Driven Steel Pipe Piles

Document Description
Document Type

Specification

Document Number

VSN-CIV-S-09

Predecessor

TR-45-SPC-00-002-01

Document Owner
Document Coordinator
Next Review Date

November 2011

Revision History
Sign Off
Rev

0
1

Description

Fully reviewed
Fully reviewed

Date

10-Nov-10
10-May-11

Originator

Reviewer

Owner

D. Willey
D. Willey

M. Hayden
M. Hayden

D. Willey
D. Willey

2011 Encana Corporation. All rights reserved.

Uncontrolled when printed.

Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

LEGAL NOTICE
Paper copies of this document are Veresen. This copy is valid only at the time of printing. The controlled version of this
document is stored on the Veresen Inc website. To ensure the most current version is being used, retrieve the current
version of the document at the start of each project. Information contained in this document is for information purposes
only. The information (including changes to the terms herein) may be changed or updated from time to time without
notice. In consideration for using Veresen Inc documentation, the user agrees to hold Veresen Inc and its affiliates and
subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents harmless against any claims for damages or
costs or any loss of any kind arising out of the access to or use of any information contained in or obtained through this
document.

Disclaimer of Warranties
In addition to the above disclaimers of warranties, Veresen Inc hereby expressly disclaims any liability for errors or
omissions in the information contained in this document. Although Veresen Inc believes this information to be correct at
the time it is posted, Veresen Inc does not warrant the accuracy, completeness or currency of this information at all
times. All information contained in this document is provided on an as-is and as-available basis without any
representations, warranties or endorsements whatsoever. This document has not been officially sealed and signed by an
Veresen Inc Professional Engineer; however, consultation with Engineering has been made where applicable to ensure
this document is of the highest standard. Engineering work done according to this document shall be sealed and signed
by the responsible Professional Engineer. This alleviates the necessity for this document to be sealed and signed by
Veresen Inc.
No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed or statutory, warranty of merchantability and non-infringement of intellectual
property rights, third party rights, title, and fitness for any particular purpose or freedom from computer viruses or other
contaminating or destructive properties is given in conjunction with the information contained in this document.

Exclusion of Liability
In no event shall Veresen Inc be liable for any damages, including without limitation, direct or indirect, special, incidental
or consequential damages, loss of profits, opportunities or information arising in connection with the Veresen Inc
documentation or with any linked web sites or documents even if Veresen Inc is made aware of the possibility of such
damages, losses, claims or expenses.

Intellectual Property Rights and Ownership

As between Veresen and the users of this documentation (whether it be in printed or electronic form), Veresen is the
owner, or the authorized licensee, of all works contained herein that are protected by copyright, all trade-marks, and all
inventions and trade secrets that may be contained in this documentation, whether or not such inventions and trade
secrets are protected by patents and applications for patents. Without limitation, the unauthorized use, modification,
copying, or disclosure of this documentation may violate laws and protect Veresens and/or others intellectual property
and may give rise to a right in Veresen and/or others to seek legal redress for such use, modification, copying, or
disclosure. To the extent permitted by license or law, Veresen reserves all intellectual property rights in this
documentation.

Patent Rights
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this documentation may be the subject of patent rights.
Veresen shall not be held responsible for identifying all such patent rights. Users of this documentation are expressly
advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights is entirely their own responsibility.

Authorized Use of this Documentation

Only those companies that have a current signed contract with Veresen may use this document. This documentation is
being provided by Veresen Inc for informational use only. The use of this documentation is limited to the specification,
design, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of Veresen Inc facilities and equipment. This
documentation in no way absolves the user of his/her obligations to ensure the applicable legislation, codes, regulations,
standards, industry practices, etc., are being upheld. If there are conflicts between this documentation and any legislation
or publications available, the user has the duty and responsibility to inform Veresen Inc prior to applying any guidelines
written in this documentation.
Limited copies of this documentation in print or paper form may be distributed only to persons who are authorized by
Veresen to have such copies, and only if this Legal Notice appears on each such copy. Users may not and may not
permit others to alter this documentation in any way or remove this Legal Notice, sell this documentation or make an
electronic copy of this documentation.
The display of trademarks, trade names or design marks in this document does not imply that a license of any kind has
been granted to any other party.
Any unauthorized use regarding publication, copying or modification of information in this document, including
trademarks, trade names and design marks, may violate applicable legislation and may result in legal action.
If you do not agree with any of the terms and conditions contained in this Legal Notice, you may not use this
documentation or make any copies of the contents hereof, and if you do make such copies, you are required to destroy
them immediately. Use of this documentation constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Legal
Notice.

