subject: Mini Piles Makes Underpinning Possible [print this page] Reinforcing a foundation can be a challenging task. One way to reinforce a foundation is to dig a box under one portion of the foundation at a time. Once the box is dug, a cement or block wall is constructed underneath the foundation. The hole is then refilled, and the workers move down the foundation and dig another hole. Another wall is created beneath the foundation; work continues in this way until a new foundation is created beneath the pre-existing foundation. As you can see, reinforcing a foundation in this way is time-consuming, and it also creates a lot of ground disturbance. Because of the time and mess involved in reinforcing a foundation in this way, it is not always feasible to employ this method. In fact, it is usually easier, cheaper, and just as effective to use underpinning with mini piles to reinforce a foundation.
Piles have been used for years to provide extra support to all sorts of structures. For example, off-shore wind turbines are typically built on a foundation of piles. Piles are used in other applications where it is necessary to provide extra support to a massive structure or to structures built over weak soil. In either case, piles can be driven or drilled into the ground. The technology to use piles to provide a sure foundation has been around for years. The technology to use mini piles to underpin an existing foundation is a relatively recent development. The mini pile is designed to provide the same strength that you would get from a regular pile; it just is designed on a smaller scale.
A foundation might become inadequate for a building for many reasons. For one, the purposes of the building might change overtime. If a building was originally designed as a residence and then passes to industrial use, it might be necessary to upgrade the foundation with underpinning. Another reason for underpinning is when the soil around a foundation was either misidentified when the building was first constructed or the quality of the soil deteriorates over time. In either case, the soil might not be sufficient to provide the necessary support to a foundation so that it can in turn support the building built on top of it. If nothing is done to reinforce the foundation, it can shift and crack and eventually fail. Rather than allow the entire building to come crashing down as the foundation fails, underpinning can be used to repair and reinforce the foundation and save the building.
There are several different ways to underpin a foundation. When access to the inside of a house is possible, one mini pile will be driven into the ground on the inside of the house and a second mini pile will be driven into the ground on the outside of the foundation. The foundation is then needled just enough to allow a beam to pass through connecting beam to beam. When access to the inside of the house is not possible, then two mini piles are driven on the outside of the foundation. Once the foundation is needled, a beam is then cantilevered through the needled foundation. One end of the beam will sit on the outside beam, the other end will stick through the needled hole in the foundation. The mini pile in between the foundation and the outside mini pile provides extra support to the cantilevered beam. It is also possible to install mini piles after the foundation has been jacked up. This method helps to overcome the effects of settling.
Mini piles are a valuable part of improving the foundation of an existing building. Mini piles can also be used with shotcreting techniques for shoring purposes. Based on these uses, it is safe to say that mini piles are a valuable part of modern construction.
