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Where Brains Meet Brawn

Using Smarter Capabilities to Improve Project Outcomes

By Kelly Wolf, BGCI Deep Foundations VP of Estimating and Tom Howard, BGCI Deep Foundations VP of Operations

 

Every deep foundation job has inherent risk. By its nature, subsurface work deals with uncertainties.

At BGCI, we are constantly assessing and applying new technologies and techniques to reduce risk and uncertainties for our clients. Our BAUER BG 33 drilling rig and our in-house WEAP (Wave Equation Analysis Program) capabilities are two examples of how we apply cutting-edge technologies to solve our clients’ challenges.

These capabilities give our clients an advantage in the following ways:

 

Improved Accuracy

The WEAP simulates the pile response to pile driving equipment. We use it pre-project to assist our historical knowledge and experience of installing piles at various sites. This allows our team to properly size hammers and equipment to efficiently install the piling based on known piling, soil, and capacity requirements before mobilizing to the project site.

The BAUER BG 33 rig is a transformative technology. It combines muscle with automation and data insights to provide unprecedented control. For example, the rig’s BAUER B-Tronic system enables our operators to monitor main parameters, such as pump pressure, torque, and drilling depths, in real time. This same information can be mirrored on the Bauer tablet to track progress or share information with other users, including our clients. Drilling progress documentation and verification of performance and quality can be easily produced as standardized reports. Should our work be out of compliance, we can quickly adjust rather than wait days or weeks to discover something was off the mark.

 

Enhanced Efficiency

Our WEAP capabilities allow our team to perform a drivability analysis to determine estimated pile stresses, pile capacities, and anticipated installation durations based on geotechnical information.

In addition, the BAUER rig’s assistance systems eliminate many manual tasks, enabling us to work more quickly and efficiently. For example, the rig’s automatic drilling and extraction control system allows for single-pass processes that enable hands-free operation and ensure the production of high-quality piles while minimizing the amount of concrete. Likewise, the Bauer-Assistant Positioning System allows for accurate installation of pile locations using uploaded survey coordinates and satellite-based positioning of the rig. In short, it eliminates the need to manually stake pile locations.

 

Faster Turnaround

Our in-house capabilities enable us to be more responsive to our clients’ needs, including schedule. For example, we can deliver reports to our in-house and client engineering teams within hours, rather than days.

 

Added Value Through Deep Foundations Expertise

New technologies might get the work done faster — but that doesn’t necessarily mean the work gets done better. Expertise still counts. At BGCI, we draw from decades of experience to recommend the best piling design and approach based on site-specific conditions.

In addition, our Deep Foundations team offers a full suite of deep foundations disciplines. Our solutions include driven piles, ACIP/CFA piles, helical piles, micro piles, drilled piers, full displacement piles, drilled shafts, and steel sheet piles/temporary retention structures. As a result, we can tailor our recommendations and solutions to the project and not to our capabilities.

At BGCI, we are partners and problem-solvers. We view every project as an opportunity to deliver more value for our clients. We know the best method for mitigating risk is to engage a deep foundations team early in the planning process. When we partner with our clients during the planning phase, we can:

  • Optimize pile design by conducting a test pile program
  • Select the most constructable and economical deep foundation solution based on the project’s location, soil properties, resource requirements, and construction logistics
  • Procure materials as early as possible to avoid delays related to long lead times
  • Plan site logistics to develop the best, most efficient routes for heavy haul trucks and deliveries to improve traffic flow and safety

 

Have greater confidence on your next deep foundations job. Contact us to discuss how we can leverage our expertise and cutting-edge capabilities to deliver superior results on your next project. Contact Kelly Wolf at WolfKe@BakerGCI.com or via our website.