SECTION 21
WORKS SPECIFICATIONS
FOR MICROPILING WORKS
1.0 GENERAL
The Contractor shall supply, install and test micropiles shown on the drawings or specified
herein in accordance with the specification
The Contractor shall allow for all necessary operations including cutting through concrete
slabs, scaffolding, platforms, handling equipment, tools machinery etc necessary for the
expeditions handling of the work.
1.1 Setting Out
The Contractor shall be required to employ an approved Licensed Surveyor who will set up the
positions of the piles as shown in the pile layout plans of the detailed design. The Contractor will
be responsible for the accuracy of location and positioning of each pile. Any errors in setting
out and any consequential loss to the Employer will be made good by the Contractor to the
satisfaction of the Engineer.
The Contractor shall preserve the pegs set out by the Surveyor. Should any peg be displaced or
lost it must be replaced by a Licensed Surveyor to the approval of the Engineer. Upon
completion of all piling works, the Contractor shall produce as-built Drawings showing the
positions of all piles as installed. The positions of piles shall be verified by a Licensed Surveyor.
1.2 Tolerances
Position
The pile heads shall be positioned as shown on the Drawings within a maximum deviation of
40mm in either direction from correct centre point.
Verticality
For bored cast-in-situ piles, the maximum permitted deviation of the finished pile from the
vertical at any level is 1 in 150. The contractor shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of Engineer
the pile verticality is within the allowable tolerance.
Correction
Should piles be installed outside these tolerances affecting the design and appearance of the
structure, the Contractor shall propose and carry out immediate remedial measure to the
approval of the Engineer.
1.3 Person in Charge
The piling work is to be carried out by full time operators and supervisory staff who must be
experienced in the installation of the proposed type of piles.
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The Contractor shall submit to the Engineer for approval, written evidence to show that the
persons who will be engaged in the works have had such experience.
1.4 Piling Equipment and Accessories
The equipment and accessories must be capable of safely, speedily and efficiently installing
piles to the design requirements at the project site.
Sufficient units of equipment and accessories must be provided to keep to the agreed
construction schedule.
1.5 Sequence of Installation of Working Piles
The Engineer reserves the absolute right and the Contractor shall recognize such right to direct
the installation of working piles in any sequence the Engineer deems necessary for the
satisfactory completion of the works.
2.0 SCOPE OF WORKS
The contract comprises the provision of all labour, materials, tools, plant etc necessary for the
following work :
a. Supply and installation of pile foundations to carry the loads as specified in the
drawings.
b. Stripping and cutting the piles to cut off levels specified and preparation of the pile
head as shown.
c. Carrying out standards load test as specified.
3.0 MATERIALS
3.1 Reinforcement
The type of reinforcement to be used, the diameter and/or thickness, grade, yield strength
and stress shall be as specified or as shown on the Drawings.
3.2 Grout
Unless otherwise specified, the grout shall be non-shrink cement grout. The grout mix design
such as the water-cement ratio, the minimum cement and grout strength at 7 and 28 days
shall be as specified and shown on the Drawings.
Grout shall be tested in accordance with BS 1881 and BS 4550. Maximum bleed shall be
limited to 5%.
If admixtures are used, details of admixtures shall be submitted to the Engineer for approval
before commencement of works. The use of the admixture shall fully comply with the
manufacturer’s instructions.
If the grout cube as tested failed to satisfy the criteria as prescribed in Specification and
drawings, the piles constructed using this batch of grout shall be rejected. The Contractor
shall undertake all necessary additional and consequential remedial/compensatory work to
the approval of the Engineer.
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4.0 SITE AND ADJACENT PROPERTIES
4.1 Subsoil Data
The soil investigation report is included in the tender documents only for information and
guidance to the tenderers, and shows the approximate nature of the strata as known to the
Engineer. The Employer and Engineer shall not be liable for the accuracy of the data given
and the Contractor may carry out his own soil investigation to obtain additional information.
4.2 Site Visit
The tenderer is advised to visit the site to acquaint himself with the site conditions and no
claims for inadequate information regarding site conditions will be entertained at a later date.
The system or systems put forward by the tenderer shall be well known. The adequacy of any
system and its approval shall be at the discretion of the Engineers.
4.3 Underground Services And Adjacent Property
The Contractor shall take care to ensure the safety of underground services and adjacent
properties during the installation of micropiles. The contractor will be liable to any claims of
damage to the piling operations.
5.0 DRILLING OPERATIONS
5.1 Diameter of Piles
The diameter of piles shall not be less than the specified/designed diameter at any level
throughout its length.
5.2 Drilling
The Contractor shall submit to the Engineer details of drilling equipment and drilling
procedure for approval before commencement of works. Drilling operations shall be carried
out in accordance with the relevant requirements as follows:
(a) Boring near recently Cast Piles
Piles shall not be bored next to other piles which have recently been cast less than 24
hours or contain unset grout, whichever longer to avoid damage to any of these piles.
