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AC358 Revisions are Being Requested by ICC-ESfor Large Diameter Helical Piles

10/20/2015

1 Comment

 
by Moncef Souissi, CTL / Thompson
September, 2015

As most people in the helical pile industry know, the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) Acceptance Criteria for Helical Piles (AC358 – click here to access) was first published in June 2007. Back then, many helical pile manufacturers formed an Ad-Hoc committee and teamed with CTL|Thompson’s Fort Collins, CO branch (IAS Accredited Lab # T342 for helical pile testing) to work with ICC-ES to develop this acceptance criteria. Once the manufacturers of helical piles started testing their product(s) to obtain an ICC-ES report, they encountered many difficulties with ICC-ES staff concerning the meanings and clarifications of many sections in AC358. To resolve this issue, the AD-Hoc committee was reassembled in 2011. This committee consisted of eight manufacturers plus Moncef Souissi of CTL|Thompson who served as its chairman. The committee worked with ICC-ES and the new revised AC358 was issued in June 2013.
Recently, ICC-ES staff contacted Souissi to recommend that AC358 be revised again to primarily address the issue of larger diameter helical piles, as the current AC358 can only be used to certify piles up to 3.5” in diameter.  Helical piles larger than 3.5” in diameter are classified as being non-conforming and are treated like small diameter helical piles that do not conform to table 3 (page 16 of AC358). Small diameter helical piles that are non-conforming still have an established Kt value stated in AC358 that ICC-ES can use as a guide.  However, there are no established Kt values in AC358 for helical piles with diameters larger than 3.5”.
Moncef Souissi and Chip Leadbetter of CTL|Thompson are willing to again work with the AD-Hoc Committee to improve and simplify the current AC358 for small diameter helical piles (sizes in AC 358 with established Kt values) and to also address the issues of the larger diameter piles.  Souissi will be sending the specifics of the revisions to manufacturers who would like to take part in this AD-Hoc Committee.  Input from manufacturers will be sought to simplify the new revised AC358 and to eliminate ambiguities that have previously caused interpretation problems between ICC-ES staff and manufacturers seeking an ESR report.
In addition to this proposal to revise AC358, the CTL|Thompson team will be addressing the issue of response and long turnaround times with ICC-ES staff.  Many manufacturers have complained about how long the certification process takes, which can also impact the overall cost of obtaining an ESR.
It is important to note that this issue was brought up during the recent Helical Piles & Tiebacks Committee meeting in Newark, NJ on September 9th. Some of the manufacturers attending the meeting recommended that a separate acceptance criteria be developed for large diameter helical piles.  This recommendation also deserves thought and discussion, and input from the industry is invited.
To be part of this Ad-Hoc committee, please contact Moncef Souissi at:
[email protected]
Or by phone: (970) 206-9455
1 Comment

HELICAL PILE BUILDING CODE UPDATE!

8/6/2015

3 Comments

 
The attached excerpt from the 2013 California Building Code regarding pre construction load testing of helical pile systems applies to ALL projects in which helical piles/anchors are installed in California. The requirement for field load testing noted applies to ALL projects, both remedial foundation repair or new construction., whether they be residential, commercial or industrial. This code section is often mis-interpreted by installation contractors, some assume that the “correlation of installation torque to capacity” is a stand alone method, it is not.  The attached code section actually requires that engineers verify the pile capacity by checking ALL of the 6 methods noted, it is not the contractors option to chose.  As many engineers are not yet familiar with the design of helical pile systems, we suggest that you provide them with a copy of the attached code section for their review. 

The use of helical pile foundation and tieback systems in California is rapidly becoming the deep foundation choice due to these systems obvious advantages over conventional systems.  Because of this rapid growth in our industry, many helical contractors have been installing helical systems utilizing “installation torque” only as a method of verifying the engineers required capacity.  However, the current California Building Code absolutely requires that field load tests be performed in order to comply.  This type of test is the only method of verifying that the contractor has installed the helical pile system to the correct load requirements as outlined by your project engineer.

Costs to underpin a structure is an expense that is hard to bare for most people.  Protect your investment by ensuring that your chosen underpinning contractor is installing your system in full compliance with the California Building Code.

Advanced Support Technology, Inc. is a pioneer in the helical field, supplying helical products, installation tools and test equipment to the industry for the past 25+ years.  Do not gamble with your investment , contact us to obtain contractor referrals who have been properly trained to install your system while complying with all current code requirements.


Kenneth B. Drake
Advanced Support Technology, Inc.
4225 Valley Fair St, Suite 106
Simi Valley, Ca 93063
helical_pile_load_capacity_verifcation.pdf
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    Kenneth B. Drake
    CEO
    Advanced Support Technology, Inc.

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