Deep Foundation
Solutions
Specialized Construction Solutions
At A.H. Beck Foundation Company, we take pride in our legacy of innovation and excellence in the deep foundation industry. Our rich history and extensive experience enable us to offer industry-leading expertise and a deep commitment to safety, ensuring the success of every project we undertake.
Our approach is holistic, encompassing a range of specialized services to meet the diverse needs of our clients and projects. We are dedicated to providing solutions that are not only effective but also innovative, aligning with our clients’ visions and objectives.
Work with Us
Optimal Efficiency, Unmatched Expertise, and Proven Success
We bring our wealth of experience, innovative and collaborative solutions, as well as our uncompromising commitment to safety to each and every project we take on to ensure your project is delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest quality standards.
Utilize our advanced techniques
Leverage our extensive, field-tested experience
collaborate with top-tier geotechnical engineers
Advanced Design-Build Solutions
Efficient and Value-Driven Alternatives
We maintain the geotechnical expertise to evaluate the cost, technical limitations, and impact of all systems on constructability and schedule issues, offering value-engineered alternatives that enhance production efficiency and reduce project expense.
Multi-Disciplinary Approach
As projects evolve in complexity and scale, we integrate multiple products and services, including instrumentation, groundwater management, and general site grading, under a single contract, ensuring coordinated project management and seamless execution.
Optimized Foundation Specifications
Our team collaborates with leading geotechnical engineers to test soil conditions and determine the most advantageous pile type for each project, leveraging our extensive archive of test results to establish ideal foundation specifications.
Specialized Solutions for Diverse Need
Provides advanced solutions in groundwater management, general site grading, excavations, and state-of-the-art instrumentation and monitoring programs to address diverse project needs and ensure construction safety and optimal performance.
Key Techniques
We engage closely with our clients to understand their needs and challenges, delivering solutions that are not only technically proficient but also cost-effective and timely.
Drilled Shafts
Drilled shaft foundations are a very established deep foundation technology. They are constructed typically by excavating a 3-12 ft in diameter hole and constructing a cast-in-place reinforced concrete foundation within the hole, typically by placing in the steel reinforcement and subsequently pouring in concrete (very commonly using Tremie pipes).
These foundation systems have excellent axial capacity due to a combination of side shearing and end bearing resistance. The size of the foundations also allows for significant resistance to lateral and overturning loads. Drilled commonly reach depths of up to 200 ft and may extend to 300 ft or more.
Augercast Piles
Augercast piles are installed by drilling with a hollow stem, initially plugged, continuously flighted auger to design depth.The plug is then ejected and a high strength sand-cement grout is pumped into the hole as the auger is slowly withdrawn. Dependant on the injection and withdrawal rates, the grout may displace the existing soils optimizing bearing properties.
Limited reinforcing steel can be installed or vibrated down into the fresh grout once completed. The resulting grout column subsequently hardens and forms an augercast pile. Pile diameters of 12 to 18 inches are most common for augercast type piles, with the diameters up to about 36 inches possible. Augercast pile advantages include not requiring casing or slurry for their construction, speed of installation and cost. Augercast piles have the disadvantages of being constructed at smaller diameters and thus lesser capacities, and have limited reinforcement capabilities.
Low Headroom Shafts and Piles
In many cases, construction sequencing or other existing infrastructure restrictions provide little room and especially airspace for the construction of piles. In these cases, specialized, compact, but powerful equipment may be needed and particular attention is needed on the construction process to ensure the safety of the workers, the stability of the existing infrastructure, and the high quality of construction.
Displacement piles
Displacement piles are a specialized deep foundation technique, constructed by advancing a distinct displacement tool with a high-torque drilling platform into the ground. Especially effective in soils from loose to medium density, this method enhances shaft friction, allowing for the installation of shorter or more robust piles compared to conventional augered ones. Notably producing minimal spoils, it’s ideal for areas with contaminated soils or urban locales where spoil removal is costly.
Driven Piles
Piles are used to transfer surface loads to a competent soil or rock at depth when the surface layer is not adequate or is not economically feasible to use.This load transfer may be by vertical distribution of the load along the pile shaft (skin friction) or a direct application of load to a lower stratum through the pile point (end-bearing). Piles can also serve to carry lateral, uplift and overturning loads. Driven piles are typically delivered to construction sites prefabricated and consist of either reinforced, pre- or post-tensioned concrete, timber, open- or closed-ended steel pipe or H-beams. Diesel hammers are the most common driving mechanism used to drive piles although other driving methods are seldom used. A primary drawback to driving piles is the large noise and vibration associated with this form of deep foundation construction.
