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- Ground Improvement
- Drilled Shafts
- Earth Retention
- Driven Pile
- Augercast Pile
- Micropile
- Other Services
View the technology and process behind the dry top feed method of our Vibro Stone Columns.
Aggregate Piers: Cost Effective, Successful Method to Improve Soft Soil
- Fast, cost-effective installation
- Little to no spoils generated
- Installation continuously monitored/record with on-board computer
- Vibro-displacement process accelerates drainage of soft soils
- Installation proven in hundreds of projects and load test results
Get your project analysis today from aggregate pier experts
Aggregate piers (also called stone columns) are columns of compacted stone installed in groups in soft soil to increase bearing pressure and mitigate settlement under structural footings. The columns are formed when lifts of stone are introduced to an open hole and compacted using high energy densification equipment
The down-hole compactive device may be either a high-frequency vibratory probe, or a vertical tamper. Each lift of stone or other granular material is compacted, forming a high modulus aggregate pier. The aggregate piers are designed and installed in groups to improve the ground’s ability to support structures.
Cost-Effective and Fast Installation
Aggregrate piers or stone columns are often the most cost effective option when also considering remove and replace or deep foundations. The installation process if very fast, often resulting in 40 to 60 piers installed per shift. Typical bearing pressures using aggregate piers are in the range of 4,000 pounds per square foot (psf) to 6,000psf.
Effectiveness of Aggregate Piers
The aggregate pier system is extremely effective to reinforce soft clays and silts and significantly improve man-made fills. When installed with a down-hole vibratory probe, aggregate piers can also be used to improve loose, silty sands with a process called vibro-replacement. The vibratory devices can also be used to improve loose sands susceptible to liquefaction. This is called vibro-compaction.
Ideal Types of Projects for Aggregate piers
Aggregate piers are used extensively by Subsurface Constructors to provide improvement for the following types of structures:
- Multi-story buildings
- Commercial centers
- Industrial facilities
- Liquid Storage Tanks
- MSE Walls in transportation applications
- Warehouses
Is your project one of these? Get an analysis today from aggregate pier experts
Simple Installation Process
- Using hydraulic crowd pressure, hole is excavated by advancing probe
- Existing soil is displaced laterally, minimizing spoil generation
- Lifts of stone top or bottom fed to the hole depending on soil type
- Lifts are compacted using vibration and down pressure
- Process continues until high modulus column is complete
Aggregate Pier Engineering and Experience is Crucial to Your Project
Although the process is “simple”, solid engineering, quality control, and acceptance testing are critical to a low-risk project. You want a contractor experienced with a wide variety of projects both large and small using not only this technique, but the related techniques of vibro-compaction, vibro-replacemnt, and deep foundation installations.
Subsurface Constructors has designed/installed aggregrate piers for over a hundred projects. Several recent large construction projects include:
- Lang-Stegman (St. Louis MO)
- Peru NE Wheeler Center
- Bio Energy Plant (Bluffton IN)
Get a Complete Analysis of Aggregate Pier Applicability to your Ground Improvement Project
Contact Subsurface Constructors today for a prompt and thorough analysis with experienced aggregate pier engineers, and get your project on the fast-track to completion.
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Learn about this Ground Improvement project... |
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