When constructing a new house, home addition, or swimming pool, a helical piling foundation system should be seriously considered. Your home or swimming pool could experience fluctuations in the surrounding soil conditions over a period of time. Installation of helical piles are important since it adds to the longevity of a structure and a support system to a residence or swimming pool.
Soil changes are the principal culprit of foundation settlement. Excessive moisture changes, such as drought periods and then over saturation, due to our tropical weather and rain creates soil movement. Your gutter downspouts not providing proper water discharge creates undermining of your footing also. This type of movement settles and shifts your foundation, causing cracked walls, lopsided floors, and a sinking foundation.
Helical piles are structural piling systems employed for constructing deep foundations. These helical pilings are fabricated using various types of hot dipped galvanized round hollow sections or square shaft segments for heavier loads. In Southwest Florida, installation of a helical pile is complicated because of varying soil conditions ranging from swamp peat-like material to hard limestone rock.
The helical pile is presently valued as one of the most cost-effective forms of foundation components in the domestic and commercial construction industry. When contemplating the foundational support of a structure, engineers suggest that you consider helical piles. Not only are they resilient, but they are also effortless to install and will save you money in the long term. Helical piles are applied in the majority of instances where a quick and clean installation is mandatory and the usage of conventional foundation equipment is not an option.
The durability of helical piles are beneficial because they are engineered to keep homes upright during different inclement weather conditions. This is critical especially in our Southwest Florida coastal applications where tropical storm winds and waves can create scour consequently undermining your waterfront home. This is one of the primary purposes why helical piles are used in numerous construction applications ranging from new homes and additions, bulkheads, seawalls, roads, airports, and other commercial industries.
In addition, there are significant benefits to the utilization of helical piles incorporating smoothness of installation, ease of access, reduced project times, and lowered cost. The system is also appropriate for both compression loads and tension loads; consequently, helical piles can be utilized for construction foundations and vertical retaining walls.
Geotechnical engineers pursue a disciplined process to prepare a engineered helical pile plan and design calculation.
Geo-technical assessments are performed by geo-technical engineers and geo-technical experts to comprehend the soil qualities, such as the physical properties that occur beneath a project site. Geo-technical analysis will include a walk around the site to view existing surface conditions as well as one or more of a variety of sub-surface tests.
In-situ (at site/in the situation) testing procedures include penetration assessments such as Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), which accomplish penetration through drilling, and various Cone Penetration Tests, which penetrate by means of direct push . These investigations calculate the physical properties of the subsurface soil precisely, without removal. The advantage is an accurate reflection of underground conditions.
At this juncture, the geo-technical engineers prepare a soil boring log and helical pile type recommendations.
Helical pile driving is frequently a cost-effective and time-efficient foundation support method, however; since you’re working with various soils and other geographies in the earth, an element of the unknown is always present and events don’t always proceed as intended.
To assure that the all foundation systems will function as designed, we advocate that the helical pile foundation installations be monitored and assessed by a licensed geo-technical firm.
Surprisingly enough, complications with helical pile installations usually are related to adverse soil conditions. In the majority of cases, ending the operation and reviewing or revisiting borings, calculations, and examining the equipment will help highlight the most likely cause of the problem.
Thus the reason we love our engineers and piling monitors. They are the best insurance policy to assure your foundation is adequately supported.
The geotechnical engineering design is an continuous process throughout construction and is greatly dependent upon the quality of the contractor installation process. Engineers familiarity with site conditions and the intent of the engineering design, make our geo-technical experts the most qualified to tackle complications that might occur during construction in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Post construction, the engineering firm shall assemble a report containing conclusions, piling types and depths as well as certified documentation exhibits and illustrations.
The helical piles are sometimes represented as screw piles, or helical anchors. Helical/Screw piles are a class of deep foundation pilings that can be installed within various concrete footings. The pile is rotated into the ground using hydraulic power head equipment until the bearing capacity essential for your structure is attained.
Prospective Advantages of Using Helical-Piles Include
• Cost effective type of pile
• Rapid Installation
• Instant and Direct Load Capability
• Negligible disruption in the work-site areas due to no noise or vibration
• Installation monitoring and certification of the load capacity throughout its installation
• Installed at remote sites or on sites with limited access
• Engineered and designed for any type of load capacity and site restrictions
The torque correlation method is a well-recognized standard and established technique for verifying or assessing helical pile capacity. In unpretentious terms, the torsional resistance produced throughout the helical pile installation is a gauge of soil shear strength and directly related to the bearing capacity of the pile.