Installation method
Exclusive method of installing screw piles
As former installers, we have witnessed the shortcomings of conventional screw pile installation, and over the years we have improved our methods to make the process simpler and more efficient. One of the common problems that installers face is the nature of the soil. Screw piles are designed to be inserted into the ground and not to dislodge hard material on difficult floors. When the screw piles encounter an obstacle (stone, brick, debris), the propeller tends to twist, the pile is no longer viable and all that remains is to remove it and start the process again elsewhere, hoping that the ground will allow it. Often the screw pile is even unrecoverable, and this is only part of the daily problems that installers face.
Here is the proven method by Le Perceur that facilitates the installation of screw piles on difficult floors.
1. Pre-drilling
Use a drill bit of the same diameter as the screw of the stake to dislodge the hard material and make the way for the screw pile, this way you will avoid forcing it unnecessarily.
2. Attachment of the screw pile to the compactor (adapter)
A compactor is an installation tool that acts as an adapter connecting the screw pile to the auger. Simply slide the screw pile inside the compactor and insert the two crossed bars to secure it.
3. Insert the screw pile into the pre-drilling
Now that all debris has been removed, all that remains is to insert the screw pile by rotating clockwise to the required depth. It is recommended that the screw pile be lowered from 6’ to 12’ below the pre-drilling line so that the base of the screw pile is inserted into the unfinished soil.
4. Compaction (exclusive to Le Perceur)
Once the screw pile is in place, remove the crisscrossed bars to free the screw pile from the compactor. The compactor has two fins similar to those of a boat propeller at its base. When a counter-clockwise rotation is applied, these are designed to take the ground remodelled to the surface and compact it all around the pipe. Continue compaction to the surface and remove the compactor from the screw pile.
5. Why compact the earth around the screw pile?
La compaction est une étape cruciale lors de l’installation du pieu et nous sommes les seuls à fournir les outils nécessaires à sa réalisation.
During a conventional installation of screw piles, the helical blade (screw) carves a path through the soil, leaving a channel that rainwater can follow down to its base. If this channel is not sealed after the screw pile installation, water accumulates at the base and affects its short-term stability. The effect of compaction also has the advantage of laterally solidifying the pile, which provides it with more strength and reduces the need to reinforce the structure supported by the screw piles.