Magnum Push Piers
Steel push piers down to deep bearing ground, each tested.
The methods side by side
| Method | How | Depth | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underpinning (masonry or trenches) | The foundation is deepened in sections | Limited | Shallow good ground, room to dig |
| Micropiles | Thin bored piles with grout injection | Deep | Large loads, difficult ground |
| Jet grouting | The soil is mixed with grout under high pressure | Medium to deep | Large projects, ground improvement |
| Magnum Push Piers | Steel tubes pushed hydraulically with the building as reaction, each tested | Down to the bearing layer | Bearing ground deep, walls settled a lot |
| Deep Lift (resin) | Resin strengthens and compacts the ground under the foundation | Down to ± 3.5 m under the foundation | Weak ground shallow, no digging wanted |
| Slab Lift (resin) | Resin fills voids and lifts the floor | Under the floor | Sunken or hollow concrete floors |
Why Soiltek works with push piers and resin
- No pile driving and no vibrations, even right next to existing buildings
- From the outside, so you can stay in your home
- Every push pier is tested individually: we know the load it carries
- Where possible, we lift the foundation back in a controlled way
Combinations
Sometimes we combine: first stabilise the ground with resin, then push piers, as in Erquelinnes. For shrinking clay, Buildwise notes there is still little scientific literature on injections in plastic clay; there we usually combine resin with push piers.
First the cause
Every method only works once the cause is known: a leaking drain, a tree, drought in clay or works nearby. That is why every repair starts with a subsidence survey.
With serious damage, have a structural engineer assess the situation. Soiltek is a specialist contractor: we record, measure, propose a technique and carry out the repair, in consultation with your engineer.
Sources: Buildwise (Belgian Building Research Institute), WTCB-Dossiers 2021/5.10 and WTCB-Contact 2018/3 on cracking due to shrinking or swelling of plastic soils.