller Group, and
many of Keller’s state-of-the-art ground improvement and grouting
technologies. 

The book, entitled A Guide to
Practical Geotechnical Engineering in Africa was officially launched by
Keller’s Prof Michal Topolnicki, senior technical advisor, at the 17^th
African Regional Geotechnical Conference in Cape Town, held between 7 and 9
October 2019.  The conference was
attended by both local and international delegates, including senior board
members of the ISSMGE.

A celebrated tradition

This latest edition maintains the
50-year tradition of updating this now well-established textbook every 10
Years. The book also mirrors the evolution and changes within Franki, from a
small piling company in the era after the Second World War to the leading
Geotechnical Engineering Company in the African Region.

The first two editions published in
1976 and 1986, respectively, entitled A
guide to piling and foundation systems illustrate Franki as a piling
company and the Southern African branch of the worldwide Belgian-owned Franki
group. Franki started as a small piling company in Southern Africa after the
Second World War and expanded into a significant piling company during the 1950s
and 1960s. The first edition was authored by then managing director Ian
Braatvedt, with a foreword by the legendry Prof. JE Jennings

The second two editions, published in
1996 and 2008, respectively, are both titled A Practical Guide to Geotechnical Engineering in Southern Africa.
They demonstrate Franki’s change of logo and ownership, as well as the
evolution into a geotechnical contracting company offering a wide range of
geotechnical products and marine engineering capability.

The development of Franki’s in-house
geotechnical design capability is demonstrated by the significant sections on
design and the co-authoring of Gavin Byrne as a senior member of the Franki
team, for both these editions.

New chapters

The
new Fifth Edition, co-authored once again by Gavin Byrne – together with Dr
Nicol Chang as Technical Director of Franki and Dr Venu Raju as the Keller
Group’s director: Engineering and Operations – depicts Franki’s expansion
through the African continent and the Indian Ocean Islands. 

The
ownership of Franki Africa by the Keller Group, the largest geotechnical
contractor worldwide, is reflected in the significant change and evolution of
the book’s content, the inclusion of colour into the graphics and
illustrations, as well as the doubling of the pagination from 270 pages in the
First Edition to 540 pages in this Fifth Edition.

The
new edition incorporates the deep foundation, lateral support, design, marine
and limited ground improvement content of the third and fourth editions, and
adds Keller’s extensive range of ground improvement, grouting and associated
design methodologies.

Trenchless
technology and the introduction to Limit State Design are an added feature of the
comprehensive publication. Franki’s key suppliers are acknowledged and provided
with advertorial space and reference to their products/equipment.

The
foreword by Professor Peter Day, recognised internationally for his delivery of
the Terzaghi Oration as a leading geopractioner
of the African region, is greatly appreciated for its recognition of
contribution of the Blue Book to the geotechnical industry. The authors would
like to thank all in the Keller Group and Franki for their contributions and
support in the preparation of their new publication.

[ENDS]

Frank Africa contact details:

031 507 1051

Media contact:

Bridgette Macheke

MoonDawn Media & Communications

Tel: 011 079 5494

Cell: +27 (0)73 400 1549

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.moondawnmedia.co.za