Screw piles are piles that come equipped with a helix, allowing you to literally screw them into the ground as you would with a steel screw on a wooden surface. Pretty simple, right? The method behind screw piling may be self-explanatory, but the benefits are not! Screw piling offers a unique ease and versatility when the conditions are right.
Screw piling was initially created for those working in the nautical industry. Nowadays, they are used in various industries for projects that need foundations installing as soon as possible to continue progression. Some examples being:
- Railway industry
- Telecommunications
- Roadworks
- Housing
What are the benefits?
- Screw piles displace the earth as they are installed, meaning that excavation efforts required for bore piling are no longer necessary. Because of this, screw piling is more eco-friendly than other forms of piling that require more intensive site preparation.
- Easier to install the foundations because they only need one machine which costs less than other installation methods and it’s a much quicker process; piles can hold the heavy loads instantly which is perfect for projects that are needed to be completed urgently.
- Lower noise pollution which is vital for construction projects that are being carried out on uncertain terrain.
What are the disadvantages of choosing screw piling?
Even though this is a great and time-effective method, there are certain disadvantages when selecting screw piling.
These disadvantages are:
- Screw piling is better adjusted to softer soils in more compacted areas, meaning it would only work effectively in these conditions. This also includes the structural limitations to how effective the screw piles will work.
- There is a possibility of difficulty when getting into solid layers within the ground. A perfect example is rock, the better option in this instance would be to consider using a driven pile to get into the solid ground layers.
- When soil consists of gravel, chunks of cobbles, and other larger grains, it can become quite difficult to manoeuvre and position the equipment correctly to install screw piles.
By examining and seeing that the soil is at a suitable grain size, we know that screw piles will offer an easy, durable, versatile, and cost-effective solution when choosing the piling type for your project’s foundations.
Want to find out more about piling?
To find out more information about our different piling services such as mini piling and much more, then please get in touch with a member of the Rhino Piling team today.
