Top Driven Pre-Cast mini piling is a displacement piling method, using an impact hammer to drive pre-cast concrete piles to a pre-determined depth or driving resistance.
Pre-cast concrete sections are sequentially added as the pile is driven to depth, each connected using a simple compression joint.
The Steel Cased Bottom Driven Piling Process
From start to finish, what is the process of Top Driven Pre-Cast piling?
Step 1 – Prior to the rig arriving to site the client surveys the area for services, prepares a suitable working platform at top of foundation level, and drives a numbered pin into the working platform at each pile position.
Step 2 – A health and safety briefing will take place, the rig will be prepared to work, and moved to the first pile position.
Step 3 – The first pre-cast section is positioned over the setting out point, and the top driven hammer lowered on to it. The verticality of the section will be checked before the hammer begins progressing the pile below ground level.
Step 4 – The first section is left slightly above ground level, allowing the next section to be lifted over it and connected using a simple resin filled compression joint. This process is repeated until all sections are driven to the pre-determined design depth or driving resistance.
When is Top Driven Pre-Cast Piling used?
Pre-Cast Top Driven piles, installed using our 9.0t operating weight drop hammer rigs, are well suited to Soft Soil conditions, particularly where access is restricted, or where headroom restrictions exist.
Top Driven Pre-Cast piles are suitable for projects ranging from residential housing, commercial development & refurbishment, to civil engineering projects, and many more. They are equally suited to piled raft slab and traditional ground beam applications.
Pre-Cast Top Driven piles can be particularly successful in residential housing projects, when combined with pre-cast concrete ground beams or slabs, providing a fully pre-cast system foundation.
Advantages of Top Driven Pre-Cast Piling
Some of the key advantages of Top Driven Pre-Cast Piling include:
- Zero spoil generated during the piling process.
- No requirement for the use of ready-mixed concrete, meaning there is no curing period – piles can be loaded immediately.
- Small rigs – our 9.0t rigs can be delivered into restricted access sites using flatbed lorries and require a reduced working platform thickness compared to more traditional top driven pre-cast piling rigs.
- Our rigs can be configured in variable mast heights, allowing them to be used on sites where working headroom is as little as 7.5m when driving pre-cast piles, and, through the addition of an exhaust extraction filter, our rigs can be safely used inside existing buildings.
- In combination with our friends at Taranto Limited, we can offer pre-cast concrete system foundation solutions for small scale and restricted access sites.
Our Mini Pre-Cast Driven Piling Service
Our rigs can handle pre-cast concrete sections ranging from 200mm to 250mm square and supplied in lengths of up to 4.0m.
Using our < 10.0t operating weight driven mini piling rigs, our operations are suitable for any mini piling and restricted access pre-cast top driven piling operations. For larger open site piling projects, we would recommend speaking out our friends at Taranto Limited.
Contact us to find out more about our pre-cast driven mini milling services.
Contact our expert piling team/engineers for advice on your project and get a no obligation quote
What We Offer
- Free site visits
- Free no obligation quotes
- 12 Year warranty of all work
- Estimates based on detailed tender stage designs
FAQs
Q – Are mini piles driven or augered?
A – Mini piles < 300mm diameter/ < 300mm square can be formed using a number of techniques, including steel cased and pre-cast concrete displacement driven piles, CFA augered piles, ODEX percussive piles, and pre-formed screw piles. The most suitable & cost-effective method will be selected after consideration of loading requirements, ground conditions & site constraints.
Q – Do steel cased concrete mini piles need pile testing?
A – Steel cased bottom driven piles can be subject to either dynamic or static load testing, to verify the capacity of the completed piles. They are seldom subject to any requirement for integrity testing, as the fully welded permanent perimeter casing ensures there are no issues with the integrity of the structural concrete core during placement.
Q – What metal is used for mini piling?
A – The sacrificial steel casing used for steel cased bottom driven piles is formed using ERW (electric resistance welded) rolled steel, with wall thicknesses ranging from 2.0mm to 4.0mm. No reliance is placed on the capacity of the sacrificial casing within the pile design.
Our Testimonials:
We have always found GeMech to be professional, straight talking and a pleasure to work with.
Simon Blackledge, Commercial Director, Gr8Space Group
GeMech handle all aspects of our ground improvement projects together with transparency and professionalism.
Darren Faircloth, Faircloth Construction Ltd
GeMech have always been courteous, knowledgeable and honest throughout our dealings with them.
Charlie Barker, Deep Living London Ltd
I have always found all members of the GeMech team to be extremely customer focused, technically proficient and totally driven to provide the best possible service and quality on site.
James Sinclair, Blue Dot Construction
In a competitive market GeMech has always stood above the competition as an exceptional ground improvement solution provider.
Daniel Calnan, Kent Structures
We have worked with GeMech on a number of projects, both complex with restricted access and large housing schemes. They have always been pro active providing solutions and costings. They have delivered all of our schemes to programme.
John Reed, Capstan
Clear, professional & practical communication during the pre-construction phase allowed for a smooth operation on site. Correct methods of piling for the presenting ground conditions were discussed and employed, resulting on hitting programme targets aswell as budget constraints.
James Scott, Willmott Dixon
Talus Solutions Ltd enjoys a harmonious relationship with the team at Ge-Mech Ltd, working together on various industrial, commercial and private sector housing projects. We have found Ge-Mech to be dependable and competitively priced in what they do and always ready to assist.
Philip Halford, Talus Solutions Ltd
Having worked with Gemech for over 20 years, they have always provided a first class engineered solution for our schemes.
Julian Mitchell, Mitchell Design & Construction
From start to finish the GeMech team take care of everything from the initial design to bringing each project to a successful conclusion on site.
Mark Blackhurst, Barnack Estates UK Ltd
Advantages:
- Light-weight piling rigs requiring minimal site prep.
