Overhead Restrictions on your project?…..Consider a Ductile Iron Pile Solution
Does your deep foundation project have limited overhead clearance? These types of projects are often specified with helical piles or micropiles. Did you know that contractors routinely use Ductile Iron Piles on projects as little as 18 feet of clearance – usually with higher capacities than helical piles and faster, less expensive and cleaner than micropiles? FAST. SIMPLE. SAFE.™
DIPs are installed with medium-sized excavators and percussion hammers that can fit in tight spots. Overhead restrictions of 25 to 30 feet are ideal so you can drive each modular 5 m (16.4 ft) section of Ductile Iron Pile in a normal manner. Yet, many of our projects are installed in as little as 18 or 20 feet of overhead by simply cutting the piles in half and using drive-on couplers to rapidly complete the installation. And with the high frequency percussion hammers, vibrations from the driving are safe and well below typical tolerances.
Ductile Iron Piles installed within 20 ft of clearance at an industrial project in Ohio
Why consider a Ductile Iron Pile option for limited overhead conditions?
- Reduced cost compared to micropiles and other low headroom options
- Improved speed of installation to complete your project faster
- Cleaner, simpler installation
- Safe operation
Check out a couple of recent limited clearance projects below or visit our website for many more. Have a challenging project? See how Ductile Iron Piles are a FAST. SIMPLE. SAFE.™ option for you.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE – ARIZONA BEVERAGES FACILITY
Installation of 30-ft long Ductile Iron Piles within the manufacturing and storage facility.
During interior build-out of the 620,000 square foot beverage distribution facility, the addition of a new steel-frame mezzanine level required foundation support in areas that were already under roof. Low vibration, Ductile Iron Piles were selected to transfer the building loads through saw-cut segments of the existing slab, and through the undocumented fill and develop capacity in the underlying dense sand. Although an exterior grouted DIP would generate greater capacity through grout-to-ground bonding in the sand, a dry installation (non-grouted exterior) approach was used by GeoStructures, Inc. to maintain a clean operation and accelerate the pile work compared with drilled micropiles. A load testing program to develop a project-specific “set” requirement was performed. Overall, 250 piles were installed to support the 40 new columns. For more information, check out the project summary.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE – DALLAS MAVERICKS PRACTICE FACILITY
Ductile Iron Piles were installed within 28 ft overhead clearance as part of the building renovation.
Renovation of an existing 30,000 square foot commercial building was required to accommodate the new Dallas Mavericks basketball practice facility. The new facility included two full-sized courts, locker rooms, a weight room and office space. New foundations were required in numerous locations. With overhead clearances restricted to 28 feet, a low vibration driven Ductile Iron Pile solution was selected by Keller, the geotechnical contractor on the project. The DIPs were selected over helical piles and micropiles based on speed of installation and ability to drive through undocumented fill. Piles were installed to penetrate up to 26 feet of debris fill followed by very soft to stiff clay and sand extending to rock at 60 to 65 feet. For more information, check out the project summary.
