Driven piles, commonly known as displacement piles, are well known form of building foundation that provides the support needed by structures or super-structures. Displacement piles transfer the load too layers of soil or rocks that have the sufficient bearing capacity and suitable settlement characteristics. Driven piles are used to support not only buildings, but also tanks, towers, walls and bridges. It is also the most cost effective deep foundation solution. They are also used in applications such as embankments, retaining walls, bulkheads, Anchorage structures and cofferdams.

 

What is piling ?

 

A foundation is described as “piled” when its depth is three times more than its breadth. A driven pile or displacement pile is a long, slender column made of a preformed material. It also has a predetermined shape and size that can be easily installed through a process called impact hammering, which is the vibrating or pushing of the object into the ground to a design depth or resistance. If the soil is particularly dense, this may require pre drilling to enable the pile top reach its desired design depth. Driven piles or displacement piles are very adaptable and can be used to accommodate compression, tension or lateral loads, according to specifications set to the needs of the structure, budget and soil conditions.

 

Types of driven piles

 

Standard steel sheet pile sections can be used to form box section piles or H-section piles. These are percussion driven and used in connection with marine structures. These have a load range of 300-1700 kN and reach up to 36 metres in length.

 

Steel screw piles have a cast iron cast iron helix and are rotary driven, they are used for support shallow depths in soft silts and sands. They have a load range of 400-3000 kN and can reach up to 24 metres in length.

 

Build your foundation

 

Contact a representative from Gauteng piling for more information on piling services, or get the support you need to build your foundations today!