A case study of a redesign from micropiles to helical piles-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

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The presentation, delivered by Benjamin White of GRL Engineers at the May 8, 2025 DFI Helical Tradeshow & Seminar, discusses dynamic load testing of helical piles. The presenter notes that the views and recommendations are his own and are not necessarily endorsed by DFI.<br /><br />Dynamic pile testing began with the “Case” project at Case Institute of Technology in the 1960s, using a pile-driving hammer to load driven piles. Drilled foundations were first tested dynamically in 1974, and GRL began researching the method for helical piles in 2010. Dynamic testing is now sometimes proposed as an alternative to static load testing for helical piles, though acceptance has been mixed.<br /><br />The slides provide examples of test results. One pile, installed to hardpan at a torque of 48,000 ft-lbs, reached a maximum load of 218 kips at 2.3 inches of displacement, exceeding a stated minimum test load of 200 kips. Other reported tests recorded maximum loads of 183 kips at 44 feet deep with 0.95 inches of displacement, 208 kips at 35 feet with 0.93 inches, and 212 kips at 73 feet with 1.3 inches.

Keywords

dynamic load testing

helical piles

pile testing

static load testing

GRL Engineers

Benjamin White

DFI Helical Tradeshow

foundation engineering

pile-driving hammer

load displacement