sSelecting the right screw pile installation for your building can be a challenge. So many factors need to be considered: How deep do the piles need to be?
How much load will be placed on them? What kind of soil is under ground? All these questions are important before deciding on an effective screw pile installation method.
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How much load will be placed on the pile?
When choosing a screw pile installation for your building, it’s important to consider the type of soil you’re working with. The weight of a building will be placed on the screw piles and if the soil isn’t stable enough, the foundation may sink.
The type of foundation and size will also determine how many screws are needed. If you have an existing home that has foundations that need to be replaced, then you can use these measurements as a guide:
- Average ground soil load – 50 pounds per square foot
- Maximum ground soil load – 100 pounds per square foot
- Recommended minimum number of piles – 5 (4 in the corners and 1 in center)
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How deep do the piles need to be driven?
You will want to install the screw piles at a depth that is appropriate for your project. The deeper you drive them, the more load they can carry and the more expensive it becomes to install.
If you need to support a vertical load, then you should try to install your screw piles as deep as possible while still using manageable volumes of concrete mix and not exceeding budget constraints.
When deciding how deep to drive your pile, keep in mind that too much penetration into unstable soil could cause issues such as heave (when compacted soils rise upward) or shrinkage (when compacted soils settle back down).
Since there is no way for us to know what kind of soil conditions you might encounter when installing your screw piles, we recommend having an experienced geotechnical engineer perform an analysis on the site where they will be installed before beginning construction activity.
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Consider these factors when choosing screw pile installation.
Before you decide on the type of screw pile installation you want, there are several factors to consider. These include:
- How much load will be placed on the pile? Is it one or two-story building? Will it be an open space or fully enclosed structure?
- How deep do the piles need to be driven?
- How long do you need your screw piles to last? Do you want them to last for more than 5 years, 7 years or even longer than 10 years?
- What is the soil type where your structure will be located and what is its moisture content (MC)? If it’s a sandy soil that has low MC, it can absorb water easily from rain or snow melt during winter months. In this case, wood or steel screws are most suitable because steel doesn’t rust as fast when exposed over time in wet conditions.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is more to screw pile installation than just choosing the right depth. There is a lot of prep work that goes into choosing a screw pile installation site and making sure your project will be successful.
The most important thing to remember is that screw piles are an excellent option for any building or structure, but they must be installed properly in order for them to work as intended.
