FOUNDATIONS

FOUNDATIONS

1. BULB PILES PROCESS:

   • 1.) first a drive tube is driven to the desired depth of the base
     • by a powered hammer
       • operating on the top
         • or by placing a plug of zero-slump concrete into the drive tube
           • and driving both the concrete plug and the drive tube simultaneously
             • using a drop hammer operating inside the drive tube
   • 2.) the drive tube is then held in place
     • and more zero-slump concrete is added
       • and hammered out of the end of the drive tube to form the base
   • The body or shaft of the pile is constructed by either of 2 methods
     • A compacted concrete shaft is formed by
       • hammering zero-slump concrete
         • into the ground as the drive tube is raised
     • A cased shaft is constructed by
       • placing a steel shell inside the drive tube
         • and then hammering a plug of zero-slump concrete
           • into place to form a bond between the base and the shell.
             • The shell is then filled in the same manner as a conventional cast-in-place concrete pile

2. MINI PILES / MICRO PILES

   • smaller in diameter 50-200mm
     • employed in areas with restricted access
       • /limited headroom to underpin
         • (provide temporary/additional support)
           • Other applications include strengthening bridge piers and abutments, anchoring/supporting retaining walls, stabilizing slopes

3. THE DROP HAMMER

   • raising and dropping a weight from a mobile crane
     • which provides the support and the power to the pile driver.
       • The leads acts as guides for the drop weight and the pile.
         • Operations consist of lifting the pile, placing it into the leads, lowering the pile
           • until it no longer penetrates the soil under it’s own weight
             • and then operating the drop hammer until the pile is driven to the required resistance

Images and files in the map