Screw piles
All pile types and their advantages.
How does a CPT work?
A steel rod with a cone tip is pushed into the ground at a constant speed. The device continuously measures the resistance on the tip (cone resistance qc) and the friction along a sleeve (fs).
What do you read from it?
- High cone resistance and low friction usually point to sand
- Low cone resistance and relatively high friction point to clay
- Very low values point to peat or soft made ground
- Where the cone resistance rises clearly and stays high, the bearing layer often begins
Where to find existing soundings?
In Flanders many soundings are in the DOV database. In Wallonia you can check Geoportail. Sometimes a sounding nearby is enough for a first idea.
When do you need a sounding?
- For homes, modular buildings, bridges and battery parks: strongly recommended and often required by the structural engineer
- In foundation repair, to know how deep the bearing layer lies
- For a terrace or garden shed rarely: the installation torque of the screws gives enough certainty
Soiltek is a specialist contractor, not an engineering firm. We provide the manufacturer's product data and align the pile proposal with your structural engineer.