DFI 37th Annual

Conference
Cased Auger Piles (CAP): An Effective
Piling Solution

Federico Pagliacci
Soilmec S.p.A. Cesena Italy

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Continuous Flight Auger piles (CFA) are performed by means of

a continuous flight auger assembled on a central hollow pipe.
Upon completion of the boring operation, the auger is extracted
while the concrete is poured throughout the internal hollow
pipe.
The steel reinforcement cage is finally lowered into the fresh
concrete.
Piles with a maximum diameter of 55 in to a maximum depth of
108 ft can be performed.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

CFA advantages:
The method can be utilised in a wide range of cohesive and
cohesionless soils, with or without the presence of a waterbearing stratum and without bentonite fluid as wall support.
The technology does not produce shocks, vibrations, noise, thus
allowing to work in urban areas.
The minimum required equipment (the rig plus the concrete
pump) allows to minimise the job site installation plant and to
operate in very restricted areas.
An industrial production of 950 1300 ft/day

CFA limitations:
Difficulty of penetrating hard layers and cross strata with cobbles
and boulders.
Difficulty of maintaining the required verticality in coarse
materials with cobbles.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Cased Auger Piles (CAP) are performed by means of a

continuous flight auger housed inside a steel casing.
Auger and Casing are driven by two independent rotaries.
Piles with a maximum diameter of 47 in to a maximum depth of
88 ft can be performed.
The maximum cased depth is of 69 ft.
Auger
rotary

Casing
rotary

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Cased Auger Piles (CAP) have been first developed to construct

secant piles to form a continuous, watertight diaphragm wall.
Construction sequence: primary and secondary piles with
proper overlap.
Different possible option for steel reinforcement solutions.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

The excavated material is loaded onto the flight to be

transported from the top of the casing to the base of the rig
through a Spoil Chute.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Type of casing, auger tips and type of teeth depend on soil

conditions and soil abrasiveness.
Drill tools available to drill into rock with UCS up to 12,000 psi.

Guide Walls are of paramount importance to ensure the proper

alignment of piles and to guide the casing at the surface.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Equipment

SR-70

SR-80

SR-90

SR-100

Max pile depth

77.1 ft

77.1 ft

82 ft

91.9 ft

Max cased
depth

57.5 ft

57.5 ft

62.3 ft

68.9 ft

Max diameter
Operative
weight

31 in

31 in

39 in

47 in

196,430 lb

201,712 lb

255,734 lb

330,690 lb

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Concrete quality
Concrete aggregate: fine gravel of max size 0,7 in.
Cement content: 20 28 lb/ft3.
Slump: greater than 9 in (cages length up to 60 ft).
Pie diameter: greater than 25 in (cages length up to 100 ft).

S5 Concrete

SSC Concrete

Slump > 9 in

Pie diameter >25 in

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Cages have to be properly manufactured

and well assembled (preferably welded).
The external dimension has to be
maintained smaller than for standard
bored piles, to grant a sufficient cover.
A conic shape at the bottom of the steel
cage is obtained by adopting a bottom ring
smaller in size than the standard ones.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

A computerised system allows, through a touch screen monitor

into the operators cab, to monitor and download all the CAP
process parameters, both during drilling and concreting phases.
Drilling phase:
The rotaries speed/torque,
The auger and casing pull-down force,
The auger and casing tips drilling depth.
Extraction phase:
Concrete pressure and delivery.
The auger and casing pull-up force.
The auger and casing tips elevation.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Railway network (Palermo Italy)

Modernization of the railway network in the Palermo area.
Over 19 miles of railroad extension 12 miles crossing urban
areas.
17 stations and 22 stops.
76,000 ft of secant piles.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Railway network (Palermo Italy)

Drilling was carried out at a depth of 82 ft, pile diameter was

36 in and 3,5 in was the overlapping.
A deviation from verticality of less than 0,5% had to be
guaranteed.
An average production of 3,5 piles/shift has been achieved.
The most powerful rig on site had an average production of 4,3
piles/shift.
Industrial production rate: 287 353 ft/day

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Railway network (Palermo Italy)

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Railway network (Palermo Italy)

Several underground passageways have been constructed, as
part of the citys General Plan to smooth both road and rail
traffic.

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Merano Ring Road Project Italy

Merano Municipality planned in 2010 the construction of a 2,5
miles long underground ring road to solve the problem of the
transit of heavy traffic through the city.
A cut and cover tunnel was constructed in the west portion; a
tunnel boring machine was adopted for the east portion of the
tunnel, after the railway station.
The tunnel is 35 ft large and 16 ft high.

1
2

Section 1
35 ft large tunnel

Section 2
39 ft diameter tunnel

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Merano Ring Road Project Italy

24 in diameter pile: excavation 70 min; concreting and steel

cage 20 min.
47 in diameter pile: excavation 120 min; concreting and steel
cage 30 min.
Industrial production rate: 259 430 ft/day

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Merano Ring Road Project Italy

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Merano Ring Road Project Italy

Railway station
junction and exit

Cut & Cover Tunnel

Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Conclusion
CAP advantages
CAP does not induce disturbances to
adjacent structures and it prevents soil
decompression.
CAP does not induce vibrations, shocks,
noise
CAP grants verticality in the range of 0,5%.

CAP limitations
CAP needs a more expansive concrete.
CAP steel reinforcement requires
attention in assembling and lowering.

more

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Cased Auger Piles (CAP): an effective piling solution

Thank you.
Federico Pagliacci
Soilmec S.p.A. Cesena Italy

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