Ductile driven piles

Ductile driven piles or high-performance displacement piles (HPD piles) are cost-effective, driven precast piles. They can be used as a deep foundation element for all types of structures. Using HPD piles improves the subsoil by fully displacing the soil instead of extracting it. This also saves on additional costs for transport and landfill disposal.

One of the most persuasive features of the HPD pile is its short production time and comparatively low equipment and space requirements. The pile system, which consists of cast-iron pipes, has been granted general design approval by the German Institute for Building Technology (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik, DIBt).

HPD piles can be used as deep foundation elements, especially for small and medium-sized buildings.

Common uses include:

• Factory halls
• Industrial buildings
• Electricity and mobile phone masts
• Conduits
   

Please contact us for more information about the individual application possibilities of HPD piles.

This pile system is especially suitable for smaller to medium-sized projects where noise emissions from head driving are not a critical factor.

• Very high daily output and thus rapid construction progress
• Cost-effective driven pile
• Comparatively low equipment and space requirements
• Full soil displacement, no excavated soil to transport
• Sleeve grouting can be used to increase the load-bearing capacity
• Available as compression and/or tensile piles
• Raking piles also available
• Reliable and proven with individual general design approval
• Flexible use, even in confined spaces
• Pipes can be extended to achieve very long pile lengths
   

Environmentally friendly process

Ductile cast iron is a 100% recyclable material that can be re-used as often as necessary. HPD piles improve the subsoil by fully displacing the soil instead of extracting it. This saves on transport and thus reduces CO₂ emissions. HPD piles have proven especially effective in construction projects on contaminated sites.

Standards and regulations

HPD piles are designed and manufactured in accordance with Eurocode 7 and DIN EN 12699, and the recommendations of the “Piles” working group (EA-Pfähle). The cast-iron pipes are 118mm and 170mm in diameter. For further details, please refer to our certification Z-34.25-203 HLV-Pfahl System Stump, which you can download from our website. Loads and pipe diameters should be adapted to prevailing soil conditions. We will be happy to advise you on this.

Production procedure

The first pipe section is fitted with a drive shoe or pile shoe, placed in a pre-drilled cavity, and driven into place. The next pipe section is then picked up and inserted into the conical socket of the pipe that was previously rammed in. The driving process creates a rigid, friction-locked connection. The pile is driven to the final depth, which is determined on the basis of the penetration resistance. The excess is trimmed down to the required height. The remaining piece is fitted with a new drive shoe and immediately used as the starting pipe for the next pile. This means that pile production is waste-free. The pile head is designed with a pressure distribution plate and/or tensile reinforcement, depending on the load transfer requirements.

Flexible use

The driven pile pipes are lightweight, which means that the piles can be produced using a light, manoeuvrable hydraulic excavator (HEX) with a rapid-stroke hydraulic hammer. Pile foundations can therefore be produced in very confined and difficult spaces. This allows the piles to be driven gently into the ground virtually without vibration, even in the immediate vicinity of existing buildings. It is possible to maintain a pile-axe distance of approximately 40cm from the existing buildings.

Quality assurance in construction work requires compliance with both European and national standards. HPD piles are designed and manufactured in accordance with Eurocode 7 and DIN EN 12 699, our general type approval issued by the DIBt, and the recommendations of the “Piles” working group (EA-Pfähle). Self-monitoring and documentation of construction are regulated by the manufacturing standards.

The execution of HPD piles requires a procedural instruction which is individually tailored to the requirements of the specific project.

We ensure high execution quality with:

• Individually coordinated instructions
• Compliance with the requirements from DIN EN 12 699, Eurocode 7 and EA-Pfähle
• Compliance with the requirements in the general type approval
• Clear processes governed by our quality management system in accordance with DIN EN 9001:2015
• Static or dynamic pile load testing
• Vibration measurements
   

Grouted displacement piles

Sleeve grouting is especially important in non-cohesive soils to increase the external load-bearing capacity. Concrete grout is injected through the pile pipe as the pile is driven, filling the annular space via a larger diameter drive shoe. In addition to the soil compaction, this also results in a close interlocking with the subsoil. Sleeve friction rates of up to 200kN/m² can be achieved in this way, especially in sandy and gravelly soils.

Raking piles

Raking piles can be produced with an inclination of up to 45 degrees or up to 5 degrees for sleeve grouted piles.