Permanently cased steel piles are formed by bottom driving thin wall mild steel tube. A dry charge or plug is placed in the lead tube toe and then located on the rig. The pile and rig are located over the pile position and the pile driven by the use of an internal drop hammer sticking the plug within. Subsequent follow on tubes are added by welding the swaged socket joints between. Piles can be driven to a design length or “set”. Reinforcement to aid the connection of the pile to the pile cap or ground beam is inserted in the casing prior to filling with concrete to complete the pile. Typical loads achievable are up to 275kN for a 220mm diameter casing, Piles between 100 and 300mm can be driven with small rigs able to pass through standard doorways.

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Pile bores are formed with the use of sectional lengths of continuous flight auger. Each section, commencing with a toothed lead length is added to the rig as the augers are bored into the ground. When the required depth is reached the augers are rotated to remove the majority of the spoil prior to being lifted from the bore. Reinforcement is placed in the bore prior to filling with grout or concrete to complete the pile. The piling rigs can be from 1 to 15tonnes in weight forming piles from 150 to 600mm diameters, the smallest being able to travel through standard doorways and work in  domestic rooms.

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Pile bores are formed with the use of sectional lengths of hollow stem continuous flight auger. Each section, commencing with a toothed lead length is added to the rig as the augers are bored into the ground. When the required depth is reached grout is mixed and pumped through the hollow stem of the augers as they are extracted and removed. The grout is cast to the platform level before a reinforcement cage is inserted. At no time is an open bore formed thus piles can be made in wet unstable ground conditions. The piling rigs can be from 5 to 15tonnes in weight forming piles from 250 to 600mm diameters. It is possible to work in 3.2m headroom or less with the smaller rigs being only 1m wide.

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Piles are formed either by the insertion of a single length of continuously flighted auger (CFA) or by multiple sections prior to the injection of concrete through the augers hollow stem and into the bore as the auger is extracted. At no time is an open bore formed thus piles can be made in wet unstable ground conditions. The restricted access machines of 5 to 15T weight can form piles from 300 to 600mm diameters up to 30m depth (soil conditions permitting). Piles are cast to the platform level prior to the insertion of a reinforcement cage.

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We can design and construct the full foundation up to damp proof level. Systems and designs can include heave protection as necessary.

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The bore is formed using a combination of sectional casing sections and augers. The casing can be inserted ahead of the augers to ensure that disturbance to the ground is minimised. By use of the casings a dry stable open bore is formed allowing the placement of reinforcement prior to concrete or grout. The smaller rigs can access and work in extremely tight areas but still form piles over 20m in depth. Rigs are generally between 5 and 15T in weight undertaking 250 to 600mm pile diameters.

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The ATLAS Soil Displacement Pile is formed by inserting a short auger into the ground whilst applying rotation and pressure. The auger displaces the ground to form a bore without removing any material. As the presses is  similar to the insertion of a screw than a drill the maximum pile capacity is achieved. The unique purpose built ATLAS rigs have torque ratings above 40tonne meters enabling the piles to be formed in a wide variety of soils. During the extraction of the auger concrete is introduced through the hollow stem of the auger. The auger is withdrawn at a controlled rate and the piles flanges are formed. Piles are cast to the platform level prior to the insertion of a reinforcement cage. Pile loads of up to 2000kN can be catered for, dependant on ground conditions.

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Continuous Flight Auger piles are similar to the ATLAS pile but  the auger removes the soil. Thus creating a cost and no enhancement of capacity. Similar to the ATLAS piles they cause no vibration during installation and are thus suitable for installation in built up areas and against sensitive structures.

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Rotary piles can be constructed by crane mounted or hydraulic rigs. Temporary casing can be placed either by the rigs and or with the assistance of service cranes and vibrators or oscillators. For difficult ground conditions drilling fluids can be utilised to maintain bore stability. Pile capacities and or settlement characteristics can be improved by base grouting techniques.

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Retaining structures can be formed with most types of pile. Contiguous piled walls have piles positioned alongside each other, typically with a 150mm spacing. Secant piled walls have piles cut into each other. The female piles, which are cut into at each side, can be either “soft” or “hard” dependant on the design requirements, they generally are not reinforced but can be in extreme conditions. Walls can be designed either to cantilever or be propped (shores, floor slabs, anchors etc.) or a combination to suit the build program and outline.

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Diaphragm walls can be formed using a variety of digging equipment including kelly bar grabs, rope hung grabs and hydro-mills. Our fleet allows us to be able to work in close proximity to existing structures—above and below the ground—and achieve tight positional tolerances.

Barrettes are essentially singular or small groups of diaphragm wall panels which are able to carry higher loads more efficiently due to their geometry than a large circular pile.

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Ground anchors and micro piles can be formed by boring or drilling techniques prior to traditional anchor reinforcement (bar or strand) being placed and the anchor grouted or by self boring reinforcement. The latter are formed using hollow reinforcement bar and a sacrificial drill bit. Able Piling work with a number of suppliers of preparatory reinforcement and drilling systems to be able to offer the best product for your needs.

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The range of applications for jet grouting techniques is wide. Jet grouting can be used to improve the mechanical properties of soil, to reduce the permeability, to improve and replace the soil to form load bearing columns or curtains. If reinforcement is added piles or anchors can be formed.

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Able Piling work with a number of partners to offer all types of pile testing. Integrity Testing, Dynamic tests, Statnamic tests, maintain and cyclic load tests. We can advise on factors of safety and requirements for testing to ensure that you receive the most efficient scheme for the ground conditions and governing bodies parameters.

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