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Howard A. Perko
Copyright 0 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Helical Piles
A Practical Guide to Design and Installation
Helical Piles
A Practical Guide to Design and
Installation
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2009 by Howard A. Perko. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Perko, Howard A.
Helical piles : a practical guide to design and installation / Howard A. Perko.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-40479-9 (cloth)
1. Steel piling. I. Title.
TA786.P47 2009
624.154dc22
2009019343
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Chapter 1
Introduction 1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
Chapter 2
Basic Features 2
Terminology 5
Invention 6
Early U.S. Patents 13
Periods of Use 23
Modern Applications 25
Environmental Sustainability
31
Installation 37
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
Equipment 37
General Procedures 40
Special Procedures 48
Installation Safety 53
Torque Measurement 59
Torque Calibrations 67
Field Inspection 71
vi
Contents
Chapter 3
Basic Geotechnics 75
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
Chapter 4
Subsurface Exploration 75
Field Penetration Resistance
Soil Classification 84
Bedrock 89
Site Suitability 94
Shear Strength 96
80
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Contents
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Compression 191
Tension 196
Loading Procedures 201
Interpretation of Results 205
Other Interpretations 207
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
238
269
vii
viii
Contents
10.8
10.9
Chapter 11
277
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Contents
14.3
14.4
14.5
Chapter 15
Economics 419
15.1
15.2
15.3
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
ix
Foreword
Helical piles offer a versatile and efficient alternative to conventional deep foundations
or anchors in a wide variety of applications. This technology has enjoyed an increased
awareness and use by engineers in recent years, a trend which is due at least in part
to the efforts of Howard Perko and the members of the Deep Foundation Institutes
Helical Foundations and Tie-Backs Committee.
With this greater implementation of helical piles comes an increased need for
a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge regarding the appropriate
methods of design and installation. Howards book is a much needed resource to meet
that need and will serve as the authoritative and comprehensive reference on helical
piles.
The fundamental mechanisms by which helical piles develop resistance to load are
described in a manner consistent with basic principles of soil mechanics. Along with
the thorough description of installation methods and equipment that is provided, the
concepts used for design and quality control/quality assurance follow logically. The
section on corrosion and life expectancy is particularly important now as applications of
helical piles expand into greater use with permanent structures with longer intended
service periods. Applications for helical piles are described which may prove novel
to many engineers and open opportunities for innovation and development of more
cost-effective solutions.
In summary, this text provides a valuable reference on an emerging technology
that should serve as an important resource for any practicing engineer or constructor
involved in the design or construction of foundation or earth support systems.
Preface
Helical piles have been used in construction for over 200 years. Today, there are over
50 helical pile manufacturing companies in at least twelve countries on four continents.
There may be more than 2,000 helical pile installation contractors in the United States
alone.
In the past, helical piles were an interesting alternative that some geotechnical
engineers would take into consideration in special cases. Fifteen years ago, helical piles
were barely mentioned in undergraduate and graduate civil engineering studies. Now
helical piles are well known by most practicing engineers and should be considered
an essential part of any graduate course in foundation engineering. Helical piles have
gained in popularity to the extent that they are used more frequently than other deep
foundations in some geographic locations. Even owners and developers are beginning
to request helical piles.
At the time of this writing, an average of 1,500 people per week visit the trade Web
site www.helicalpierworld.com. Over 100 technical papers and numerous articles have
been written about helical piles. There are 163 U.S. patents pertaining to helical piles.
The Helical Foundations and Tie-Backs committee of the Deep Foundation Institute
(DFI), a professional trade organization, formed in 2001 and has been one of the
largest DFI committees.
Helical piles were adopted into the International Building Code in 2009. Helical
piles most certainly have a bright future in geotechnical engineering and foundations
construction. Yet most of the information about these systems is contained in proprietary manuals published by helical pile manufacturing companies. An unbiased and
universally applicable text dedicated to the design and installation of helical piles is
needed to compile the current state of knowledge and practice in the industry. The
goal of this book is to satisfy that need.
xiii
Acknowledgements
xv
xvi
Acknowledgements
consultant from Mill City, Oregon, is appreciated for providing his unpublished paper
on capacity-to-torque ratios and also his assistance with review Chapter 6. Eileen
Dornfest, senior geologist and project manager, with Tetratech in Fort Collins, CO, is
appreciated for reviewing Chapter 9. I would also like to thank my friends at Mueser
Rutledge Consulting Engineers, especially Peter Deming, Sitotaw Fantaye, and
Kathleen Schulze, for selecting me to work with on drafting the New York City helical
pile building code and for Sitotaw Fantayes precursory review of Chapters 4, 5, 6, 10,
and 11. As a special note, I thank Dr. John Nelson, retired professor from Colorado
State University, author of one of the most well regarded books on expansive soils,
and my Ph.D. advisor for helping to develop my technical writing skills, teaching me
most of what I know about expansive soils, and for his review of Chapter 9.
A number of colleagues from CTL|Thompson, Inc. helped with the book, often in
their spare time. Robin Dornfest, Chip Leadbetter, and one of my early mentors, Frank
J. Holiday, reviewed and edited Chapter 3. Chief structural engineer James Cherry
helped indirectly through the years by teaching a soil engineer about foundation design
and structural analysis as well as directly contributing by reading and editing Chapters
7 and 12. Staff members Becky Young and Antoinette Roberts prepared the database
of swell tests contained in Chapter 9. Chief environmental engineer Tom Norman
and business development manager Timiry Kreiger assisted with the environmental
benefits of helical piles contained in Chapter 1.
I also recognize three well-known experts in the helical pile industry: Bob Hoyt,
independent engineering consultant, Sam Clemence, distinguished professor from
Syracuse University, and Al Lutenegger, distinguished professor from the University
of Massachusetts Amherst. I thank them for their many contributions to the industry.
Their work provided a foundation for this book. I owe much of my professional
growth to listening to their lectures and reading their papers. I am honored to have
had many personal conversations with them through the years. I am also thankful for
Sam Clemences review of Chapters 4, 5, and 6.