Helical Piles – 500 kV CECO Project – Cerromatoso – Copey

Goals

With a length of 369 km, the company ISA Intercolombia is building the reinforcement electrical system that will allow the Caribbean Coast to be interconnected with the interior of the country to guarantee the electrical sustainability of the region.

AXIATECH was asked by the CHRM consortium, builder of the section between the Chinú substation and the crossing with the Magdalena River, to design, supply and build the foundations of the seven approach towers to the crossing with the Magdalena River, which is located in the most complex geotechnical section of the route.

Helical piles were chosen as an alternative foundation for towers located in the most adverse soil conditions.

The solution proved to be more cost-effective than any other available alternative and passed all performance tests, receiving clear and decisive acceptance in the project.

CONVENTIONAL SOLUTION

Due to the high load magnitudes and the geotechnical deficiencies of the soil, foundation systems supported by pre-excavated piles with depths greater than 12 m were initially considered in the project engineering. Foundation blocks of 12 piles of 0.5 m and 0.7 m diameter were necessary to ensure the long-term stability of the towers.

However, the construction timelines, site access conditions, among other factors, made it unfeasible to proceed with the construction following the initial guidelines.

SOLUTION WITH HELICOIDAL PILES

Helical piles were an excellent alternative. But only with excellent engineering work was it possible to achieve the appropriate configuration to withstand loads of up to 200 tons of vertical load and 40 tons of lateral load.

The integration of the excellent properties and characteristics of the piles into a suitably shaped foundation model was able to satisfy the various load demands acting on the foundation system in highly complex geotechnical environments.

INSTALLATION

Arrangements between 3 and 13 piles per leg, joined by rigid concrete heads, were determined for the construction of the foundations of the 7 towers built with the system.

Construction was completed in 10 days of work, obtaining yields of 120 linear meters of pile per day.

Helical Piles are the ideal solution for foundations in transmission lines...

A.B. CHANCE – Hubbell Foundation

World leading manufacturers in the manufacture of helical piles, with more than 100 years of experience and history in foundation engineering solutions applying helical pile technology.