Technology and Installation

A screw-pile comprises a circular hollow section of steel shaft with one or more helical plates welded near to the end of it

The size of the shaft (diameter, wall thickness and length), combined with the size and placement of the helical plate are Engineer designed to take full advantage of the available soil capacity.

Screw-piles are screwed into the ground similar to a self tapping screw through the use of rotary hydraulics attached to earthmoving equipment.

This action results in the compaction of the soil profile to maximize side adhesion and end bearing resistance. Throughout the screw-pile installation the installer monitors the installing torques to ensure that sufficient load capacities are achieved. Changes in soil density are indicated by changes in hydraulic pressure thereby providing important quality control on the load capacity of each pile.

The building loads are transferred to the stronger strata below, providing a simple and cost effective deep foundation system as an alternative to traditional methods.

Ongoing research, testing and development by Screw-Pile International has established a correlation between installation torque and screw-pile capacity.