Abstract:
Testing helical piles in ideal conditions is straight forward once you have the knowledge. But when you don’t have access to the right tools and equipment, or when the test pile and site conditions present challenges, confirmation of capacity will still be required even when testing is difficult and not straight forward. This presentation will begin with best practices for testing helical piles, but then will focus on solutions that have been used to solve less than ideal situations. Whether testing in Mato Grosso in Brazil, loading helical piles in Guatemala or compression testing piles in the deep soft clay deposits of Malaysia, difficult conditions can be overcome and will be illustrated in this presentation.