Helical piers are used to transfer loads from the soil near surface to deeper, more suitable load bearing stratum. Helical piers may be used in tension such as for tower guy wires, for tieback retaining walls and in compression for repairing building settlement, and for shear/overturn such as lighting poles or self supporting tower foundations.Helical piers are round or square, tubular or bar steel shafts with round helix plates welded to them. When the pier is rotated into the ground the helix plates generate an axial thrust, causing the advancement into the ground much like a wood screw into wood.   Brackets are then attached, allowing us to raise the building to a maximum practical recovery. Although there are additional methods to determine the bearing capacity of the installed piers, the most common is the torsional resistance method which can be monitored during installation. Typical Installation Procedure: Holes are dug at helical placement points to gain access to the foundation. Typically this is done from the exterior of the building but can be done on the interior. If needed, concrete on the foundation will be chipped away to allow for the proper transfer of the loads to the pier. Piers are driven to a minimum embedment as specified by engineers or to bedrock or a final torque refusal. (Depth of pier varies by the soils under the structure) Brackets are attached to the pier to allow for lifting. Lifting utilizes a manifold system which helps to synchronize the lifting process. The structure will then be lifted to a maximum practical recovery. Holes are then re-compacted and the jobsite is cleaned up.

Advantages:

• Environmentally friendly installation
• Used immediately after install
• Placement in sensitive areas
• No ground disturbance
• One stop installation
• Easily removed and reused
• No spoils to remove
• No cement or curing
• Quick installation
• Measurable Results

Helical Piers being used to hold up a home while soil is excavated from under it.

Interior Helical driven through 12 inch thick slab support bracket shown top down view

Resistance Piers (Also known as Push Piers)

Ram Jack® deep-driven steel push piers are 2-7/8″ diameter sectional pipe piles. They are hydraulically jacked into the ground to bear on rock or a solid soil stratum. The piles are manufactured from high strength carbon steel tubing into standard lengths of 3, 5 and 7 feet, with couplings on the ends to allow them to be strung together as necessary to engage competent bearing stratum. They are coated with a polyethylene copolymer-based thermoplastic powder coating for corrosion protection.

Applications

Ram Jack® steel piers are used to transfer loads from the soil near the surface to deeper, more suitable load-bearing strata below. They typically are used in conjunction with various foundation attachment brackets to underpin foundations of existing structures. They are usually installed plumb, as for supporting gravity loading, but may be installed at an angle if necessary to help stabilize a foundation against lateral loads. They are most often used to underpin distressed foundations but can be used to support light loads such as wing walls, interior floors and porch slabs as well as heavier ones such as single- and multi-story buildings and electrical transmission towers.

Advantages

• Can be installed in any weather
• Installation utilizes no impact forces and produces no vibration minimizes the risk of damage to adjacent structures from soil movement
• Ready for use immediately after installation
• Installation produces no spoils to be disposed of or remediated
• Installation equipment is small and lightweight allowing work in tight quarters and on soft surface conditions

Installation

Ram Jack® steel piers are jacked into the soil by means of two hydraulic cylinders. The hydraulic cylinders normally connect to a foundation attachment bracket at their bottom and to the pier through a gripping attachment at their top. As the cylinders are retracted, the cylinders pull down on the pier; the foundation provides the reaction for the upward force created when the piers are jacked down into the soil. The pier is driven until the driving resistance indicates the pier is founded on a sufficiently hard stratum to provide the needed foundation support. Installation steps are the same as the helical pier.