Aarsleff is the leading specialist contractor in Northern Europe within pile foundation. We drill, screw, drive and test piles for all types of buildings and structures.
We have many years of experience in execution of pile foundation on small scale and large scale, and we use tested and documented processes and methods. This makes us a strong collaboration partner – also in terms of large-scale construction projects and under difficult soil conditions. Thus, we are able to offer the right type of pile foundation almost anytime.
Different types of work, soil conditions and neighbouring buildings require different types of piles. For example, the development of building projects in densely built-up urban areas requires methods that are gentle to the surroundings and the neighbouring buildings, in terms of vibration as well as noise. In this case, drilled piles or precast concrete screw piles may be the right alternative to the traditional driven piles. Thanks to our fleet of machinery, we can offer both types of pile foundation on small scale and large scale. In case of limited working space, in the height or to the sides, we offer pile foundation executed with small drilling rigs, e.g. from Tescar.
Drilled piles – better bearing capacity and less inconvenience
As we expect a continued development within increased environmental requirements for noise and vibration related to construction work and pile foundation, we are currently investing in new methods and equipment helping to reduce noise and vibration for the surroundings. At the same time, we are promoting the use of drilled piles in Denmark, and we participate in full scale tests to examine the bearing capacity and the interaction between the piles’ surfaces and the surrounding soil.
Being Northern Europe’s leading contractor within execution of drilled piles in dimensions between DN400 and DN3000 millimetres, we offer the following techniques for execution of secant pile walls or drilled foundation piles:
These drilling methods require large, heavy equipment, and Aarsleff Ground Engineering in Denmark and our sister companies in Northern Europe have a large fleet of machinery and equipment allowing us to deliver even the most challenging building and construction projects. For example, for the Lighthouse project in Aarhus, we have installed drilled piles to 70 metres below ground level with our own Bauer BG55 which is Europe’s biggest drilling rig.
In narrow places, e.g. inside buildings, we can execute piles of small dimensions (under 200 mm) with small drilling rigs:
- Micro piles – case from Copenhagen Airport, TA3 is available here
- GEWI piles.
Driven tubular steel piles
Driving of tubular steel piles is becoming widely used. Tubular steel piles of small dimensions, e.g. DN159 mm, DN219 mm, or alternatively HE profiles, are often used for small projects and for underpinning.
Tubular steel piles with a diameter in metres are also used for large structures – usually offshore wind turbines, pylons etc. founded on monopiles. Aarsleff has experience with handling and installation of steel monopiles on several large projects in Denmark and abroad. We have installed and tested tubular steel piles for several large bridge projects in Norway and in Sweden as well as in two offshore locations in the Taiwan Strait, where we installed DN1500 mm piles in lengths up to 80 metres at a water depth of 40 metres.
Driven concrete piles – one optimised system
In Denmark, driven precast concrete piles are still the most commonly used for pile foundation. Our pile driving procedure is industrialised and standardised, and we have the most efficient and low-noise pile driving equipment on the market.
Aarsleff is the leading specialist contractor within driving of precast reinforced concrete piles, and we have our own factories in Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Poland and Germany under the Centrum logo.
When we are working on a project, we can almost have piles supplied from day to day, as all our factories carry a stock of piles of different lengths and dimensions. Aarsleff’s stock and capacity give great flexibility and not least the opportunity of currently optimising the pile driving of the individual projects.
Concrete screw piles – a precast pile installed without noise and vibrations
The precast concrete screw pile may be worth considering in the light of the increasing demands for reducing material consumption as well as the increased environmental requirements for noise and vibrations.
The concrete screw pile has a well-defined cross section as we know it from the driven pile, and unlike the drilled pile, there is no material waste on site because there is no casting of concrete or work with drilling fluids. The pile is screwed into the ground without vibrations and almost without noise. The concrete screw pile can be designed as a displacement pile, and there is no need for soil handling during installation.
Concrete screw piles have been used in Switzerland since 2015, but production now takes place in Denmark, where Centrum Pæle has optimised the design and production processes of the pile.
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