Danbro Delivers For DHL
Shipping delivery provider DHL needed to add a mezzanine level to its existing warehouse near John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York to expand its package handling and sorting center.
The project called for 42 IDEAL STELCOR drilled-in displacement micropiles in clusters of three and with 14 pile caps, to support new columns for the mezzanine. The piles were driven 67 feet to support the 201-ton ultimate load in compression. The piles also had to resist a 5-ton lateral load.
Before construction could begin, the engineer of record, Mueser Rutledge, raised concerns. Weak, unstable soil conditions, including liquefaction concerns, would require a 48-hour load test to verify that STELCOR could support the load in a suspect soil environment. Two piles were installed to a depth of 67 feet with a net settlement of less than one-eighth inch.
“We couldn’t have asked for better results,” said Frank D’Angelo, Danbro President. “We are learning how different STELCOR piles respond in different soil conditions and the steps we need to take to insure the desired results.”
Access Granted
However, pre-construction concerns quickly gave way to the site challenges. Access, mobilization, and overhead were all complicating issues for Audubon Environmental and Helical Piers on this job. One obstacle was that the DHL facility had to remain operational throughout the project. Construction was confined to 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The sorting tables at the installation sites had to removed to accommodate the work; the tables then needed to be moved back into place at the end of that day’s installation. This process was repeated each day.
A Kobelco 270 excavator was used with a 70,000-foot-pound drive head made by Digga North America to access the very tight site through a garage door. Fifteen-foot leads and extensions were utilized to deal with overhead limitations.
“Between daily remobilization, evening demobilization, and site prep that includes table shuffling, we only have about four hours to work,” said Audubon project manager Chuck Tauscher. “Nonetheless, we are installing three piles per day, which is great considering the depth and the fact that this is our first STELCOR job.”
STELCOR is a drilled-in displacement micropile from IDEAL Foundation Products which mitigates or eliminates environmental, access, and other site issues, usually at less depth than other piling systems.
This revolutionary product is sold, serviced, and supported by Danbro Distributors in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