Driven piles are typically of small diameter and are often grouped into clusters or rows. The pile groups are then tied together using pile caps or grade beams that carry the column and wall loads. An indicator pile program can be conducted at the onset of construction using a pile driving analyzer, to help correlate driving energies and capacities, and optimize design.
Helical pile
The shafts are advanced to bearing depth by twisting them into the soil while monitoring torque to estimate the pile capacity.
The helical pile system is a deep foundation system that consists of helical bearing plates around a central shaft. They are advanced to bearing depth by being screwed in the soil with minimal disturbance. By monitoring the torque necessary to install them, the pile capacity can also be estimated. Once installed the loads from the superstructure are transferred from the pile to the soil through the helical bearing plates.
Post Grouted Drilled Shafts
Post grouted drilled shafts are essentially drilled shafts that have an increased end bearing capacity compared to conventionally constructed drilled shafts. This is achieved by pressure grouting beneath the shaft tip. A major advantage of the post grouted drilled shafts is that they typically mobilize their tip capacity at lower displacements.
Micro Piles
Micro Piles are small diameter piles that can be installed in a variety of soils from non-cohesive, poorly-graded granular soils, to cohesive plastic clays. Also known as mini piles, pin piles, needle piles or root piles, micro piles can offer a viable alternative to conventional piling techniques, particularly in restricted access or low headroom situations.
A micro pile foundation system may be advantageous in areas where large boulders are sporadic in the subsurface, as the small diameter micro piles may be able to be installed around such boulders. Micro piles are installed using water flush rotary drilling or rotary percussion drilling techniques. Measuring between 6 and 12 inches in diameter, micro piles consistently achieve capacities of 20 to 100 tons, with special installations up to 200 tons. Micro pile drilling methods generate minimal disturbance or vibration to adjacent structures, making micro piles an excellent underpinning alternative.
Rock Anchors
Post-tensioned rock and concrete anchors consist of high tensile strength bars or strands installed in drilled holes which are subsequently tensioned.The anchors provide lateral and vertical load capacity for the installed structures to resist movement. The anchor bottom is bonded to rock or concrete by a cement grout, resin, or can be fixed by a mechanical anchor. The upper portion, or free length, is initially left ungrouted for prestressing; then subsequently grouted to lock in the tension and provide additional corrosion resistance. Rock anchors are used as a cost effective solution to tie down and tie back dams, towers, bridges and other critical structures, for seismic retrofitting, to anchor raft foundations below the groundwater table, and to secure caisson bottoms. Anchors have the design advantage of being able to provide support at hundreds of feet in depth with relatively limited access and disturbance. Corrosion resistant anchors are also available should the project be located in a harshly corrosive environment.
Rigid Inclusions
GIEs are vertical grout columns utilized for soil stabilization and reinforcement. Their installation involves either full or partial displacement methods followed by the injection of fluid cement grout into the created space. GIEs enhance the properties of granular soils and reinforce various soil types, including granular and fine-grained soils beneath shallow foundations and floor slabs. This process is especially effective for mitigating liquefaction in seismically active regions, from surface level to greater depths.
In fine-grained soils, neutral displacement augered, grouted elements are implemented to reduce settlement and increase bearing capacity, establishing a robust subgrade for shallow foundations and floor slabs.
A.H. Beck can develop an economical and efficient subgrade improvement or reinforcement strategy for a diverse range of soil conditions, from sands susceptible to liquefaction to various fills and clays. Our engineering team is equipped to tailor a ground improvement scheme that meets the specific needs of your project. For additional information on A.H. Beck GIEs and our engineering services, please contact our engineering group or visit our regional office.
Rammed Aggregate Piers
A.H. Beck utilizes the proven Rammed Aggregate Pier® (RAP) system to deliver robust ground improvement solutions. This technique forms a dense column of aggregate that works in concert with the existing soil to form a strengthened matrix. Applicable to a broad spectrum of soil types and design scenarios, RAP systems are flexible in their application, offering “drill and fill” approaches for stable non-caving soils such as silts and clays, and “displacement” methods for soils that are more prone to collapse, including sands and soft clays and silts.
