Limited Access Micropiles, Company Record 180′ Depth As the 17-story Virginia General Assembly Building (VAGA) neared completion, it was determined that a pedestrian tunnel would be built across the Capital Grounds and enter the building’s basement. The proposed tunnel would enter the VAGA basement by first going through a preserved historic façade; however, the tunnel…
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Micropile Foundation Quality Control Using some basic micropile foundation quality control measures will help your project move forward with fewer mistakes and will avoid dreaded rework. With that in mind, here are some basic QC steps for micropiles. Receipt of Materials Ensure that the threaded steel bars and casing pipes are the correct size and…
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Micropile Design Micropile design includes structural and geotechnical design. Let’s discuss the importance of these two types of design for your next commercial construction project. Structural Design Design CriteriaMicropiles are designed by two standards, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the 2015 International Building Code (IBC). Of course, the FHWA standard applies to highway projects…
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What are the advantages of micropiles? Overcoming Difficult Ground Conditions The first advantage of micropiles has to do with the natural ground conditions at a project site. Micropiles can overcome difficult ground conditions such as debris fill, natural boulders, and karst. Other foundations systems such as auger cast piles and driven piles are not suitable…
Read MoreMicropile Foundations Is this project a good fit for micropiles? This is a question that I’m asked quite often. Micropiles are an excellent deep foundation option to solve two common problems – difficult ground conditions or limited access. What are Micropiles? Let’s start with a brief description. A micropile is a drilled and grouted replacement…
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Silica Exposure Control Programs in the Drilling Industry We are all gaining familiarity with “Table 1. SPECIFIED EXPOSURE CONTROL METHODS WHEN WORKING WITH MATERIALS CONTAINING CRYSTALLINE SILICA” of OSHA’s Crystalline Silica Rule for Construction – a title that kind of rolls right off the tongue. Table 1 was OSHA’s attempt to guide contractors in reducing…
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