A five story apartment building required a deep foundation. Helical piles were selected due to concerns for neighboring structures which completely ruled out a driven pile system. However, due to a weak fill layer, the engineer of record was concerned with the lateral load and the possibility of piles plunging. Four different piles were tested to alleviate these concerns.
Project Summary:
- Helical Pile Type: 1.75″ 8,10,12 helical configuration
- # of Helical Piles: 200
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Installation Depth: 55′ to 60′
- Ultimate Pile Capacity: 60 Kips
- Equipment Used: Dudgeon Jack, Test Frame, Testing Equipment
- Challenge/Unique Aspect: “Four piles were nstalled and tested to the 60 KIP ultimate load. A grouted 1.75″” square shaft, a grouted 2875″”.276 pipe pile, a grouted 3500″”.300 pipe pile, and an ungrouted 2875″”.203 pipe pile. All three grouted piles had an 8″” grout column. The 1.75″” square shaft pile was not only the most economical but also exceedied the 60 kip ultimate and tested to 90 K. Settlement was less than a quarter inch.
After the succesful load test, over 200 piles were installed for this project.” - Engineer/Architect: Gencorelli Engineerin & Ambric Testing/Engineering