Leveraging the RAP technology, A.H. Beck can provide foundational support even in challenging organic soils by integrating cement or grout when necessary. The end result of implementing RAP is a significantly stiffened soil mass, ensuring improved bearing capacity and exceptional settlement control, optimal for the support of various foundation types, including spread footings and slabs-on-grade. This approach underscores A.H. Beck’s commitment to delivering high-quality foundation solutions using industry-recognized technologies.
Soil Cement Columns / Deep Soil Mixing
Soil cement columns deep soil mixing is the mechanical blending of soil with cementitious materials to form a soilcrete mixture with increased shear strength, reduced compressibility, reduced permeability and other improved properties. Many structures such as embankments, tanks, commercial/industrial buildings and port facilities can be economically supported by soil mix columns. Soil mix columns can be used to stabilize slopes and levees, create in-situ gravity retaining structures, and can greatly reduce lateral loads on bulkhead walls. Soil mixing can also be used to facilitate tunnel construction and to minimize the impact that the tunneling may have on nearby structures. Deep soil mixing construction is most often provided on a design and build basis. As part of the design process, soil borings are conducted, and various laboratory mix designs are developed to achieve the required compressive strength and other design requirements. Once an optimum mix is developed, the installation of the soil cement columns begins. Soil mixing can be accomplished with a wide range of mixing tools and configurations dependent upon the specific application and use. QA/QC is employed to ensure that the proper mixing and cement dosages are completed in columns with the proper diameter and depth in the field and that the design mix compressive strength is being met.
Compaction and Jet Grouting
Grouting is a ground improvement technique utilizing a relatively stiff (low mobility) grout injected at high pressure into a relatively loose granular stratum for densification. The technique is typically used to increase bearing pressure and reduce settlement of proposed structures, can be used to re-level structures that have settled, and to densify beneath structures proposed for increased loading.
The process of compaction grouting involves the installation of 2 to 4 inch diameter drilled or driven injection pipes to the bottom of the zone for improvement. The pipe is then withdrawn through the target layer in increments while injecting bulbs of grout into the ground. As the highly viscous bulb is injected in the ground, the radial force exerted compacts the in-situ soil. A relatively slow injection rate is used to allow water to dissipate and prevent fracturing the soils. Typically an initial injection grid is completed, followed by a secondary grid with injection points in between the initial grid points. Pumping of the grout for any individual grout bulb is terminated once refusal pressure is obtained or should heaving occur at the surface. Typically greater than 1,500 psf overburden stress is required to maximize densification. This stress can come from overburden soils, surcharge loads and/or foundation loads.
Jet grouting is a similar bottom up grouting technique, but utilizing very high pressure (4,000 to 6,000 psi) grout injected through small nozzles at very high velocity; which tends to fracture and destroy the natural matrix of the soils. The result is a relatively homogeneous structural element called soilcrete with improved engineering properties. Due to the high pressures involved, relatively large column elements can be constructed through small boreholes giving the technique a very good limited access advantage. The column elements are often constructed overlapping to form large treated masses. Jet grouting can be applied to a wide range of soils from primarily granular soils to plastic clays. Jet grouting is typically used for underpinning, excavation support, stabilization of soft or liquefiable soils, and control of polluted or unpolluted groundwater.
Vibratory Piers
Vibratory piers are a form of ground improvement used in soft or loose soils to reinforce the ground for proposed improvements, increase soil bearing capacity, decrease settlement, increase global stability and decrease seismically induced deformations. Vibro pier technology uses a powerful downhole vibrating hammer called a vibroflot capable of depositing and consolidating a dense gravel or concrete column and at the same time densifying adjacent in-situ granular soil deposits. The vibroflot is supported by a standard crane or a crawler crane. The resultant columns are used to transfer loads down to more competent load bearing strata. Vibro stone columns can serve a dual purpose as vertical drains relieving excess soil pore water pressure during earthquake events and therefore minimizing liquefaction potential. Vibratory stone columns are typically predrilled whereas concrete columns are not.
