What does it take to install Helical Piles?

Helical piles are installed using hydraulic-powered rotary equipment and are turned into the ground while crowd or downward pressure is exerted on the helical pile shaft. Screwing a pile into soil minimises vibrations, accelerates pile advancement, and allows more efficient and compact equipment to be used.

IDEAL requires installers to continuously monitor and record installation torque and pile alignment throughout the installation process. This helps avoid damage that could be caused by exceeding the allowed torsional strength of any pile components. Every helical screw pile has a maximum stress level that must not be exceeded to avoid compromising the structural integrity of the helical unit.

The recorded installation torque and depth can also be interpreted against the soil data to obtain a correlation that enables each pile to be easily verified. It is important to obtain a soils report with samples taken at various depths before installation begins.

Standard Installation Sequence for a Helical Pile

1. Attach the hydraulic drive head to the helical lead section and align the pile tip at the specified pile location. All drive pins must be inserted at the drive adapter-to-pile connection before applying torque to the pile sections.
2. Advance the lead section until the drive tooling reaches installation grade.
3. If extensions are required, stop the drive head and remove it from the lead section.
4. Attach the hydraulic drive head to a helical extension section, and insert all drive pins as noted in step 1.
5. Attach the extension section to the lead section with specified hardware and continue installing. Add extensions as required to reach the estimated design depth and the specified minimum installation torque criteria. The minimum installation torque shall be taken as the average torque over the last three feet of penetration (the last three readings recorded at one-foot intervals).
6. Sufficient crowd shall be applied to the pile throughout the installation process to facilitate pile advancement. A pile should advance approximately 3 inches (3-inch helix pitch) or 6 inches (6-inch helix pitch) per revolution, but obstructions and dense soil may cause a reduction in installation rate.
7. If the pile top is terminated above the pile cut-off elevation, cut the shaft using an appropriate method, such as a band saw or torch.
8. Install the pile termination accessory.

Ease of Installation

The versatility of helical piles has been proven on many projects. Our helical piles have been installed in dense metro areas, under historic structures, and inside operating stone mines. These environments present challenges that traditional deep foundation solutions can’t easily overcome.

UNDERPINNING THE FUTURE OF A HISTORIC AQUEDUCT BUILDING

HELICAL PILES IN AN ACTIVE STONE MINE

MORE IDEAL HELICAL PILES IN NY/NJ SUBWAY STATIONS

The relative simplicity of installing helical piles provides many benefits to the end user. Learn more about how helical piles can save you money and other benefits they offer in our recent blog post.

YOUR IDEAL CERTIFIED INSTALLER NETWORK

In order to ensure that our standards for quality are honoured when installing, we provide contractors with full training and certification.

Using our network of certified installers ensures the products are installed correctly and according to design requirements, providing you with peace of mind.

Now that’s IDEAL.

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