are constructed first and you work your
way back towards the abutments, but
because the pier location was to be 15
metres below the nearest access point,
the abutment had to be built first to
support and provide enough space for
a crane to work from above.”
Once Dufferin Construction completed
the abutment, Bermingham
could begin installation of micropiles
for the piers embedded in the bottom
of the slope.
Custom-built solutions
Typically, micropiles are drilled using a
stand-alone micropile rig, but because
that wasn’t an option in this location,
Bermingham had to use a hanging
system to drive the 36 piles within an
area that was seven metres by seven
metres. It also meant combining techniques
and customizing the tools
– a challenge that was well within the
scope of Bermingham’s manufacturing
and equipment divisions.
The installation of the piles was performed
with a modified CFA method
using a hanging system.
“We started by driving permanent
casings using a Berminghammer B9
diesel hammer inside a Berminghammer
BL32 hanging box lead,” said
Morrisey. “Interpipe Inc. suppled
the 340-mm, six-metre-long casings,
while Con-Tech Systems handled the
18-metre-long #20 bars that formed
the centre of the micropiles. We placed
those bars through the hollow stem of
the auger and grouted the whole thing
through the auger during extraction.”
Using a continuous flight auger turned
by a HPSI 20 hydraulic drill on the BL32
hanging box lead, the crew was able to
install three piles per day.
Morrisey explains how they made
it happen.
“We built a custom steel template
that the leads would engage into so
we could control all our locations and
maintain tolerance. Also, that template
ensured consistency; when we took the
hammer off and put the drill on the
leads, we wanted to be able to get back
into that exact location.”
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www.testpile.com
Main Office
4035 J. Louis St.
Green Cove Springs,
FL 32043
Phone: 904-284-1337
Fax: 904-284-1339
2345 Success Dr.
Odessa, FL 33556
Phone: 727-376-5040
Fax: 727-376-5018
4904 Waters Edge Dr.
Suite 284
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: 919-307-8377
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
“We are unique in that we have
the ability to develop new
equipment and procedures for
whatever is needed.”
– Andy Morrisey, Bermingham
Foundation Solutions
38 Q4 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
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