Pile head: purpose and dimensions

The population of the planet is growing in geometric progression every year. The housing issue for hundreds of families who want to have a house or apartment of the necessary size and, most importantly, in a "decent" place becomes more urgent.

For cities with a million population, this is the burning issue. After all, convenient for the development of territories is less and more apartments are required. Many developers began to use all available plots, regardless of geological features.

So, the city authorities readily give up new marsh lands, plots with underground waters, etc. To build houses not only quickly, but also qualitatively, developers often use piles for such cases.

What are piles?

Piles are supports made of various materials: metal, concrete, reinforced concrete construction, frame, ground or tongue. They are used to make the structure have a more stable foundation, less prone to water and corrosion.

Depending on the structural features of the soil on which the foundation is poured, the developer can use different ways of installing such supports. The main criterion is the weight of the entire structure of the building, as well as the density of the land on which it will be built.

For this, a cooperer, a diesel hammer, a vibrator, a hydraulic hammer and a pile driving machine can be used. In special cases, when stony layers are possible, a drill is used.

Head piles

Even the most experienced master can not install piles in such a way that their upper part, which will hold the whole foundation, was on the same level. These support parts are called pile headers.

The shape of the head depends on the pile that is used for installation. It can be round, square, rectangular. In addition, various mounting methods can be used to conveniently mount the substrate.

To fill the foundation for the foundation at the required level, the master needs to install a frame (grillage) on the columns, which is fixed with the help of the heads.

Types and features

The pile heads differ not only in shape, which corresponds to the shape of the installed pile, but also in size. In this case, do not forget that, when using a screw or concrete pile, the tip will also differ.

An important nuance in the choice of heads is its shape: it can be T-shaped or U-shaped. When installing the grillage on the T-shaped head, you can install both the formwork and the foundation pouring plate.

With the ends of the U-shaped form, only beams can be used, and their diameter should coincide with the width of the tip.

Dimensions

The most popular in the market for a long time are screw and reinforced concrete piles. Their cost, reliability and long service life make them the most in demand.

When choosing a material, the developer is guided not only by the characteristics of the soil, but also by the amount of the load in the form of a room to be mounted. Taking into account all the nuances, choose the design for installation of grillage.

The average size of the head of the screw pile in diameter, in the tube part of it, varies from 108 mm to 325 mm. And the diameter of the head itself can vary from 150 mm to 200 mm.

The smallest in diameter is a tube of 57 mm. Such a base can withstand a load of eight hundred kilograms. Most often they are used for construction of light economic buildings (garage, gazebo, shed).

A wider pile with a diameter of 89 mm. Apply poles with this diameter on peat or waterlogged places for the construction of dachas, baths, garages, fences.

Piles with the size of the head of 108 mm are the most "hardy". They easily withstand a weight of three and a half tons, are mechanically mounted and suitable for almost all types of soils.

Concrete headings of piles are square in shape with side lengths ranging from twenty centimeters. The greater the load, the longer the reinforced concrete pile.

Screw or reinforced concrete?

The question of choosing the material for piles remains open primarily because of the size of the construction. For industrial orders (high-rise buildings, commercial and administrative buildings, bridges) use reinforced concrete poles.

They are strong, resistant to corrosion, perfectly tolerate temperature changes. The downside of this type of pile is the high cost of installation. It is produced with the help of special equipment.

Less costly in installation are screw piles. They can be established by using only human resources. Therefore, screw piles are most often used during the construction of cottages, small cottages.

To chop or cut?

In order for the structure to have an even foundation, after installation the piles are cut at the required level. The cutting of the pile head ends with:

• a jackhammer (a small amount of work);

• hydraulic stubs (construction of residential complexes or shopping centers).

To make all necessary manipulations, the master marks the desired height, on which the pile will be cut off. And after, if it's a concrete structure, with the help of improvised tools, make a furrow and chop excess concrete.

Leave only the metal frame, which is cut with a hydraulic scissors and a jackhammer. If necessary, the masters can "tie" the remaining rods and foundation of the foundation.

This way of removing the "superfluous" is quite laborious and can take a lot of time. In the course of the master, no more than fifteen headings are processed.

A more budgetary and quicker way is to cut the ends. This method is convenient and economical. Suitable for working with different types of piles. The big advantage is the high-speed processing of the ends, which considerably reduces the time for the arrangement of the grillage.

For cutting, use cutting tools - grinder, with a belt or disk circle installed; Abrasive saw.

Before the beginning of work outline a cut line by a marker or a chalk, for an equal saw cut a furrow on a circle. If the tool or pile starts to heat up, they are cooled and then continue to work.

The disadvantage of this method of processing is the complete unsuitability after the cutting of the reinforcement, and also the rapid wear and tear of the working tool. That can entail additional costs for the purchase of consumables.

How to prepare for the assembly?

If metal piles were chosen for the foundation equipment, preliminary work should be done so that the pile heads last longer.

After trimming at a level of two or three centimeters from the place of the saw, it is necessary to remove the coating layer, which protects the material from the influence of environmental factors. For this, a brush for metal or a special nozzle for a Bulgarian is perfect.

Installation

Mounting pile headers also has its own characteristics. The main criterion for installation is the type of pile and the material from which it is made. If a screw pile is used in the construction, its ends will necessarily be metal and fixed by welding.

It can be a T-shaped head in the form of a plate with a round base, which is worn on the pile and fixed with a welding seam. In addition, if a channel or an I-beam is used to mount the grillage, they are welded to the end of the pile in a special way.

The I-beam is fixed to the welding in the form of a square plate, and the channel is turned with "wings" down welded to the base. If the architect intends to build the building from a wooden beam, the first "line" of logs is connected to the head with a metal rod.

For welding operations, use electrodes with a size of 3 millimeters, the current value is not more than 100 amperes.

If a concrete pylon head is used to install the foundation of the grillage, its installation begins after cutting the pile heads to the required level. Corners of this kind are mounted in concrete mortar during the pouring of the foundation in the formwork installed on the pile.

And now about the good

The use of piles in construction is not a novelty. But there is a possibility that not all customers have encountered their use in life. Many are confused by the lengthy process of their installation, as well as the rather laborious method of installing grillage.

It is worth noting that the use of this type of foundation saves the owners of the dwelling from a multitude of negative factors. It:

• Spring and autumn floods.
• Instability of the soil (peat bogs, marshes, quicksand, floes).
• Ease of installation, not dependent on weather conditions (frost, heat, etc.).
• Construction of buildings on uneven surfaces;
• Distribution of the weight load along the foundation contour.

In the world there are a lot of projects, in the construction of which the foundations were used, installed on screw and concrete piles. Most of them are eco-projects, the function of which is to preserve the pristine beauty of the places chosen for construction. The protected corners of Norway and Finland were enriched by unusual structures "on chicken legs". They not only became cozy dwellings for their owners, but also a tourist attraction for curious tourists.

Beautiful, comfortable, and most importantly, safe houses are striking in their simplicity and original design. What kind of piles and heads will become the basis of your home, it's up to you. The main thing is that this foundation has served not one generation of your family.