Bored piles and pile walls

A very economical foundation element

to support high structural loads with
minimal settlement. Can also
be used to build retaining
structures.
 Technical highlights
• Can support high loads • Minimum amount of vibration
• Piles with various diameters of 450 mm to 1,800 mm • Quality assurance according to European Standard
• Can ensure minimal settlement and deformation EN 1536

Applications
Quality assurance Load (MN)

Bored piles are a very effective,

Pile-cap settlement (mm)

state-of-the-art construction Large diameter bored Pile C Pile A

element with many applications piles usually have to

in foundation and civil engineering. They withstand high loads,
can be used as heavy foundations, securing and we therefore Pile B

deep excavations especially close to existing use a variety of quality-

buildings as well as stabilising and retaining assurance methods
slopes. for our products.
Casing installation Common top down and Digital recording Integrity testing
Thanks to the variety of construction methods and the and concreting bottom bi-directional pile and logging of the
large range of diameters and tools, bored piles can ­transfer load tests execution parameters
foundation loads through a variety of overburden soil to
stronger underlying bedrock stratums.
Bored piles – process description
1. Installation of casing and drilling out soil by use
of specialised tools
2. Installation of reinforcement cages
4
3. Pouring concrete
1
4. Withdrawal of casing
3

vibrator

concrete
pump
1. Foundations 2. Infrastructure 3. E
 xcavation pits 4. S
 lope stabilisation
generator
Large diameter bored Large bored piles can Bored piles are an Large diameter bored
piles are extremely be used in a variety of approved method to piles are used to prevent
effective in transferring infrastructure projects retain ground alongside landslides or protect
and withstanding high such as tunnelling, road an excavation pit or close existing buildings.
soft soil soft soil soft soil soft soil
loads. or bridge construction as to adjacent buildings and
well as flood protection. are often combined with base strata base strata base strata base strata
other techniques such
as ground anchors or soil
Installation of Installation of Concreting Withdrawal of casing
nails.
casing and drilling reinforcement

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 Secant pile walls
Advantages:

Pile walls • Very little deformation and settlement

on the outside
• Can carry high loads from surrounding
structures
• Less vibration during construction
• Can be used as part of a permanent
structure
Several bored piles arranged
in a line can form a pile wall • Water tightness
Purpose of bored pile walls:
• retaining system for excavation pits, Secant pile walls require a reinforced concrete
tunnels and large diameter shafts, guide wall to ensure the correct location and
• abutment walls for bridges or alignment of the pile (x and y direction) and
temporary casing to ensure required verticality
• slope protection systems
(z direction).
Pile walls used as retaining structures are often
A secant pile wall consists of several piles over­
supported by rows of anchors or steel strutting
cutting each other to ensure a force-locked
systems.
connection and the required water tightness.

Types of pile walls

Pile walls are classified into three
different types:
• Secant pile wall
• Tangent pile wall
• Contiguous pile wall with timber lagging, The piles are classified into primary piles and
shotcrete infill or jet-grout curtain secondary piles. At the beginning several p­ rimary
piles are constructed by using lower strength
concrete only (without reinforcement). When
secondary piles are constructed they overcut into
the adjacent primary piles. Secondary piles are
constructed with shaft reinforcement and higher
strength concrete.

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 Contiguous pile walls
Advantages:

Tangent pile walls • Can take limited load from surrounding

structures
Advantages:
• Less vibration during construction
• Little deformation and settlements
on the outside
• Can carry load from surrounding structures
Contiguous pile walls consist of piles arranged Contiguous pile walls retained by anchors or
• Less vibration during construction in a way that a gap remains between them. The strutting systems are often supported by a waler
soil between the piles can be stabilised during beam to distribute the loads (prevent punching of
excavation by either installing timber lagging anchor/strut through the infill) and as a mitigation
in front of the excavated soil or by building a measure for the unlikely event of an anchor/strut
reinforced shotcrete wall towards the excavated not carrying the load. Such a waler beam can be
soil surface. Alternatively injection grouting can constructed as a reinforced concrete beam casted
be carried out in advance of the excavation to towards the pile wall or by using steel profiles
solidify the soil between the piles. to be fixed to the piles and anchors/strutting
systems.

Tangent pile walls retained by anchors or strutting

systems are often supported by a waler beam
to distribute the loads (prevent punching of
anchor/strut through the pile) and as a mitigation
measure for the unlikely event of an anchor/strut
not carrying the load. Such a waler beam can be
constructed as a reinforced concrete beam casted
towards the pile wall or by using steel profiles to
Tangent pile walls consist of reinforced and
be fixed to the piles and anchors/strutting systems.
non-reinforced piles. The reinforcement can
be provided by installing reinforcement cages, To ensure water tightness injection grouting can
steel channel sections, I-beams or H-beams. be performed along the outside of the joint of two
adjacent piles.

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Muharraq Sewage
Treatment Plant in Bahrain
In 2014, the Muharraq Sewage Treatment Plant,
located on reclaimed land in Bahrain, became
fully operational. The site covers an area of about
150.000 m2 and has a treatment capacity of
100.000 m3/day. Keller’s bored pile technology was
able to solve some extremely difficult and challenging
soil conditions. The scope of our work comprised
of six large diameter shafts varying from 12 to 18.5
metres and 54 secant piles per shaft installed with
approximately 810m3 of concrete.

Keller Group Plc

Geotechnical solutions specialist
www.keller.com

20-01E_18