“Serving the Southeast”

Structural Support

 

Micropiles

Foundations and abutments which have become unstable due to erosion, poor compaction, or ground movement may be remediated by use of grouted micropiles to provide structural support. To install Micropiles, a casing is drilled or driven through weaker, less stable soils into the more competent soils (or rock) below. A high-strength steel bar is then grouted in place inside the casing. Load is typically transferred via skin friction: the load of the building is transferred to the steel, which then transfers the load to the ground via the bond strength of the grout.

 

Applications:

  • Shoring & Earth Retention
  • Underpinning & Structural Support
  • Foundation/Ground Improvement
  • Building remediation - used as jacking piles

 

Advantages:

  • Can be installed in limited and low headroom access
  • Excellent where drilling is difficult
  • Requires small drilling equipment
  • Bars can be cut and coupled in as low as 4 ft. head room

 

 

Helical Piers

 

As a certified Pier Tech Systems installer, Jensen’s offers a technically superior and extremely cost effective alternative to other remedial pier systems. It is backed by almost ninety (90) years of structural engineering experience.

 

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Helical piers differ from micropiles in that the structural steel member is a screw anchoring system providing vertical support, where the load is transferred from the steel to the ground by the bearing surface of the helices.

 

To install helical piers, a bar or rod with one or multiple helices is screwed into the ground until it reaches a depth that provides the prescribed bearing capacity (typically determined via the torque required to advance the pier). Once the required capacity has been reached, brackets or head plates are installed to transfer the load from the pier to the building. Brackets are used for remediation, where piers are installed under existing structure, head plates are used when the piers are installed for a new foundation.

 

Applications:

  • Foundation Lifting
  • Foundation/Ground Improvement
  • Underpinning
  • Soil Nail Walls/Soil Anchors

 

Advantages:

  • Can be installed with limited access (installation with handheld equipment is possible).
  • Less expensive than many other forms of underpinning.
  • Very quick and clean to install, no grouting is performed.