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

PREFACE
The Veresen Specifications and Recommended Practices (SARPs) system is an
essential management tool for controlling and assuring the safety, reliability, operability,
and economic viability of production equipment and pipelines. These documents provide
further clarity to the requirements set forth by Veresen Inc and divisional Environment,
Health and Safety (EH&S) teams via the Corporate Management System and the
Divisional Standards.
The Specifications contain elements that are mandatory requirements as a result of
legislation, regulation, codes and/or guidelines. The Recommended Practices contain
proven, non-mandatory techniques or methodologies. The Management Plans are
mandatory documents that are essential to Veresen remaining compliant with
government regulations. All of these documents within this SARP system must be
considered by the parties engaged in the design, procurement, construction, and
maintenance of equipment and pipelines in which Veresen has an interest.
The Specifications and Management Plans may not be departed from in practice without
official approval via the electronic waiver procedure. The Recommended Practices are
subject to interpretation in their application, but where this results in an increased risk,
including a financial risk, the Facilities Engineer responsible must:
1. Ensure that such interpretations are made by a qualified Professional
Engineer.
2. Report such interpretations to the Facility Asset Management Group (FAM)
(i.e., the SARP Owner and Coordinator) via the formal electronic waiver
procedure for the purpose of quality assurance and communication with all
stakeholders.
The responsibility for design, build, and maintenance of equipment and pipelines resides
within the business units, while FAM makes itself available for advice to the business
units when required and provides current information to users of the SARPs. FAM will
continue to update the SARPs to ensure that they express regulated minimum
standards and to mitigate the problem of differing interpretation of legislation, regulation,
codes and/or guidelines by different users. FAM will alert the users to changes in these
publications through the issuance of revisions to the SARPs.
The above approach will address the specific needs of stakeholders without
compromising regulatory requirements or essential Inc values.
These SARPs will be posted on the Veresen Inc web site, and it will be the responsibility
of the users of these SARPs to use the most current revision.

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

REVISION SUMMARY
Rev

Clause Affected

Description of Change

Multiple

Added rationale to commented version

Revised: May 2011

Uncontrolled when printed.

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0

Introduction ...................................................................................................................1
1.1

2.0

3.0

General Requirements ..................................................................................................1

2.1

Codes and Standards ..........................................................................................1

2.2

Conflicts ...............................................................................................................2

2.3

Deviations ............................................................................................................2

Site Conditions ..............................................................................................................2

3.1

4.0

5.0

7.0

8.0

4.1

General ................................................................................................................3

4.2

Pipe Allowable Tolerances ...................................................................................3

4.3

Pile Tip Reinforcement.........................................................................................4

Fabrication .....................................................................................................................4
General ................................................................................................................4

Driving ............................................................................................................................4
6.1

General ................................................................................................................4

6.2

Tolerances ...........................................................................................................5

6.3

Driving Records ...................................................................................................5

6.4

Cutting and Capping ............................................................................................6

Inspection and Testing .................................................................................................6

7.1

Inspection ............................................................................................................6

7.2

Testing .................................................................................................................7

Site Clean-Up .................................................................................................................7

8.1

9.0

General ................................................................................................................2

Materials.........................................................................................................................3

5.1
6.0

Scope ..................................................................................................................1

General ................................................................................................................7

Guarantee ......................................................................................................................7
9.1

General ................................................................................................................7

Appendix A: Definitions............................................................................................................8

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

1.0

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

INTRODUCTION
This Specification covers the requirements for the supply and installation of driven steel
pipe piles.
1.1

Scope
The work includes materials, installation, record keeping and inspection of driven
steel pipe piles.
Key terms used in this Specification are defined in Appendix A.

2.0

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
2.1

Codes and Standards

2.1.1

All work shall be in accordance with this specification and the following
codes and standards. All codes and standards shall be the latest edition,
unless noted otherwise.
National/Provincial Codes and Standards
National Building Code of Canada (NBC), including supplements
Latest version of applicable provincial building codes
Applicable provincial Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

ASTM A252, Standard Specification for Welded and Seamless Steel

Pipe Piles
ASTM D1143, Standard Test Method for Deep Foundations Under
Static Axial Compressive Load
ASTM D3689, Standard Test Method for Deep Foundations Under
Static Axial Tensile Load
ASTM D4945, Standard Test Method for High-Strain Dynamic Testing
of Piles
ASTM A53, Standard Specifications of Pipe, Steel, Black and HotDipped, Zinc-Coated, Welded and Seamless
CSA Canadian Standards Association

G40.20-M, General Requirements for Rolled or Welded Structural

Quality Steel
G40.21, Structural Quality Steel
W48, Filler Metals and Allied Materials for Metal Arc Welding
W59, Welded Steel Construction
W47.1, Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel
Structures
Access to these external codes and standards is available internally
through Veresens Information and Records Centre via Standards
Expert. To simplify the search, a compiled list of all codes referenced in
all SARPs has been created, which you can easily search to find the
reference document of interest.
Revised: May 2011
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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

2.2

2.3

Conflicts
2.2.1

Where there are conflicts between Veresens drawings, data sheets

specifications or requisition and the specified code or governmental
requirements, such conflicts shall be referred to Veresen in writing for
resolution.

