Importance and Benefits of Piling Pipes
As we inch forward through modern civilization, the availability of land decreases. With more and more structures that people erect every day. Finding a promising land for remarkable construction has become a challenge. In this situation, piling pipes are offering an unprecedented opportunity for construction engineers and architects to realize their dream of massive, unique buildings and structures. Piling pipes provide all superstructures the support they need to withstand various forces and stresses.
These strong pipes are gaining increasing importance as engineers are constructing reliable structures on unstable grounds every day.This article describes what piling pipes are, their types, and the importance that they hold in the construction industry.
Let’s begin!
What Are Piling Pipes?
Piling pipes are long cylindrical steel columns that are placed deep into the ground. To create a strong foundation for massive buildings and structures.
Speaking, any foundation that is more than three times longer than its width carries the name of a foundation pile. So, piling pipes are deep foundations that stretch into the earth’s strata. And infer their strength from the firm and strong layers of soil and rock that reside deep inside the earth.
Because these foundational piles find their base in the firm rocks or soil layer. They support man-made structures by absorbing their load and transferring it into the soil below. In this way, they provide immense strength and integrity to all the structures that they support.
Because these foundational pipes penetrate the softer topsoil of the earth to reach the more firm layer, therefore, it is mostly used in the construction near the port site, where the soil is soft. It may also be used for construction sea-links because they can withstand the moisture inside the moist seabed. Moreover, they also find use in urban areas where the soil condition is not always promising and the proximity to other structures makes drilling difficult.
Different Types of Piling Pipes
Foundational piles are classified based on either their design function, either end bearing or friction piles. And based on their method of placement, either driven or bored.
Since we are discussing piling pipes here. Piling pipes are mostly driven into the ground, which adds to the benefits of these pipes, but more on that later.
Apart from the design function and method of placement, we can also classify piles based on their material. There are three types of piles material including timber, concrete, and steel.
Timber piles are one of the oldest piles that we can find in the construction of manmade structures. Concrete piles are often used precast or made on-site and provide good support but may fail in face of moisture and can be expensive.
Steel piling pipes find themselves ranking as the preferred choice because of their strength, integrity, and other great features that we will discuss below.
The choice of the type of pile, its placement method, and material depend upon the structural requirements of the building and on the condition of the soil in the region of construction.
Importance of Using Foundational Piles
It is evident from the discussion we have had so far that piling pipes play an integral role in strengthening superstructures. But apart from the construction of load-heavy structures, there are other conditions as well that make the use of foundational pipes imperative. These include:
Soft Soil
All spectacular structures are always based on sturdy, reliable foundations. A reliable foundation can withstand external stress imposing factors without failing.
Many regions have soft, moist soil. And as you might have guessed, soft soil does not make for a strong foundation. So how can we construct superstructures in these regions? By using piling pipes.
The use of piling pipes becomes important in regions with unreliable and weak strata. Because it penetrates through the soft soil and reaches the layer of firm rocks or compact soil beneath, thus laying a strong foundation of the structure.
High Water table
The water table is the presence of water above the saturated earth stratum. When the water table is high, that means there is more water closer to the ground, concrete and timber piles do not make for a suitable option.
In such cases, steel piling pipes provide a viable way to go. Because steel is highly resistant to corrosion, it can provide a reliable and strong foundation even in the high water table and moisture areas.
Scouring
Scouring occurs when the structure is closer to a water body and the water keeps the soil damp, weakens it and eventually, carries it away. Steel foundational piles are a viable option for construction in the region where the soil is at risk of scouring because they do not rely on the soft, scour-sensitive soil, but penetrate deeper.
Soil Removal Not Possible
There are man regions where the construction workers cannot drill a hole and extract the soil out due to poor soil conditions.
In these regions as well, piling pipes make for a reliable option because the construction companies can place them into the ground without removing the soil first.
Beneficial Features of Pipe Piles
The importance that piling pipes have in some conditions is courtesy of numerous features that they sport. Some of these features include:
Customizable
Piling pipes are highly customizable. They can be created to fit the exact requirements of the soil and according to the structural load. Which makes them suitable for almost all applications while also making them more economical.
More Reliable than Non-Pile Structures
At this point, steel piling pipes are supremely reliable. Their reliability is courtesy of many factors.
Steel piling pipes are highly ductile. Which means they can bear horizontal forces without failing. This feature makes them excellent at bearing the stresses imposed by the movement of tectonic plates.
Moreover, since they are made out of steel, they do not stand at a risk of being corroded by the moisture content of the soil.
High Load Bearing Capacity
The reason why steel piling pipes are the piles of choice for superstructures is that they feature a high load-bearing capacity. These pipes can carry up to 100 tons of load per pile.
More importantly, piling pipes do not remove the soil but only displace it to make room for itself. Which makes the surrounding soil denser and more compact. Thereby increasing the soil's load-bearing capacity.
Ease of Use
The pipe piles’ strong structure and sturdy built do not only make them suitable for superstructures, but they also make them easy to transport, unload and place.
These pipes bear immense hammering load while being placed into the ground but they do not crack during placement.
Environment Friendly
As we mentioned above, steel piling pipes only displace the soil and do not remove it. Therefore, they minimize soil wastage and contribute to a more environmental-friendly structure.
Moreover, steel pipes do not rust. Therefore, they do not leave behind a negative impact on the groundwater and soil.
Low Vibration
Vibration during drilling does to soil what TNT does to rocks and boulders. It ruins the integrity of the soil and making the foundation unreliable.
Since piling pipes allow constructors to place them into the ground using noiseless hydraulic hammers, they maintain the strength and integrity of the surrounding strata and structures.
Conclusion
Piling pipes are an important part of the massive structures that we see today. They provide strength and integrity to the tall standing building in sandy and rocky areas. And allow the construction of massive structures in regions where engineers cannot even imagine building such superstructures.
Steel piling pipes continue to shape our world and be an important part of every single superstructure because of the superior features and benefits that it sports.
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