This office building was being converted to commercial use by Rhodes Industries and they wished to retain the historically significant façade of the building while renovating and rebuilding the structure. Due to unstable soil conditions, a Grouted Helical Micropile was specified and was successfully load tested to hold 80 kips in compression and 16 kips in tension.
Project Summary:
- Helical Pile Type: IDEAL1.75″ Square Shaft with a 6″ grout column
- # of Helical Piles: 46
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Installation Depth: 60′
- Helix Plates/Ultimate Pile Capacity: 8′ 10″ 12″ with 6″ digger plate / 80 kip – Compression & 16 Kips – Tension
- Equipment Used: Mini Excavator w/12K5 Prodig Drivehead
- Challenge/Unique Aspect: A no vibration install was required as the owners wished to retain the original building’s facade. Very soft clay soils required a deep foundation but lateral and buckling were concerns in the very low blow count material. A grouted helical micropile is a Composit pile, end bearing on the helical plates while also developing friction along the grout column. This process protects the steel in aggressive soils while eliminating lateral or buckling concerns.
- Danbro Installer: Vaspoli Builders
- Engineer/Architect: Mike Blendy P. E.
