Micropiles

in Construction
Challenges & Lessons Learnt

Micropiles - Timeline

1952 - First introduced in Italy for foundation restoration (underpinning) of WWII damaged buildings 1960s Widely used in Europe for underpinning old sensitive structures mid 70s First introduced in USA (New York & Boston) 1980s Being introduced in East Asia Today Micro-mini Revolution worldwide

Micropile Applications

Supporting New Loads in Congested Areas Seismic Retrofit Arresting Structural Settlement Resisting Uplift/Dynamic Loads Underpinning Excavation Support in Confined Areas

Why is Micropiles still unattractive in the South?

Challenges today

Challenges

No.1 : High CO$T

RM$150350 /meter Price Depends on :

Reinforcement Type Volume () of hole Grouting Method (any post grouting) Location - Accessibility Length/Quantity of piles

Challenges

Why High CO$T?

High Steel (up to 20% As/Ac) High Labour Cost Low Prod Grout (NS) (+admixture) expensive Fabricate cage in-situ compared to

mass production for precast RC pile

Specialist technology expensive Few players in the market

Challenges No.2 : SLOW

Wash Boring 250mm x 25m, Drag/roller bit, 4T25 cage, silty soil,3m casing

2 piles/day

-ditto- sandstone/granite socket 2m, DTH Hammer 2-3 piles/day

Challenges Why Slow

Although Drilling rate alone is high
(e.g. up to 1/min DTH thru granite)

Adding/Dismantling of Rods manually Installation/Extract of casing time-consuming Manual in-situ fabrication of cage on-site Fixing of couplers, spacers, welding take time Manual mixing of cement grout Same machine used for cage installation High rig breakdown (mostly hydraulic) Estimation of soil / selection of drill bit difficult slow down during drilling Start-up check/servicing of rig long

Challenges No.3a : Risks

Damage to public properties while maneuvering/s ettingup/drilling.

Challenges
No.3b : Risks
Damage to own equipment:

Can the carwash take this?

Rod shears off & drop into hole. Rod/DTH gets stuck in-hole. Rig gets stuck in soft soil

Wheres the other half of my body???

Challenges No.4 : Prepare for a messy, messy, messy mess

DTH Hammer Air-Flushing

Dads favourite Pasar Malam umbrella

Challenges Wet, Soggy, Soft ground from wash boring makes it difficult to maneuver
Help!!! Ive lost the last pile we drilled cant see a thing!

What now!!!

You just crawled over it!!

Challenges - YESTERDAY Leading to -ve General Perception

Where a man can enter, I can install a Micropile You must be joking. Too Expen$ive!

But the BENEFITS blah, blah, blah

I know the PROBLEMS! I dont want to take the risk.

The Construction Industry TODAY

Complicated Structures Constricted Access Confined Space Difficult sites Special Foundations..

But Still MICROPILES are best when it comes to DIFFICULT Special sites!
I need Capacity but NO Space!
I also need high lateral capacity piles by this slope.

Eureka!
MICROPILE Boleh!

TODAY

1980 I need 3m rock socketing! 1990

Bore pile too BIG need something tiny.

Today

Benefits of Micropiles No.1 Reason

When you have problems of low headroom and restricted access

Low Headroom / Restricted Access Problem

Benefits of Micropiles No.1 Reason

Restricted Access?

Proposed 8-storey building.

50 x 100 area

Ho Chi Minh City District 1

Benefits of Micropiles No.2 Reason :

High Performance
Loading fr 3 500 tons! Higher As/Ac compared to RC Driven pile As Micropile 4-8% vs As RC Pile <3% -> Better in Bending, Lateral Loading Shear resistance, Seismic performance

Benefits of Micropiles
High As/Ac Good for High Lateral/

Seismic
Loading &

Bending

Benefits of Micropiles No.3 Reason :

Can Penetrate Anything
Drilling thru stiff clay, sandstone, timber, granite (except buried steel).
Easier penetration in rock compared to bored pile.

By various creative ways of drilling

Benefits of Micropiles

By various creative ways of drilling

Wash Boring Roller (Tricone) Bit Auger

Buried Steel

Down Hole Hammer

Benefits of Micropiles No.4 Reason :

Flexibility
(Many Ways) to adjust to difficult soils
Enhance End Bearing Cross-Breed with other Ground Improvement technique

Benefits of Micropiles

Flexibility Suits the soil, Suits your needs

Benefits of Micropiles

No.5 Reason :

Almost ZERO Vibration/Noise.

NO Complains!

Lesson 1 :

Lessons Learnt

Micropiles are LABOUR INTENSIVE!

Cost $ can be reduced by : Reducing Manpower;
Using Steel Pipes as alternative to rebars - still gives required As but greatly reduces manpower 2-3men. Use Ready Mix grout for large grouting quantity with known grouting time.

Reducing Manpower;
Use slurry pump mixer instead of gravity mixer into agitator tank. A little more investment goes a long way. Use a crane to install steel cages/steel pipes instead of using the rigs winch/rotary For large quantities & long term job install a silo on-site (or get a supplier do so) With 2 or more rigs, always work close by & cut the manpower for drilling helper & assistant driller.

