Helical & Micropiles Benefits
- Micropiles can support immense loads with no foundation shifting or settling.
- Micropiles are well-suited for building foundations in locales with unstable soils and rock surfaces.
- Micropiles allow for construction in areas with limited access due to significant man-made or natural obstructions.
- Installation can performed so that facility operations can continue uninhibited.
- Use of micropiles in construction with underground utilities can mitigate the need to reroute these utilities.
Standard Operations
Helical anchors can be used in many different ways, but in standard operations, it’s the go-to deep foundation solution when other methods can’t effectively be applied. This foundation system consists of helical, load-bearing steel plates welded to an extendable steel shaft. The cross-section is usually either round or square/rectangular, and the load-bearing plates range in diameter from 6 up to 16 inches.
Installation Process
Helical anchors are screwed into the ground using a hydraulic motor with rotary attachments varying in size to accommodate the earth-moving equipment being used. Because of this, extreme excavation work isn’t necessary. As the helical anchor is getting screwed downward into the ground and reaches a certain depth, the load-bearing plates will have enough pull-out resistance to anchor into the earth. If further depth is needed, additional extensions can be added until desired depth has been reached.
Additional Ways Helical Anchors are Used
Helical anchors have been around for many years, in fact, they’ve been around for more than 150 years, and have been a principal part of supporting structures built on poor or water-saturated soil. But it wasn’t until the hydraulic motor came into the picture that a safer and faster installation process began. Everything from foundation repair applications like settling porches and stairs to temporary wall support, shoring, seawalls, and basement wall repair, these support systems are top picks for transferring a structural load to the soil.
Depending on the type of project you may be working on, that will determine the type of helical you’ll need. There are many anchor types available for commercial, industrial, and residential applications, but also understand that anchors are applied for tension solutions and piles are applied for compression solutions; there’s a slight difference in the terminology.
Screw Anchors: Similar to helical anchors, screw anchors are also comprised of a steel shaft with steel plates. During installation, the amount of displaced soil is reduced.
Screw Piles: Screw piles are simply a matter of terminology. This phrase is used to define the method of which the pile enters the ground. This foundation method is done by being screwed in instead of being pounded, drilled, or driven into the ground.
Helical Piles: These are used typically in industrial and commercial repairs
Helical Piers: Helical Piers are used when both compression and tension forces are needed for stability.
Key Features and Benefits
- Easy installation and removal process
- Installation or removal process is not impacted by adverse weather
- Minimal noise and vibration
- No wait time for the grout to cure
- Lightweight equipment
- Installation can be done in tight, restricted areas, and with small equipment
- Load-tested once installed
- Environmentally-friendly
- Time and cost-effective
The Helical Anchors Solution
Damage due to shifting soils or the shift of soil compositions resulting from settling or variations in moisture composition, helical anchors can be the solution to your foundation repairs. The efficiency lies in the fact that helical anchors can be installed prior to pouring foundation, whether commercial, industrial, or residential.
Company & Overview
Blue Iron Foundations & Shoring, LLC, has been trusted for over a decade to install design build & pre-designed sheet pile systems including temporary earth retention, floodwalls, and cut off walls. We have an extensive equipment fleet that gives us flexibility to install sheet pile using vibratory, impact and/or vibration free methods to suit any project need. Sheet pile is widely used for shoring systems in high ground water, seawalls, retaining walls, floodwalls, basement walls for parking structures, cut off walls and drainage canal walls. Sheet pile are capable of cantilevering but can also include bracing and/or tie backs to allow retention of deeper excavations.
