test pile was driven to a depth of 41 feet to
penetrate the fill and organics and develop
friction capacity in the underlaying marine
and glaciomarine sand and clay and
terminate in glacial till.”
After a six-day wait period, the test
pile was load tested to 180 kips (225
percent of the design load). The test results
showed only 0.33 inches of deflection
at the maximum test load and strain
gauges confirmed the load transfer to the
bond zone.
Following this, Phoenix Foundation
Company, Inc. immediately moved into
production installation for the project.
The company installed a total of 128
production piles in nine working days,
averaging about 15 piles per day. At average
lengths of approximately 600 LF/day,
production for the DIPs was considerably
faster and simpler than a traditional drilled
micropile system.
“Given the complex and highly variable
geotechnical landscape throughout much
of New England, geotechnical engineers and
specialty deep foundation subcontractors
alike need to have many tools in their
toolbox in order to offer the best solution
for each unique project site,” said Tonning.
“Other factors such as design load, spoils
management, and site access should also
be considered before committing to a
specific deep foundation type. The DIP
is one of those tools for us, as it can offer
substantial cost and schedule benefits to
our clients, without compromising product
quality or effectiveness. Substantial testing
data is available to back this up. Materials
for this pile type are readily available, and
the manufacturer’s representatives are
highly knowledgeable and willing to offer
technical assistance and support whenever
called upon.”
Phoenix Foundation operations director
Shane O’Neill agrees.
“The technical support by DuroTerra
was exceptional. This product was
relatively new to the project team and
because of DuroTerra’s support, the
installation and execution was done
seamlessly. The installation was executed
in two weeks – cutting the project
schedule in half.” t
Installation of the grouted friction pile
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
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