Lessons Learnt

Typical Manpower Requirement

e.g. 100 micropiles, wash bore, 250mm, 20m, 2 rigs. Rig (2 No.) Fabrication Grouting etc
1x2 driller 2x2 helpers 1 welder 2 general workers 2 1 1 1 @ grout mixer @ agitator tank pump operator hoseman
Can cut down to only 8-9 men for concurrent activity planning & utilising ready mix or slurry pump mixer, steel pipe & crane. Production >4 piles/day/rig

TOTAL Production

14 men 3 piles/day/rig

Overall cost reduction ~ 20-30% by increased production.

Lessons Learnt
In a typical micropiling site,

factor in 20-30% time loss due to :

Breakdowns of rig/pump & other support equipment. Traffic Congestion on-site (accessibility) Machines Idling (poor planning) btw drilling/installation/grouting.

Lesson Learnt 2 Breakdowns

Fact : Micropile drilling rigs can have up to 30 hydraulic switches & very susceptible to breakdown/ hydraulic leak/burst.

Hydraulic Hoses

If one bursts

Lessons Learnt 2a
For small sites,

use simpler rigs with lower torque, faster RPM

(depending on soil type) e.g.

SI rigs - fewer

breakdowns.

Small/Constrained sites - SI Rig/ Portable Drill frame e.g. Jacro is the solution!

Lessons Learnt 2a

Small/Constrained sites using SI Rig / Drill Frame SI Rig thru Yangon Soil : Alluvial soil Stiff silty CLAY, Drag bit, 500mm, 20m deep, SI Machine 1-2 piles per day!

Lessons Learnt 2a

Yangon, Myanmar

In Johor, Msia: 250mm, 20m deep, Drag/Roller bit, soft medium clay/marine clay; > 1-1.5 piles per day!

Lessons Learnt 3
Plan Well Accessibility & Maneuverity very important
Steel casing instead of rebar saves fabrication Crane saves manpower/r ig time

Small drill rigs (SI rig) with high RPM for easy soil condition

Concurrent drilling & work close together saves manpower

Site clean & well-kept makes maneuvering easy

Lessons Learnt 4 - Planning

Micropiling Stages in Critical Path (Non-concurrent)

1. Setting Out Points + Shifting 2. Drilling, Install casing & ensure hole stability 3. Flushing & Withdrawal of rods 4. Install fabricated rebar 5. Flushing & Grouting

Grouting Plant

Typical Site Setup

Clearing of new area for setting out

Entrance/D elivery

Grouting Plant

Air Compressor Preparing to grout pile here

Ac ss ce

Water Tank

Current Drilling Location

Rd
Fabrication Yard Drilling Pump

Lessons Learnt 4
Damages to public property/own equipment

Make sure you have adequate COVER 3rd party public injury + property) Clear the MESS! Check drilling rig / pump regularly

(+

Check for cracks on drilling rods/joints regularly Test the ground before bringing in the rig
Golden Site Rule of Thumb:

Where a man can stand on a ground without sinking, a rig can also enter.
Pressure exerted by your feet = Pressure exerted by rigs track

Lessons Learnt 5
Avoid relying solely on experience without theory

Use the RIGHT Drilling Equipment/Tools :

Drilling Rig (Flexible) Size, Rotary Torque, RPM, maneuverity Drilling Type Wash Bore, Dry Auger, DTH Drill Bit & Rods Drag Bit, Roller Bit, DTH (flat/convex), Tubex. Pump Recirculating fluid Diaphragm pump / Piston pump.

Monitor drilling parameters :

Thrust Force on Drilling bit Drilling Fluid Flow Rate & Pressure Rotary/top drive RPM Rotary/top drive torque Air Compressor Output Pressure Recirculating Fluid Viscosity Why?
Thrust Force : The thrust force is the force acting along the axis of
the drill during cutting. The thrust force plays a significant role in the buckling of the drill.

Torque/RPM : The Torque/RPM signifies the power needed by the

machine tool to drill the hole. Also, Torque acting on the drill can result in torsional vibrations affecting hole quality.

Lessons Learnt 6
Avoid Pile Failures - Avoid Soft Toe

Clean the TOE flush well till CLEAR water appears before grouting ! Tremie tube to be fixed at tip of last casing.

Lessons Learnt 7
ESTIMATING PILE CAPACITY ON-SITE
Wash Boring; Rate of Drilling 1m in hrs eqv- SPT N=100 (Linearly proportional 1m in 15min eqv N=50) Skin Friction, fs = 2N kN/m2 End Bearing, fb = 400N/3 or 10000 kN/m2
(whichever is lesser)

Where a man can enter, a micropile can be installed

Where a micropile can be installed by man, the pile can be tested by man by the Micro PDA Hammer Rig. !

MICROPILES TODAY
Are different from their predecessors

They are now: Cheap suits your Budget Easy/Fast to Install High Tech less labour Very High Axial/

Lateral/Bending Capacity

The Future Telescopic Micropiling Rigs

Solutions for the Difficult Ground