Types of Solutions Offered by Piling Contractors

Pilings can be described as either posts or massive stakes which are installed during construction to offer support to superstructure foundations. Huge buildings require pilings for their stability. The pilings are created deep within the ground for added strength. Piling contractors provide various piling techniques depending on the construction method used. Some of the processes are further addressed below.

Cast-in-situ Pile Foundations – These sort of piles are built from concrete. They are created by drilling holes into the ground according to required measurements. After the holes have been bored, they are filled with concrete which is then allowed to dry. To make them stronger, reinforcements are used according to the construction specifications. The piles are made with a smaller diameter when compared to drilled piers. Piling contractors make the cast-in-situ pile foundations straight bored with either one or more bulbs at casted intervals. Such pilings can also be referred to as under-reamed piles.

Driven Pile Foundations – Another solution offered by the piling contractors is known as driven piling. Such can either be constructed from materials such as steel, concrete or timber. The contractors fabricate the piles before installing them. In cases where driven piles are made from concrete, they are usually precast. The driven concept emanates from the fact that a pile hammer is used to drive the piles into the ground. When installed in granular soils, they dislodge an equal amount of earth from the land. Through this, the soil around the side is compacted leading to increased density. The driven piles made by contractors to compact the soil adjacent are also referred to as compaction piles. This compaction makes them have a better bearing capacity. Cohesive and saturated silty soils come along with poor drainage capabilities. This hinders the ability to be compacted after driven piling. To create piles and compaction in such grounds, the water has to be drained away. To achieve this, stresses are created along the piles. The eventual result causes a decrease in the bearing capacity of the soil and an increase in water pressure.

Combination of Both Driven and Cast-in-situ Piles – This type of piling foundation carries the advantages of both the methods utilised. For contractors to install this, they will drive a diameter of steel shell into the ground with the use of a mandrel. After driving, the mandrel is removed, and concrete is afterwards poured into the shells. Piling contractors make the shell from strong and corrugated thin sheets of steel or pipes. Such piles can also be referred to as shell type piles.