Problem

As an older brick structure, the ATC Development corporate headquarters building has had additions a few times. Adequate foundational support for the additions had been an afterthought. Over the years, the lack of support allowed the foundation to settle. As a result, cracks in the sheetrock formed, doors and windows stopped opening and closing properly, and visible separation of the floor from the walls became evident.

Proposed Solution

Ram Jack South Carolina proposed installing 20 exterior driven piles, five piles on the existing girder of the structure, and six interior piles on support beams—to be built by Ram Jack—to carry sagging joists in the floor system.

Outcome

After consideration of the desires of the ATC development, Ram Jack South Carolina moved forward with an alternate plan that included fewer piles. Over the course of two days, Ram Jack South Carolina installed 14 piles, 11 on the interior and three on the exterior. Five of the piles were mounted on the existing girder due to sink holes. Maximum practical recovery was achieved, with full crack closure. When finished, ATC Development was more than satisfied with the work done by Ram Jack South Carolina.

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Situation

The Magnolia Building had telltale signs of foundation settlement, with cracks forming in the mortar of the brick in various areas around the structure. While the damage was not severe, it was undeniable and would undoubtedly worsen if not taken care of promptly. Business owners called Ram Jack South Carolina to assess the foundation settlement.

Proposed Solution

After an exhaustive inspection, Ram Jack South Carolina professionals proposed the installation of piles around the exterior of the building to support settling areas. The building didn’t need to be lifted; rather, it only needed support to prevent further settlement and more extensive damage in the future.

Outcome

Ram Jack South Carolina installed (20) 2 7⁄8” piles to an average depth of 84 ft. Over the course of three days, the piles were installed strategically to maximize their support of the foundation. Once the building was supported, all holes were covered and work areas cleaned. All work was completed without interrupting normal business, and when finished, the Magnolia Building was adequately supported to prevent any further foundation settlement and damage.

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Problem

Leaning walls, separation of walls so wide that you could see through the gaps, and cracks in the brick indicated a problem. RL Construction awarded Ram Jack South Carolina the pile installation project.

Proposed Solution

Ram Jack South Carolina proposed the installation of 15 driven piles around the barracks’ exterior walls running from the crack on the right side of the wall to the crack on the left.

Outcome

Fifteen 2 7⁄8 in. driven piles with standard brackets were installed in the problem area of the barracks. Once installed, they reached an average depth of 7 ft. and lifted the structure 2.6 in. in the area of most severe foundation settlement for a complete recovery of the structure.

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The ground floor of the Moncrief Army Hospital had settled a maximum of six inches. The ground floor was constructed as a conventionally reinforced slab-on-grade floor over 25 to 30 feet of fill soil. The settled portion of the floor slab was to be removed and replaced with a new floor system. The new floor slab was to be a partial structural slab with a lower level for additional mechanical units and a slab-on-grade for the remaining area. Except for the designated work area, the remaining areas of the hospital were operational and could not to be disturbed by the noise or exhaust fumes from the machines required to perform the underpinning work. All piles were required to penetrate the fill soil and have a maximum allowable deflection in tension and compression of 0.25 inch.

Solution

Fifty-nine Ram Jack helical piles with an allowable 30 kip capacity in tension and compression were required to resist the required loading. Twenty-nine of these piles were battered at 30 degrees to resist the lateral loads. Pile load tests were performed to verify the capacity and deflection limits of the piles in both tension and compression. All testing was monitored by the Corp of Engineers and independent consulting engineers. The equipment was carefully chosen that wouldn’t exceed the noise or exhaust limits established by the Corp of Engineers and the hospital but still have the power to install the piles to the required capacities. The noise and exhaust fumes were constantly monitored throughout the underpinning operation by the Corp of Engineers. The safety limits of the noise or exhaust were never reached which would have required stoppage of the work or evacuating portions of the hospital.

Conclusion

With the stringent performance criteria, Ram Jack is one of the few systems with the expertise and installers to perform such a sensitive project.

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