2.2.2

The Contractor shall comply with changes and/or additions incorporated

in the most recent issue or edition of codes, regulations and other
references issued up to the time of award of contract.

2.2.3

Where there is conflict between any changes to codes, regulations or

other references listed in the contents of this specification, the most
stringent shall apply.

2.2.4

Where there is conflict between the contents of this specification and

detailed engineering drawings, the Owner shall be called upon to make a
final and binding decision.

2.2.5

In case of conflict, metric (SI) shall over rule Imperial units.

2.2.6

In case of conflict, province/state and then country shall rule in that order.

Deviations
2.3.1

3.0

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

Veresen must approve any deviations from this document, in writing via
the waiver procedure. See VSN-GEN-S-01, SARP System.

SITE CONDITIONS
3.1

General
3.1.1

A geotechnical report on subsurface conditions, when available, will be

provided to the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible for the
interpretation of data presented therein, with respect to the installation of
piles.

3.1.2

Layout and surveying of piles shall be the responsibility of the Contractor.

3.1.3

The location for temporary pile storage on the job site shall be as
designated by the Owner.

3.1.4

Contractor shall ensure that the site conditions are adequate to support
the required piling installation equipment and for the proper performance
of the piling operations.

3.1.5

Contractor shall adopt safe work procedures and protect the public,
construction personnel, existing structures, both surface and
underground and any concurrent work on site from hazards attributable to
piling operations.

3.1.6

For piles that are installed within 1 m of existing underground structure or

utility, expose the existing structure. Pile location shall be verified to

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

ensure that a minimum of 300 mm clearance will exist between the

structure and the pile wall.
3.1.7

4.0

Contractor shall be responsible for the protection of survey monuments

and shall repair any damage caused during the course of work to these
monuments at no cost to the Owner.

MATERIALS
4.1

4.2

General
4.1.1

Steel pipe piles shall conform to ASTM A252, Grade 2. Pipe size and wall
thickness shall be as shown on the drawings.

4.1.2

All piling material shall be new material. Reclaimed pipe shall be subject
to approval by the Owner.

4.1.3

Welding electrodes shall be E43XX in accordance with CSA W48.1.

4.1.4

The Contractor shall submit completed mill certificates and/or inspection

certificate with all relevant information such as pile material properties,
physical analysis, tensile properties, chemical composition and any
testing completed for the Owners approval.

4.1.5

Where required due to difficult driving conditions, pile driving shoes shall
be of hardened or cast steel, inside fit type. The weld between the shoe
and the pile wall shall not protrude more than 2 mm beyond the outside
diameter of the pipe pile.

4.1.6

Shear rings conforming to CAN/GSA-G40.21, Grade 300W, may be

used.

4.1.7

All welding for splices shall conform to the requirements of CSA W59.
Splices shall be full penetration welds with a smooth finish (protrusions <
3 mm) or proprietary mechanical splices as approved by the Owner. Any
splices shall be capable of transmitting all of the driving forces as well as
all intended service loads.

4.1.8

Steel pipe cap plates shall conform to CAN/GSA-G40.21, Grade 300W.

Pipe Allowable Tolerances

4.2.1

Deviation from straight line, specified diameter, wall thickness and out-ofroundness on body of pipe and at pipe ends shall conform to API
Specification 5L.

4.2.2

Deviations from straight line must not exceed L/500, where L is test
length. Deviations shall be measured at mid-point of test length.
Allowable tolerance on axial alignment shall be 0.25% as measured by a
3m straight edge. Maximum deviation from required axial alignment of
battered piles shall be within 4% of pile length.

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

4.3

5.0

Pile Tip Reinforcement

4.3.1

Pile tip reinforcement shall be used where unusual soil conditions are
Veresen.

4.3.2

Reinforcement shall conform to CAN/GSA-G40.21, Grade 300W,

diameter not exceeding pipe outside diameter, welded to beveled pipe
end; or proprietary weld-less drive points with tapered swage, diameter
not exceeding pipe outside diameter.