(b) Stability of Drill holes
It is held that the Contractor has allowed in the unit rate of the pile for the
implementation of all necessary measures, including the provision of all materials,
labour and plant, for maintaining the stability of the sides of boreholes during Micropile
installation and successful completion of the piles. The Contractor shall submit his
proposed methods for agreement prior to commencement of boring operations.
Irrespective of the presence of ground water, the sides of all borehole shall be kept
intact and no loose material shall be permitted to fall into the bottom of the boreholes.
The Contractor's boring equipment shall be able to sink a steel casing to support
thesides of all boring.
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If the sides of boreholes are found to be not stable, temporary steel casing shall be
driven into stable stratum. The borehole shall be filled with drilling fluid to a level
sufficiently to stabilise the boreholes.
If ground water is found in any hole in sufficient quantity or gushing out as to affect
boring operations or excavations and removal of soil from the boreholes, or the sides of
boreholes collapse, then a steel casing of appropriate size and length in conjunction
with stabilising fluid or other alternatives of sufficient strength shall be used to support
the sides of the borehole and permit boring operations to proceed smoothly and safely.
The proposed drilling fluid mix must be submitted to the Engineer for approval.
Excavations shall not be exposed to the atmosphere longer than is necessary and shall
be covered at all times when work is not in progress. Pile excavated shall be casted
within 24 hours unless otherwise agreed by the Engineer.
In the event of a rapid loss of drilling fluid from the borehole excavation and caused
instability of bore, the excavation shall be backfilled without delay or other appropriate
and approved remedial measures taken by the Contractor like installing temporary
casing prior to resuming boring at that location. The cost of redrilling of the hole shall
be borne by the Contractor.
(c) Stability of bore by Temporary Casing Method
Where the use of a temporary casing is required to maintain the stability of a bore, the
bottom of casing shall be kept a minimum of 1 metre or more below the unstable strata
to prevent the inflow of soil and the formation of cavities in the surrounding ground.
Temporary casings shall be thin walled mild steel cylindrical casing. The dimensions
and quality of the casing shall be adequate to withstand without damage or distortion all
handling, construction and ground stresses to which they will be subjected. The
casings shall have an internal diameter not less than the specified pile diameter. They
shall be free of significant distortion, of uniform cross-section throughout each
continuous length and free from internal projections and encrusted grout which might
prevent the proper formation of piles. The joints of casings shall be watertight.
If temporary casings are damaged during installation in a manner which prevents the
proper formation of the pile, such casings shall be withdrawn from the bore before grout
is placed, repaired if necessary, or other action taken as may be approved to continue
the construction of the pile.
(d) Rock Coring
Rock coring shall means coring of sound bedrock. Coring of rock other than two items
specified below shall not be considered as coring in rock, and will only be considered as
boring in soil.
(i) Rock socket length
(ii) Cavity roof
Coring of inclined rock surface, limestone pinnacles, cavities and soil below
boulder/floater shall be considered as boring in soils.
(e) Inspection of Pile Excavation
Where practicable, all pile excavations shall be inspected for their full length before
grouting. The Contractor shall provide all the apparatus necessary for the inspection.
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In the course of inspection any loose or soft material in the borehole which is likely to
affect the performance of the pile shall be removed to the satisfaction of the Engineer.
6.0 GROUTING OPERATIONS
6.1 Mixing and Placing Grout
The Contractor shall provide details of the method and equipment used in grout mixing.
Further information such as grouting pressure, grouting procedure, grouting equipment and
technique employed in grouting underwater shall also be furnished for approval.
Grout shall be mixed on Site and shall be free from segregation, clumping and bleeding.
Grout shall be pumped into its final position in one continuous operation as soon as possible
and in no case more than half an hour after mixing.
Micropile shall be grouted in one continuos process. If there is significant loss of grout, the
Contractor may choose to carry out pre-grouting in stages as necessary to prevent further
loss of grout for the construction of micropile. Method statement of pre-grouting including
details of equipment, materials and procedures have to be reviewed and approved by the
Engineer. If after the process of pre-grouting and re-drilling of the hole is required. The
Contractor has to bear the cost and time of the pre-grouting and re-drilling.
6.2 Grout Falls
The lost of flushing mediums of either water or drilling mud drilling will demonstrate potential
excessive grout loss or falls. Depending on its seriousness, the Contractor can decide to
carry out a water tightness test to decide whether pregrouting is required. The cost and time
of the test will be borne by the Contractor. Pregrouting an re-drilling shall be carried out if
results of the test shown that leakage exceeds 5L/min at an excess head of 0.1 Mpa,
measured over a period of 10 minutes.