Wick drains or Prefabricated Vertical Drains
Wick drains or Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVD’s) are typically used in combination with preloading to accelerate the consolidation of fine grained soils, and therefore minimize post-construction settlement for proposed improvements. Once loaded by new structures such as buildings or embankments, the rate at which settlement of saturated soft ground occurs is based on the rate at which water can be squeezed out and drain off from those soils. The consolidation settlement of such fine grained soils may take 10 years or more. Wick drains work by decreasing the drainage path distance through the soil by inserting closely spaced artificial vertical drainage paths in a grid pattern, to which soil pore water can flow, thus decreasing the consolidation time to a matter of months. Once the wick drains and a drainage blanket are installed, soil is piled in the area to be preloaded to increase stresses in the soil and squeeze soil water into the wick drains. The wick drains consist of a central plastic core surrounded by a thin geosynthetic filter jacket. The drains functions as free-draining water channels conducting water up or down to high permeability sand layers or a constructed surficial drainage blanket. Wick drains can be installed to depths exceeding 200 feet. A typical wick drain is approximately 4 inches wide and comes in rolls up to 1,000 feet in length. Wick drains are installed with equipment called stitchers, which are mounted on either backhoes or cranes, and consist of a vertical mast housing an installation mandrel. The mandrel containing the wick drain is hydraulically pushed or vibrated into the ground to the desired treatment depth. The mandrel is then withdrawn into the mast leaving the installed wick drain in place.
Diaphragm Walls & Slurry Cutoff Walls
Diaphragm walls are subsurface reinforced concrete structures formed and cast in slurry trenches. Excavation is accomplished by digging panels along temporary guidewalls using either a long reach excavator or a mechanical clamshell attached to a Kelly bar, and then connecting the panels to form continuous walls. Bentonite or polymer based slurries are used during construction to prevent soil incursions into the trenches. Reinforced cages are placed followed by tremied structural concrete. The result is a structural wall system that not only provides temporary earth support and a groundwater barrier, but also provides the permanent foundation system. Diaphragm walls are typically 2 to 4 feet wide and can be constructed well in excess of a hundred feet deep as required. Diaphragm walls are often used in urban areas where movement control is critical, where groundwater is present and makes conventional shoring difficult, or where dewatering is not practical. Typical diaphragm wall applications include basement construction, cut and cover tunneling, landslide stabilization, road cuts, or other deep excavations. Slurry cut-off walls are non-structural barriers that are constructed deep underground to impede groundwater flow above and below the groundwater table. They can be used to help dewater jobsites for excavation, to contain contaminated water at waste sites, and to help stabilize dams and levees. Cut off walls typically vary between about 1.5 to 5 feet wide and in most cases are keyed a few feet into a low permeability clay or bedrock. Slurry walls are typically backfilled with bentonite and may contain a portion of the excavated soil and/or cement. Soil-bentonite walls are very common due to their cost and functionality. Cement is added when higher strength backfills are required but can have a negative impact on the slurry permeability. Plastic sheeting can also be incorporated in the cut-off wall where very high performance is required.
Diaphragm Walls & Slurry Cutoff Walls
Diaphragm walls are subsurface reinforced concrete structures formed and cast in slurry trenches. Excavation is accomplished by digging panels along temporary guidewalls using either a long reach excavator or a mechanical clamshell attached to a Kelly bar, and then connecting the panels to form continuous walls. Bentonite or polymer based slurries are used during construction to prevent soil incursions into the trenches. Reinforced cages are placed followed by tremied structural concrete. The result is a structural wall system that not only provides temporary earth support and a groundwater barrier, but also provides the permanent foundation system. Diaphragm walls are typically 2 to 4 feet wide and can be constructed well in excess of a hundred feet deep as required. Diaphragm walls are often used in urban areas where movement control is critical, where groundwater is present and makes conventional shoring difficult, or where dewatering is not practical. Typical diaphragm wall applications include basement construction, cut and cover tunneling, landslide stabilization, road cuts, or other deep excavations. Slurry cut-off walls are non-structural barriers that are constructed deep underground to impede groundwater flow above and below the groundwater table. They can be used to help dewater jobsites for excavation, to contain contaminated water at waste sites, and to help stabilize dams and levees. Cut off walls typically vary between about 1.5 to 5 feet wide and in most cases are keyed a few feet into a low permeability clay or bedrock. Slurry walls are typically backfilled with bentonite and may contain a portion of the excavated soil and/or cement. Soil-bentonite walls are very common due to their cost and functionality. Cement is added when higher strength backfills are required but can have a negative impact on the slurry permeability. Plastic sheeting can also be incorporated in the cut-off wall where very high performance is required.
