Micropiles Made Simple
Micropiles fill a niche in geotechnical construction to address sites with challenges including vibration concerns, overhead clearance restrictions and heavily-obstructed conditions. But you often hear words like expensive, slow, messy, complicated, dangerous associated with micropile installations.
Did you know that Ductile Iron Piles (DIPs) are being used more and more by project teams to provide a simpler alternative to drilled micropiles. The low vibration driven Ductile Iron Pile system features the following advantages:
- Rapid Installations – Installation rates that are typically at least 2 to 3 times or more faster than micropiles and can exceed 1,000+ ft/day
- Lower Price – Cost savings on many projects in the range of 25 to 50% over traditional drilled micropiles
- Low Vibrations – Hammers used for DIP installation generate high frequency percussion energy with vibrations typically less than 1 inch/second to allow installations adjacent to or inside of existing structures.
- Low Overhead Clearance – Excavator-mounted hammer and modular pile set-up only needs 18 feet of overhead clearance.
- Safe, Clean and Easy – installations are easy, clean and safe with limited moving mechanical parts and controlled grouting operations.
- Minimal Environmental Impacts – Besides being a sustainable foundation system made from 100% recycled materials, the displacement installations eliminate expensive or elaborate spoils management systems for environmentally impacted sites.
Thinking micropiles? Think FAST. SIMPLE. SAFE.™ – Ductile Iron Piles by TRM. Interested in learning more? Check out the following recent projects where DIPs were used as an alternate to micropiles. If you have additional questions or would like to evaluate feasibility for your micropile project – contact us here.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE – ARTEMAS APARTMENTS
Construction of a new 112,000 sqft, 6-story building required a foundation solution along a portion of the building to limit vibrations and transfer loads below the zone of influence of adjacent utilities. The project geotechnical engineer recommended both drilled micropiles and Ductile Iron Piles (DIPs) to extend nearly 100 feet through fill, organics and thick marine clay to terminate in glacial till and/or on rock. Offering more than $500k of cost savings and substantial schedule savings, the project team selected DIPs. Following a testing program to confirm the vibration levels and verify performance of the 90 ton (compression) capacity piles, the DIPs were approved for the project. Read more about the success load test program performed to loads over 200 tons.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE – CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL GYM ADDITION
A new 33,000 square foot gymnasium addition required foundation support adjacent to the existing school. With loads of up to 8 kips/foot along grade beams, drilled micropiles were specified with a 50 ton (compression) capacity. Ductile Iron Piles provided a cost-effective, low-vibration foundation alternative to the specified micropiles. An exterior grouted 50-ton Ductile Iron Pile solution was designed, load tested to confirm capacity and installed at rates of more than 500 LF/day to accelerate the piling scope of work. For more information, check out the project summary.