7.0 CONSTRUCTION OF PILE HEADS
7.1 Lengthening of Piles
Where lengthening is required, the pile reinforcement unit shall be connected on Site to the
details shown on the Drawings.
Other means of jointing reinforcement shall be to the approval of the Engineer.
7.2 Cutting and Preparation of Pile Heads
Pile heads shall be constructed to the details as shown on the Drawings.
8.0 STANDARDS
All materials shall be of the best quality and new. All piling work shall be executed in
accordance with the approved designs and to the approval of the Engineer.
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8.1 Micropile Test
a. Load Tests
Load test of two (2) times the working loads shall be carried out on piles designated by the
Engineers and in accordance with BS 8004. The number and location of test piles shall be at
the discretion of the Engineer. The Contractor shall submit a detailed proposal of the load
tests to the Engineer and shall obtain his approval in writing before carrying them out. On
completion of the test, the Contractor shall submit to the engineer the results including graphs
showing load and settlement versus time and settlement versus load.
The test procedure shall be as specified in Specification. Failure to standard load test shall be as
specified in Specification.
b. PDA Test
To carry out micropile test with dynamic load testing using Pile Driving Analyser (PDA)
equipment. This type of test is a high-strain non-destructive load test method which can be
performed during or after micropile installation using conventional equipment.
Data is analyzed using CAPWAP software to calculate the pile capacity and PDA testing is
undertaken in conformance with ASTM Standard D4945-12.
c. Test Requirement
The type and number of test requirements shall be referred to the approved bill of quantity
(BQ) of contract.
9.0 TEST REPORT
The report shall contain the following : -
a. Pile designation, date completed, weather condition, pile length, pile size, volume of
grout intake, time of drilling at intervals not greater than 4m and time to grout the pile.
b. Description of the apparatus used for testing, loading system and procedure for
measuring settlement.
c. Field data
d. Time/Settlement Curve
e. Load/Settlement Curve
f. Remarks explaining unusual events or data and movement of piles.
g. Calibration certificates of dial gauges and pressure gauges.
h. The format of record shall be approved by the Engineer.
10.0 DAMAGED OR DISPLACED PILES
Should the deviation exceed the tolerance provided in this specification, the contractor shall
submit this remedial proposal for the approval for the Engineer. Failing this, the faulty pile
shall be replaced by additional piles as necessary in positions as determined by the Engineer
at no cost to the Employer. The cost of modification to pile cap etc., if any, shall be borne by
the Contractor. The same will also apply to any piling work rejected by the Engineer for not
truly constructed and installed in accordance with the specification.
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Where a pile has been damaged during installation, testing or by other causes, the damaged
pile shall be considered and treated as a faulty pile and should be replaced by additional piles
as approved by the Engineer at the Contractor’s expense.
10.1 Forcible Correction Not Permitted
Where piles have not been positioned within the specified limits no method of forcible correction
will be permitted.
11.0 PAYMENT
11.1 Unconcreted (Empty) Bore
The unit rate of the pile shall be deemed to include whatever empty bore above the cut-off
level of the pile and re-drilling after pre-grouting. No claims will be considered for any empty
bore and re-drilling, and the Contractor shall allow in tender for the cost of these processes
due to his sequence of construction.
11.2 PAY LENGTH
For all proposed pile, the Contractor shall be paid only for the length of installed pile
measured from toe of the pile to the cut-off level. The same applies for the grout. Pre-
grouting, grout loss, over drill, re-drilling will have to be borne by the Contractor and shall be
deemed to have included in the rate.
12.0 PILING RECORDS
Complete piling records shall be kept by the Contractor during pile installation. The
Contractor shall submit the following in duplicate to the Engineer:
a. Records of all piles as the work proceeds.
b. Upon completion, a record of the work as carried out and as-built drawing.
The format of the record shall be approved by the Engineer.
The record shall contain all information required by the Engineer which includes the following
where applicable :
- reference number and position of pile
- type and dimension
- date of boring and nature of strata where each pile is bored
- details of equipment used
- ground level and base of excavation level
- total penetration
- length and position of cavity/cavities in each pile
- penetration in rock
- time of drilling at intervals not exceeding 5m
- details of all splicing or jointing operations, locations of sleeves, etc.
- details of grouting operation for tremie grouting and time tables
- weather
- top level of pile immediately after completion
- errors in position and inclination
- amount of grout and the pressure used
- size and position of boulder/boulders in each pile
- detailed drilling speed (m/min)
- description of drilled material
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12.1 As-Built Drawings
After completion of the piling, the Contractor shall submit an as-built drawing. This drawing
shall be prepared by Registered Licensed Surveyor. It should include the following:
a. Size and type of piles
b. Eccentricities in both directions
c. Depth of penetration of each pile or reduced level of tip of each pile and cut-off level
of each pile.
