Screw piles
All pile types and their advantages.
How does a load test work?
- A pile is loaded in steps, in compression or tension
- At each step we measure how much the pile settles or rises
- The load is held for a while to see whether the movement stabilises
- The result shows which load the pile carries safely
Every push pier is tested
With Magnum Push Piers the test is built in: the building itself is the counterweight. In Erquelinnes every pier was held at 400 bar, about 20 tonnes of reaction force, for at least 15 minutes, with no significant additional penetration. Everything is recorded in an installation report per pier.
When is a load test worthwhile for screw piles?
- On large projects with many piles, such as battery parks or halls
- In unusual or variable ground, where torque is less reliable
- When the engineer wants to use a smaller safety factor
- For tension piles with large uplift forces
Load tests and Eurocode 7
Eurocode 7 uses correlation factors that depend on how much you know about the ground and the piles. With more soundings or a load test that factor can come down, making the design more economical.
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.
Sources: NBN EN 1997-1 (Eurocode 7); H.A. Perko, Helical Piles, Wiley, 2009; installation report Erquelinnes 2026.