PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
“It was a perfect storm for settlement on
the site. The soil is not the best, and the
building is on the edge of a bank.”
– Grant McKinney, Team Foundation Systems Ltd.
of a construction project in their
development. As always, safety was
a priority.
Before starting construction, Team
had to ensure that the creek would not
become contaminated with concrete
or soil from the site. An existing chainlink
fence with the addition of plywood
in affected areas was deemed sufficient
to prevent any materials from making
their way downhill into the ravine
and creek.
Space limitations meant Team had
to use small machines for all tasks and
move limited amounts of material at a
time, as it was needed. The company’s
Bobcat S650 skid-steer loader was
vital and used to move all construction
material and equipment, and for
post site grading. A Kubota KX-91
mini-excavator was used for all pile
preparation work and installation
of all helical piles, the latter with an
Eskridge BA-77 drive head. A custombuilt
John Deere remote hydraulic
pump powered the drive head.
With the building empty of its tenants,
Team began its work by removing all
of the floor slabs (slabs on grade) in
the ground-level units of the fourplex
to gain access to the subgrade
material beneath.
A combination of 31 Chance SS150
series and SS175 series helical piles,
hot dipped galvanized to ASTMA153
and A123 specifications, was required
by the engineering design. The SS150s
are 1½-inch square-shaft piles with
a 70,000-pound maximum ultimate
compression and tension capacity; the
SS175s have a 1¾-inch square shaft
and a maximum ultimate compression
and tension capacity of 100,000 pounds.
Seven-foot and 10-foot lead sections
were used in 8/10/12 and 10/12/14
configurations, along with a variety of
extension lengths from three feet to
10 feet. Chance products are ISO9001
certified and ICC Evaluation Service
(ICC-ES) determined the piles to be in
compliance with code requirements
ICC-ES, ESR-2794.
The deepest pile installed on
the project was 78 feet deep before
required torque values were obtained.
Microsil anchor grout was used to
encase the piles with a six-inch column
around each unit.
Eighty-kip underpinning foundation
brackets were attached mechanically
from the piles to the foundation to
support the structure and prevent any
further sinking. New grade beams were
installed on top of the piles.
The piling and concrete work done
by Team took more than five weeks
to complete. Interior work to repair
damage throughout the building caused
by its shifting took about another six
weeks. Residents were able to return
to their homes within three months
of the start of work and landscaping
work continued after their return.
There’s a small possibility, says
McKinney, that similar work will have
to be undertaken at some point on two
other buildings in the same complex.
Engineering professionals will continue
to monitor the site and initiate action
if required.
Team Foundation Systems was
pleased to work on the project with the
Society of Hope.
“We were happy to provide a
service with trained and certified
professionals, and work with a great
non-profit toward a common goal –
getting families back in their homes
as soon as possible.”
58 Q2 2019 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
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