April 2017 - Colorado Stuctural Systems

What are Helical Piers? (aka Helical Piles)

This definition was pulled from the AB Chance website.

A helical anchor/pile is an extendable deep foundation system with helical bearing plates welded to a central steel shaft. Load is transferred from the shaft to the soil through these bearing plates. Central steel shafts are available in either Type SS (Square Shaft) series or Type RS (Round Shaft) series. The Type SS series are available in 1-1/4″ to 2-1/4″ square sizes. The Type RS series are available in 2-7/8″ to 4-1/2″ diameter sizes. Type SS-RS combinations are also available for compression applications in soil conditions where dense/hard soils must be penetrated with softer/loose soils above the bearing strata. The Helical Pulldown^®Micropile series is also used in applications similar to those requiring the use of the Type SS-RS combinations.

Segments or sections are joined with bolted couplings. Installation depth is limited only by soil density and practicality based on economics. A helical bearing plate or helix is one pitch of a screw thread. All helices, regardless of their diameter, have a standard 3″ pitch. Being a true helical shape, the helices do not auger into the soil but rather screw into it with minimal soil disturbance. Helical plates are spaced at distances far enough apart that they function independently as individual bearing elements; consequently, the capacity of a particular helix on a helical anchor/pile shaft is not influenced by the helix above or below it.

Since 1912, Chance has been the international leader in earth anchoring. Their helical piles are used worldwide to secure residential and commercial buildings, tower foundations, heavy equipment foundations and many other deep foundation applications. CHANCE^® helical piles are approved by all national building code agencies. Colorado Structural Systems, LLC uses Chance products exclusively and is certified as an authorized installer of CHANCE^® helical piles. They are the best and we wouldn’t trust anything or anyone else.

Helical Piers for New Home Construction

Helical Piers for New Construction

Building new structures on unstable soil types will result in foundation settling. Using Helical Piers while in the construction process will minimize or, in some cases, prevent foundation cracks and structural damage.

The foundation of any building performs a crucial role in supporting the structure above it. If you are building a new home or business, you want your structure to last for decades. Protect your investment by employing the expertise of Colorado Structural Systems, the premier foundation support contractor in southern Colorado. Our experience in construction has given us the knowledge and skills to perform the area’s best foundation support.

We are accredited by the developer of the helical pier system to install this groundbreaking technology, the A.B. Chance Company. Helical pier systems have been proven to be the most effective means of repairing damaged foundation walls. Trust the foundation repair experts at Colorado Structural to save your valuable building before damaged footings cause irreparable harm.

If you are building a new home in the Colorado Springs or Denver areas, it is important to install helical piers under your new construction footings. The soil in these and the surrounding area is expansive which means that it will shrink or heave depending on weather conditions. If you don’t utilize this solution with new construction, the shifting soil beneath your foundation could cause the foundation to shift and/or move and eventually cause foundation failure.

Installing helical piers under your new construction will prevent foundation problems from the start. This is highly recommended by engineers all across the United States. Helical piers are installed below the expansive soils so that the structure is anchored into stable soils and sitting on a solid bedrock. These new construction helical piers can be installed in any weather condition and are installed quickly so there is little disruption to the timing of the new construction project.