Thursday, December 30, 2010

Helical Pile Installation on Postage Stamp Site, Boston, MA

    

New England Foundation and Stabilization Co.is currently installing ECP (Earth Contact Products) Helical Torque Anchors to support the proposed building addition foundation in downtown Boston.
In the center of Boston is a small postage stamp site with unsuitable soils to depths of 125 feet.  Engineers designed a deep foundation with piles and pile caps to support the new addition.  In tight sites like these typical pile driving equipment can be limited to site access.  Also typical pile driving installation methods can cause damage to nearby structures due to vibration.  Utilizing a mini-excavator mounted with a torque anchor, the ECP Helical Anchors are hydraulically driven into the soil to adequate bearing capacity without the need for large equipment or excavation and vibration.  


Mini-Excavator installation of Helical Piers


Installed Helical Piers for proposed Pile Cap



A total of 49 Helical Piers are required to support the 11 designed Pile Caps.  The installed piers have ranged from 35 feet to 126 feet in total depth from grade.