Steel Pipe Pile – Good Foundation Piling Material

Pipe pile applications

Steel pipe pile is a most recommend piling material for sea port constructions, yard buildings. It has been widely used in sea works or marine works, to create the tough foundations. Other than this, typical uses also as under buildings, bridges, and structural constructions. More details uses as below list:

Onshore and offshore constructions
Marine foundations / constructions
Tower building
Railway, highway construction
Dock yard construction
Sea works, marine works
Oil and gas filed fundations
Structural support in special buildings
and etcs.

About steel pile

Steel pile includes:
Pipe Pile
Sheet Pile
H-beam pile
Screw pile
Disc pile

All these materials in iron steel and worked for piling under the buildings.

How does steel pile pipe work

Steel pile is working under the conditions when the soil is loosely packed below the building and there might be a concern regarding the stability of the building over a period of time. When a pipe pile is used, the weight gets distributed evenly and into further depth inside the Earth, where the soil is tight. It is highly useful for the construction of super-large buildings where the soil fails to offer the required support.

On the other hand, in situations where the land area is small and does not give enough room for spread footers or foundations, the forcing buildings will be used so that there is a better level of stability on the ground.

Common forms of pipe piling

The widely used forms of pile pipe: Usually in big diameters (heavy-duty steel pipe), dimensions from 16 inch up to 60 inch, manufactured using seamless, longitudinal welded (LSAW), or spiral welded(SSAW). Depends on the soil environments, pipe could be coated with zinc (galvanized), FBE or 3PE coated. In this way to provide moisture resistance and corrosion resistance.

Only when there is a standard expectation of support, there will be usage of open-ended pipes. It can also be capped with steel plates or rock shoe. In this way the close-ended pilings are formed, installers then could fill with concrete and reinforced steel. To increase the foundation stability and strength.

Pipe pile installation

To install pipe pile we shall need the pile driver. Pile drivers are the machines that drive deep into the ground and they use hydraulic systems capable of exerting high force levels for driving the piles deep inside. When the steel piles are driven directly into the soil instead of drilling a hole, the support required for stabilization of pipe is offered by the soil itself. When the pipe goes down, the soil gets displaced, leading to more friction and pressure from all sides, thereby holding the pipe firmly.

Methods to place the piling pipe

Depending upon the load of the building at different locations, engineers and installers decide the placement of pipe. When there is a very heavy load, typically in the case of industrial equipment, the pile pipe must be placed directly under it, so that it offers enough support.

If the load distribution of the building is even, there might be a concrete pile cap that is used for supporting the building, which allows the piling pipe for equal placement and the pile cap serves as a single assembly connector for the entire foundation.

Choosing the right steel pile pipe for piling

The pipe piling must be chosen carefully depending on the forces of the building, the prevailing conditions of the soil and building codes of that area. The placement of piles is determined by a geotechnical engineer. The structural engineer then decides on the piling material, and size of the pipe piling, according the to the depth which they must reach. In cases where a single piling pipe does not reach the depth, piles are joined using splicing sleeves or butt welds to make it longer.

Open end and close end pipe piling

Based on the different soil environments and requirements, Pipe piling could be divided in open end pile and close end pile pipe.

Open end pile pipe(Unplugged pipe pile)

Driving end of the pipe pile is left open, in this case there is no driving point. It is usually used to go through the rock or the tough area. When the open end of piling pipe sinking in underground, we can remove the soil through water jet or compress the air. Meanwhile, as the pile pipe drive to a certain depth, they will be fully cleaned and filled in with concrete.

Close end pile(Plugged pipe pile)

Driving end of the pipe pile is left in closed type. By welding a conical profile steel or cast iron steel to the pipe end, we can close the pipe piling end. After driving works, the internal of the pipe is full filled with the concrete.

In case of closed end piles, the driving end of each piling pipe is closed by welding a bottom steel (conical steel or cast iron rock shoe) to the pipe end. In this case also, after driving, the hollow space inside the pipe is normally, filled with concrete.

Either the open-ended or the close-ended pipes pile can be driven. When it is driven using plates, there is concrete used for further strengthening the pile. Instead of spending on plates, rebar and concrete, it would be preferable to spend the same on a thick and large pile. The typical length ranges from a few inches to a few feet in diameter, thereby offering the possibility to create piles in a wide range of sizes.

Pipe piling size

Normally piling pipe OD ranges from 250 mm (10 inch) to 1500 mm (60 inch), thickness normally from 8 mm to 25 mm.

Referred standard specification of pipe pile

Pipe pile standard mostly is ASTM A252. Grades in three levels, Gr 1, Gr 2, and Gr 3.

ASTM A252

This specification is generally for the wall steel pipes that are cylindrical in shape and the steel cylinder acts like a load-carrying member for the cast-in-place piles of concrete.

Types of Manufacturing for pipe piling

Pipe piling generally manufactured using seamless, resistance welding, fusion welding, flash welding with seams being longitudinal, helical. It also specifies the tensile requirements, minimum values and the common size and weight based on the values.

Advantages of steel pipe pile

The biggest advantage of steel pipe pile is impressive tough support for underground foundations. Specially When the structure has to be supported for a large load, there is a mandatory requirement for the foundation to be deep and strong. Hence, it is crucial to have the right structural support in place for deep foundations.

There are plenty of options available for structural support. However, the best recommended would be steel pile pipe, owing to the high level of customization that they offer. They can be customized based on the specific requirement and the costs involved are also minimal.

Less cost

When you need to purchase pipe pile, you do not have to spend any additional amount on structural support, as the construction, erection and complexity is less; while it can still be tested before it is used. Also, it is the easiest to add after the construction and the maintenance and replacement costs are the cheapest, making it one of the most efficient supports.

Free of cracking

It does not crack during driving and supports heavy loads with ease of usability. When installed correctly, the overall costs will be minimal and it offers the highest levels of safety.

Octal Supplies Pipe Pile

Reach out to us and we will offer you with the best solutions, products, implementations, design and workforce to ensure that your deep foundation is strong and safe.