Foundation experts are pretty good at drilling holes. Day in day out, teams of specialists lay down foundations and insert piles into the ground in order to reach solid, stable material so that your concrete slab never moves.
But how deep is deep enough? The answer depends on the type of soil you’re working with and the height of the retention required. So, what happens when the foundation piles need to be drilled even deeper into the ground?
Here, we’ll let the experts at Melbourne’s premier foundation construction and repair team, Techniblock, explain the concept of socketed piles.
What is socketing?
Socketing has nothing to do with that socket wrench kit you got your dad for his birthday a few years back. The type of ‘socket’ we’re talking about here is on a much larger scale.
Socketing refers to the pile length below the retained height of any excavation. The ‘socket length’ is usually 1 to 1.5 times the retained height. When a foundation expert needs to retain excavated material for say a ramp or a basement wall, this is usually referred to as a socketed pile retention system.
How is it carried out?
The socketing technique involves drilling a deeper pile to allow for the pile to cantilever to retain the retain soils.
Why is it done?
When you need to excavate for a basement or a ramp, you need that soil retained. This is done by firstly creating a retention system to allow the excavation to happen.
Drilling the pile deeper, provides a cantilever affect for the pile to be able to handle the forces placed on it.
Always employ a professional for retention piers
If you’ve been told you need socketed piles, or suspect you may need them, make sure you go with a seasoned specialist in the field. Socketed piles require expert knowledge, skills and equipment for installation.