Profile of Today’s Helical Pier Industry
by HPW Staff
From the early days of Alexander Mitchell’s screwpile, the helical pier has evolved into one of the most versatile, efficient and effective anchoring and deep-foundation products in the world. Its continuously improving technology and expanding array of applications suggest tremendous growth for a long time to come.
During the early part of the 20th century, helical piers were almost exclusively used in the marine industry to anchor lighthouses, to support waterfront piers and for use as boat moorings. In 1912, Albert Bishop Chance introduced an earth anchor he dubbed the “Never Creep Anchor.” Chance’s product was used to anchor thousands of new telephone poles and to re-anchor existing poles uprooted by an ice storm that hit his hometown of Centralia, Mo.
In the 1950s, the A.B. Chance Co. introduced new power-installed anchoring systems to anchor electric utility towers and guy wires. New applications for helical piers emerged steadily through the 1960s and 1970s, with products to hold down oil and gas pipelines, to anchor mobile homes and more.
In the 1980s, the foundation repair market (underpinning) grew dramatically because more homes each year were being built on less-stable soil. The helical pier, along with the less-popular resistance pier, is installed more commonly every year by foundation repair contractors to lift and stabilize homes with problem foundations.
In the 1990s, geotechnical and structural engineers began to specify more new construction projects using helical piers as deep foundations. With single-pier ultimate axial compression capacities of 50 tons or more, the helical pier provided engineers and contractors with an exceptionally effective solution for deep-foundation applications.
Some of the advantages of helical piers in deep-foundation solutions include:
-
No vibration during installation
-
No soil spoils
-
Pre-engineered
-
No heavy equipment or associated mobilization charges
-
Easy field installation verification
-
Immediate loading or post tensioning
-
No concrete curing
-
Fast installation in nearly all weather conditions
Helical pier opportunities are greatly expanding across many markets. New applications for helical piers include interstate highway sound wall anchors, concrete-less foundations for house additions and for decks and cabins, tilt-up wall anchors, temporary shoring and countless remedial applications.
With existing markets growing by leaps and bounds, and new markets turning up every year, the future for helical piers is impressive. One catalyst that undoubtedly will aid its growth is the anticipated approval of a new Acceptance Criteria for use by the International Code Council Evaluation Services (ICC-ES) organization.
Helical pier manufacturers eagerly waiting for the product certification application doors to reopen at ICC-ES so their helical pier products can become certified by the Code Council (see ICC article). With this ICC certification, helical pier products will become even more mainstream than they are today, as more and more engineers specify helical piers for their projects.