FABRICATION
5.1

6.0

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

General
5.1.1

Size, nominal diameter and wall thickness shall be as indicated on

drawings. Whenever possible, fabricate full length piles to eliminate
splicing during installation.

5.1.2

Shop splicing shall be performed using complete joint penetration groove

welds.

5.1.3

Welding shall conform to CSA W59. Welders must be qualified under the
provisions of CSA W47.1.

5.1.4

CSA W48 series welding electrodes shall be used for welding.

DRIVING
6.1

General
6.1.1

Piles shall be open-ended steel piles, unless pile tip reinforcement is

required, and shall be driven either to the depths given on the drawings
or to practical refusal, whichever comes first.

6.1.2

Piles shall be free from protrusions which could create voids in the soil
around the pile during driving.

6.1.3

The Contractor shall submit the criteria for driving force and type of
hammer for Veresens approval.

6.1.4

The piles shall be driven with proper equipment and the driving energy
must not exceed 630 J/cm (3000 ft. lbs/ in) of cross-sectional area of
the pile. The driver should be capable of delivering at least 35 KJ (25,800
ft-lbs) of energy, but the minimum driving energy shall not be less than
the energy indicated on the drawings for specific pile diameter.

6.1.5

Piles shall be plumb prior to driving. PrVSNutions shall be taken to

prevent the buckling of piles or leading away from plumb or true position.
Proper cushion shall be provided between the hammer and the pile.

6.1.6

Where pre-boring into soil or frost is required to achieve the required

depths, it shall be carried out as follows:

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

The diameter of the pre-bore shall not exceed 90% of the outside pile
diameter.
Piles shall be driven at least 1.5 m below any pre-bore that is carried
out.

6.1.7

Practical refusal shall be taken as 10 blows per each 25 mm interval for

the last 150 mm of penetration at the specified driving energy. Driving
shall be stopped immediately if abrupt high resistance to penetration is
Veresen.

6.1.8

The Engineer shall be contacted immediately when practical refusal is

reached prior to the designed embedment length as indicated on the
engineering drawings has been achieved, or when pile capacity has not
been achieved when the designed embedment length as indicated on the
engineering drawings has been achieved.

6.1.9

Contractor shall take all necessary prVSNutions to ensure that all piling
materials and any protective coatings are not damaged during delivery,
storage, handling and positioning.

6.1.10 Splices, where required, shall be full penetration welds with smooth finish
(free of protrusions). Welding procedure shall conform to CSA W59.
6.1.11 Allow a minimum of 150 mm above the final cut-off elevation so that any
portion of the pile damaged during driving may be cut off. Remove and
dispose of cut-off lengths off-site unless otherwise directed by the Owner.
6.2

Tolerances
6.2.1

No pile shall be placed more than 75 mm off-centre at the cut-off

elevation. No pile shall be placed more than 2% out of plumb.

6.2.2

The following pile cut-off elevations are required:

6.2.3

6.3

+/- 25 mm for piles that will be cast into a concrete foundation

+0 and -10 mm for piles to be connected directly to structural steel
without a concrete pile cap. The maximum difference in cut-off
elevation within a group of piles that are to be connected directly to
the same steel beam or structural assembly shall not exceed 3 mm.

After each pile has been driven to its required embedment length, an
elevation is to be taken of the pile top or at an appropriate mark on the
side of the pile. This elevation is to be checked periodically to ensure that
it has not heaved during the driving of adjacent piles. Piles that have
heaved more than 10 mm are to be re-driven.

Driving Records
6.3.1

Pile driving reports shall be submitted to Veresen on a daily basis and

shall include the following information:

Revised: May 2011

Uncontrolled when printed.

Project name and number as used by Veresen

Logo and name of the Contractor

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

6.4

7.0

Date and time for start and finish for driving each pile
Pile number and equipment tag or structure identification
Shaft diameter and wall thickness and length
Blow counts for each 300 mm for the entire length driven
Blow counts for piles driven to practical refusal, if any
Final tip and head elevations
Hammer type, make, weight and stroke
Any problems Veresen
Measurement data for plumbness and location
As-built pile cut off elevation
Name of person responsible for recording the pile log
Design coordinate locations and as-built coordinate location at pile
head (after pile has been cut off to its final elevation)
Records of re-striking
Soil plug evaluation
Driving energy utilized

Cutting and Capping

6.4.1

When piles are fully driven and inspected to the satisfaction of Veresen,
and if cut-off and capping are included in the pile contract, they shall be
neatly cut on a horizontal plane at the specified cut-off elevation given in
the drawings.

