Screw Piles - Safely Supporting Buildings, Gantries and Towers
Screw piles are a type of engineering that has been around for ages. Man has needed to sustain structures for as long as he has erected them, whether during initial construction or subsequently when they require repair or improvement. Modern screw piles give civil engineers another flexible and cost-effective tool in their toolbox. What exactly are screw piles? Screw Piles also known as helical steel piles is the most recent evolution of a technique invented by Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell in the 1830s for use on lighthouse supports. Today's version of Mitchell's concept typically consists of a robust but light galvanised steel shaft with welded low-pitch steel plates, resulting in a device that resembles the traditional Archimedes screw. On-site, simple hand-held or machine-mounted drilling equipment is used to screw the piles into the ground. Pile foundation technology has provided engineers with a portable and compact solution for sites with a variety of constrain