The content of the article
Construction has always been and remains a responsible matter. The durability of the design depends on the quality of work. An important part of any building is the foundation. In modern construction, screw piles are often used. This technology helps to significantly reduce financial costs and construction time.
Screw piles are screwed into the ground using special equipment, but few people know that it is possible to do it yourself. The article describes in detail how to install piles manually. But before you consider the installation process, let's learn more about this modern technology.
Application
Screw piles are used as supports in difficult soil: uneven terrain, swampy or frozen soils. Initially, the technology came from military craft, where you need to quickly build and disassemble special-purpose objects. Now this method is actively used in civil engineering.
They are used for the construction of the following structures:
- frame and modular buildings, low-rise buildings;
- light constructions, fences, billboards;
- supports for high voltage lines and pipelines;
- bridges, moorings.
Installation is carried out by hydraulic mechanism or manually. Piles are screwed into the ground like a self-tapping screw. If the soil is very frozen, a leader well is made. The correct bearing capacity depends on the correct installation of the supports.
Advantages and disadvantages of a screw foundation
- erected faster than a concrete foundation;
- used in marshy, unstable and icy soils;
- ready for full load after tightening;
- can be installed at any time of the year;
- no terrain leveling required;
- are cheaper than a concrete foundation.
disadvantages
- limited service life;
- impossible to apply on stony ground;
- It’s hard to make good corrosion protection.
How to install do-it-yourself screw piles
This is hard work, therefore, small-diameter piles are used because they are easier to screw in. Manually twisting the supports in order to save money or when it is impossible to do it by machine. The manual method allows you to build small buildings, for example, a bathhouse, a gazebo or a fence. For work, simple devices and several assistants are required.
Possible obstacles
Manual installation is complicated if there is a lot of debris or stones in the ground. Make sure that it does not contain large objects: crushed stone, iron, bricks, etc. Small fragments will not hurt, but large stones will lead to a deviation of the axis of the support or bent blades.
Sometimes concrete blocks or slabs lie in the ground, which can not be removed without seriously digging the site. This problem can stop the entire installation process or make significant adjustments to the layout of the foundation.
Try to find a site on which there is no thicket within a radius of 20 m. The root system, especially large trees, is well developed. Even the rotten stump located nearby will significantly complicate the screwing of piles.
For manual screwing of piles, it is necessary to use long levers. If there is a building, fence or pillar next to the planned building, they will prevent the installation of supports.
Preparatory work
- Installation of screw supports begins with the search and inspection of the construction site. Carefully examine the ground. The choice of piles of a certain diameter depends on its condition. It is difficult to screw large supports into too dry or clay soil.
- After choosing the right piles, count how many pieces you need for work.The distance between them during installation depends on their number.
- In order for screw piles to serve properly for decades, they perform anti-corrosion treatment. Apply several layers of protective coating.
There are several processing options:
- primer for metal - standard coating;
- bituminous mastic - protects the surface of the pile from contact with moisture;
- cold galvanizing - zinc, interacting with the metal surface of the pile, creates a weak electric current, which prevents the appearance of corrosion;
- cold galvanizing and bituminous mastic - combined processing;
- cold galvanizing, bituminous mastic and polymer film - the first two layers of protection are covered with heat-shrink film, this provides maximum protection.
Tools for mounting screw piles
- Shovel - for leveling the screwing points.
- Magnetic level - helps to control the position of the pile.
- Drill - should be smaller in diameter than screw piles.
- Roulette - necessary for taking measurements.
- Hydro level - used to set horizontal marks.
- Scrap and two pipes with a length of 2 m - from which levers will turn out.
- Hammer - needed to hammer a peg.
- Grinder - for cutting piles.
- Thin rope - for marking the foundation.
- Knife, gloves, pencil.
Foundation marking
Accuracy and accuracy in calculations are required. For work you will need a rope and pegs. If the foundation is rectangular, first determine the angular support points. Hammer the pegs and connect them with a rope. Try to make the shape of the rectangle even. On each side, define equidistant points for the rest of the piles. After all the tags are placed, you can begin to install the supports.
Screw Pile Installation Technique
Install the supports first in the corners. To do this, drill the guide holes. The depth should be equal to 1/3 of the length of the pile, and the size is less than the diameter of the pile. Having begun the installation process, try to control the evenness of the vertical position of the support. The magnetic level will help you.
Piles are screwed in using levers, in our case this is ordinary scrap. When twisting becomes tight levers are lengthened by additional pipes. This process should take place evenly and on command, so as not to displace the support.
If the pile stopped turning, it means that you have reached a layer of soil whose density is sufficient to maintain the weight of the structure. In this case, do not continue screwing. After the corner piles are installed, connect them with a rope from below and above. This will help to expose the remaining supports evenly - vertically and vertically.
When the foundation is ready around the perimeter, put the labels inside. To do this, the columns of the parallel sides are connected with a rope. In places of crossing, it is necessary to drill holes for the installation of piles of the internal foundation.
How to align screw piles
The manual method does not allow the installation to run smoothly. Even if you screw in smoothly and slowly, the support will gradually go sideways. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to check the degree of deviation by the magnetic level. If the displacement is significant, then move the pile to a level state and make several turns.
Displacement is affected by stones stored in the ground. In this case, aligning the supports is difficult. There are two solutions: first, roll the pile deeper than the stone and loosen it so that it can be placed evenly and make several turns. Second, pull out the support, use a drill to go through a difficult area of soil, and then continue installation.
Pruning
Not all piles can be screwed to the desired level. Therefore, they are shortened by a grinder, leveling in height. It is recommended that you cut below the lever insert hole. It is convenient to draw tags using the hydraulic level - a long, thin hose filled with water and working on the principle of communicating vessels.
Concreting
After trimming, screw piles are poured with a mixture of concrete and sand. The solution should not be too thick or liquid. This procedure makes the supports stronger and more resistant to stress. Some builders add reinforcement to the pipe for added rigidity.
Concrete protects the inner surface from oxygen and moisture and extends the life of the foundation. If the installation of piles takes place in the cold season, winter additives are added to the solution. They will make concrete resistant to low temperatures.
When the solution has dried, the pipe is sealed with heads for subsequent strapping. Welds are treated with an anti-corrosion agent.
Screw piles are a practical technology for the construction of any structures. Inexpensive cost and fast installation speed, made this type of foundation popular. Screw pile technology is now available to everyone. It can be used independently or use the services of construction companies.
Video: do-it-yourself screw pile driving
Submit