Special Technologies

Foundation Specialists, inc., pioneering in the field of foundation engineering, has introduced new foundation methods. These are the following special technologies:

Bored piles

Bored Piles are reinforced concrete shafts cast in site in a drilled hole. They are the most versatile types of deep foundation due to their adaptability to many kinds of ground conditions whether in land or under sea or river as shown in the pictures. Bored piles range from 600mm to 6000mm in diameter with depth that can reach down to 100 meters. Bored piles are installed by first removing the soil by a drilling process and then constructing the pile by placing concrete in the hole. The simplest form of construction consists of drilling an unlined or unprotected hole and filling it with concrete. Complications that may arise such as difficult ground conditions and the presence of ground water have led to the development of special drilling technologies.

Diaphragm Wall

Diaphragm Walls are cast-in-situ walls used as retaining walls for perimeter walls of deep, multi-level basements and underground parking facilities, highway cuts, subways, underpasses and shaft walls. T-Shaped diaphragm wall is used for deep-water wharves.

Barrette piles

Barrette piles are rectangular piles which can take huge axial loads and high moments. These are ideal for bouldery ground and alluvial soil but adaptable to most types of ground. Construction is by means of the same equipment as used for diaphragm and cut-off walls. Using barrettes and large diameter bored piles, pile caps can be omitted and the piles extended upwards without change of shape to form the single pile barrette-column system.

Cast-in-place driven piles

is a special type of pile developed for almost all types of soil. Its construction utilizes a closed-bottom temporary casing driven by a diesel or hydraulic hammer. Upon installation of the reinforcement and concrete, the temporary casing is extracted by a vibratory device leaving a continuous, well-compacted pile.

Continuous-flight auger piles

or CFA pile is constructed using a hollow-shafted continuous-flight auger with diameter varying from 300mm to 650mm and depths of up to 30 meters.

H-Pile

are driven piles using structural steel wide-flanges driven to refusal by diesel or hydraulic hammer.

Micropiles

Micropiles are piles of small diameters, generally smaller than 30 cm executed with special technologies. They can be done within extremely small working space and in difficult working conditions, performed using special equipment of reduced dimensions, which cause no disturbance to the soil and or to the structures involved. Due to their versatility, the field of application is unlimited, and the high axial load, which they can take, is always comparatively much higher than any other types of pile.

FS-Soil cement column

The “FS Soil-cement Column” system is particularly suited for the very poor and water saturated soil formations found in the coastal areas of the Philippines, where the soil in general is characterized by very low bearing capacity and low shear values. The overlaying soil strata of this formation have an extremely high liquefaction potential in earthquake condition. The “FS Soil-Cement Column” method produces high mechanical characteristics shear and compressive strength for the soil treated, maintaining the costs affordable and competitive. FS uses different tools and procedures for different soil types to achieve maximum soil strength.

Vertical Drains/ Wick Drains

   FS is engaged in the design and formation of all types of prefabricated and sand drains including soil consolidation by drain and surcharge.

A relatively inexpensive, effective method to improve poor foundation soil in advance of construction of permanent facilities is to use preloading. The preload may consist of soil or sometimes rock, and in the case of oil or water tanks, gradual filling of the tanks may obtain preload goals.

Soil & rock anchors

are straight elements integrated into the soil consisting of steel reinforcement (strands) of high yield strength grouted to the surrounding soil. They are largely used in tying back retaining structures, holding down structures subjected to uplift forces, and ensuring stability of natural and artificial rock slopes.

Aligned-piles wall system™

An original design of Foundation Specialists, inc. to install walls in sensitive areas, the Aligned-Piles Wall System is a n alternate workable solution in retaining soil for deep excavation.

FS Ground Anchors

FS Ground anchors are straight elements integrated into the soil consisting of steel reinforcement (strands) of high yield strength grouted to the surrounding soil. They are largely used in tying back retaining structures, holding down structures subjected to uplift forces, and ensuring stability of natural and artificial rock slopes.

OTHER SPECIAL FOUNDATION PRODUCTS:

  • Precast Diaphragm Wall
  • Minipiles
  • Sand Drains
  • Horizontal Drains
  • Soil Nailing
  • Soil Remediation
  • Plastic Cut-Off Wall
  • Jet Grouting
  • Tangent and Secant Piles
  • Stone Column

Slope Stabilization

FS has devised and constructed soil tensional reinforcement and stabilization of steep slopes for protection against erosion and for consolidation of areas prone to landslides. The designed soil reinforcement and slope stabilization scheme were adopted and implemented as a result of the stability analysis performed in relationship to the type of soil anchors or geo-grid to be used and numbers, layout and lengths of the reinforcing layers to grant both the internal stability of the soil block and the general stability of the overall structure.