Piling is a type of deep foundation, used to transfer the load to a deeper level than is possible with a traditional shallow foundation. Vertical columns of concrete, steel, timber, or a combination, are driven deep into the ground to give extra support to the building that sits on top.
Traditionally, piles were made of timber, but they’re now usually concrete, often reinforced or cast-in-situ. Driven precast concrete piling is the most common type of piling method currently used in the UK. Most of mainland Europe considers it the norm for many project types.
Driven precast concrete piles are usually in square sections and produced in short lengths in 1-metre intervals between 3 and 15 metres. The specifications of precast concrete piles range from 200mm to 400mm. They can be installed in depths of up to 40m and used for the foundation of all sorts of ground engineering structures under most ground conditions. [1] Precast piles can be a single section, or several sections can be joined to provide longer piles for deeper ground conditions.
There are many reasons why a site could require driven precast concrete piling work. Some of these reasons include:
The process of installing driven precast concrete piles is relatively straightforward. Typically, precast concrete piles are installed in the following steps:
For a visual explanation of the installation of driven precast concrete piles, watch our video below:
There are many advantages of driven precast concrete pile foundations including [1],[2]:
Sources