6.4.2

Caps shall be of the size given in the pile schedule and shall conform to
standard design drawings for capping details. Pile caps that are offset to
compensate for misalignment shall include stiffener plates as shown on
the standard design detail.

INSPECTION AND TESTING

7.1

Inspection
7.1.1

Contractor shall provide the Owner with access to the work at all times for
checking materials and fabrication and installation procedures.

7.1.2

The Owner shall have the right to stop work and require repairs or
alterations if, in the Owners opinion, the materials or workmanship do not
meet the specified requirements.

7.1.3

Any omissions or failure on the part of the Owner to disapprove or reject

any work or materials must not be construed as an acceptance of any
defective work or materials.

7.1.4

Contractor will bear the cost of repair and additional inspection resulting
from faulty material or workmanship.

Revised: May 2011

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

7.2

8.0

Testing
7.2.1

When required by the Owner, the Contractor shall carry out pile load
tests to determine actual installed capacity of the piles. A Geotechnical
Engineer shall be consulted to determine the type of load tests that
should be carried out for the project. Load tests may be static load tests
or PDA load tests, depending on the recommendations made by the
Geotechnical Engineer and with the approval of the Owner.

7.2.2

If static load tests are called for to determine the actual capacity of piles,
the number and regularity of these tests is to be established prior to the
award of the pile installation contact and is to be contained within the
contract. All testing shall conform to ASTM D1143 or D3689.

7.2.3

Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) testing and analysis of installed piles could
be done to evaluate the actual capacity of piles. PDA tests could also be
called for by the Owner to determine the efficiency of the pile driving
equipment and to aid in determining the appropriate set criteria for that
equipment.

7.2.4

PDA tests are to be performed by Contractors that are experienced in the

performance and interpretation of PDA test methods including utilizing
the Case Pile Wave Analysis Program (CAPWAP) performed in
accordance with ASTM D4945.

SITE CLEAN-UP
8.1

General
8.1.1

9.0

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

Contractor shall remove all surplus material and debris, including pre-drill
cuttings (if applicable), from the site on a daily basis and upon
satisfactory completion of the work. All waste material shall be disposed
of in proper designated locations, or as directed by the Owner.

GUARANTEE
9.1

General
9.1.1

Contractor shall guarantee all works against defective materials and poor
workmanship for a period of one year after piling has been placed. Any
remedial work including replacement piles, if necessary, shall be at
Contractors expense.

9.1.2

Contractor shall guarantee compliance with the Codes and Standards

identified in this specification, drawings or other documents
accompanying contract documents.

Revised: May 2011

Uncontrolled when printed.

2011 Encana Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Driven Steel Pipe Piles

ECA-CIV-S-09 Rev. 1

APPENDIX A: DEFINITIONS

Term

Definition

Contractor

The party or parties supplying the equipment, material, goods, or

services described in the purchase order and/or specifications.

Veresen

Veresen Inc. Can also refer to Veresens representatives.

Management Plans

Mandatory documents that are essential to Veresen remaining

compliant with government regulations and contain requirements
for inspection, testing, competency, etc. If any deviation from
these documents is desired, the waiver procedure (see VSNGEN-S-01, SARP System) must be followed.

Owner

Veresen Inc or its designated representatives.

Recommended Practices

Non-mandatory documents that describe techniques or

methodologies that, through experience and research, have
proven to reliably lead to a desired result. Recommended
Practices do not require official approval for waivers but the same
waiver procedure outlined in VSN-GEN-S-01, SARP System must
be followed, with the exception of a delay in waiting for a
response from the Owner. This is to maintain consistency in our
practices and to ensure communication is made to all
stakeholders if there proves to be a better, or alternative method.

Specifications

Mandatory documents that specify, in a complete, precise,

verifiable manner, the requirements, design, behavior, or other
characteristics of a system, component, product, result, or service
and, often, the procedures for determining whether these
provisions have been satisfied. These documents will refer to
appropriate guidelines, codes, and legislation/regulation and only
repeat such information as a point of clarification/interpretation.
They may at times exceed the requirements of these publications
to provide best lifecycle economics, not necessarily capital
savings. If any deviation from these documents is desired, the
waiver procedure (see VSN-GEN-S-01, SARP System) must be
followed.

Standards Expert

Veresen subscribes to Standards Expert, a tool provided through

IHS. Standards Expert provides Veresen employees online
access to industry codes and standards. Any documents not
available on this site should be requested through the Information
and Records Centre to track requests and to provide funding to
purchase the documents on a license or one-off basis.

ge

Revised: May 2011

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