CASE HISTORIES
Drive Rite is the perfect fit for a wide array of job types, ranging from New Construction to Commercial Projects to Residential Repair. Below you will find a catalogue of our case histories.
New Construction Piles for Holding Tank
Alluriam Stone: Bessemer, AL
This project consisted of designing and installing helical piles for a new construction slab and pad application for a large industrial holding tank. Excavation was performed by Alluriam Stone to prepare the site for the concrete pad. Alabama Foundation Specialists of Birmingham installed eleven Drive Rite™ 26000 Series 2-7/8" Schedule 80 helical piles configured with 8" and 10" helical flights.
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Residential Foundation Repair
Childress Residence: Sylacuga, AL
With an apparent sinkhole underneath the Childress residence, geotechnical exploration and evaluation was performed by ATC Associates, Inc. Through four soil test borings, it was determined that a large cavity was beneath the ground's surface located at the right rear corner of the residential structure. Alabama Foundation Specialists of Birmingham designed and estimated foundation stabilization and repair and retained services of Criterium Carlysle Engineers to evaluate and design a repair plan.
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State Park Retaining Wall Repair
Lake Greenwood State Park: Ninety Six, SC
Mount Valley Foundation Services, Inc. met with a representative of the South Carolina State Park Service to discuss repair options to the existing historic retaining wall at Lake Greenwood State Park in Greenwood, SC. This retaining wall was of special interest to the Park Service because it represents one of the first South Carolina projects completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal Program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
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Apartment Retaining Wall Repair
Misty Woods Apartment Complex: Charlotte, NC
In March of 2005, Empire Construction awarded Mount Valley Foundation Services, Inc. a contract for the installation of 166 helical tie back anchors on a wooden retaining wall renovation project at the Misty Woods Apartments in Charlotte, NC. Project engineer, Sael Abdulhadi, of S. A. Engineering, considered numerous options but chose Drive Rite™ 25000 series Helical Tie Back Piles over more commonly known square shaft products because of their superior strength and ease of installation...
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New Construction Helical Piles
Chevron Texaco Blending Facility: Charleston, SC
In May of 2002, Mount Valley Foundation Services, Inc. was chosen by Chevron Texaco to install foundation anchoring for a tanker truck unloading bay expansion at their facility in Charleston, South Carolina. The owner's requirements mandated a quick and effective solution capable of being installed with little to no disruption to the existing unloading facility and capable of withstanding uplift pressure of 35 kips...
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New Construction Piles for Elevator Shaft
Magnolia Bay Condominiums: Panama City Beach, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by General Contractor W. A. Yates to install Drive Rite™ 26000 Series 2-7/8" Schedule 80 Pipe Helical Piles at the Magnolia Bay Condominiums development at Panama City Beach, Florida. The helical piles were installed to support an elevator shaft in the central portion of the condominium structure. Prior to contacting Alpha Foundation Specialists, steel driven piles and auger cast piles were tested and unable to generate the needed...
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New Construction Helical Piles
Stone Bridge Condominiums: Tallahassee, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by the Stone Bridge Condominium development to review the building design and soil reports for a new phase of condominiums to be constructed. The soil reports indicated a layer of expansive clay ranging between three and eight feet from the surface. It was determined that the Drive Rite 2-7/8" Schedule 80 New Construction Piers would satisfy the torque requirement of 8,000 foot-pounds...
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Repair Piles for Sinkhole Damage
Tallahassee, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by a home owner requesting immediate repairs due to the presence of a sinkhole under the structure. AFS worked with SSI who specialized in analyzing sinkholes for insurance companies. SSI determined that it would be necessary to underpin the home in 62 locations and to pressure grout the building in 31 locations...
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New Construction Piles - Off-Grade
Off-Grade Zero Emissions Building: Tallahassee, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by FSU to install helical anchors for an innovative structure on FSU's campus. This structure called the OGZEB (Off Grade Zero Emissions Building) is a prototype structure that will make green housing affordable. This building uses solar panels to produce its energy. Since the sun's energy is not consistent throughout the day, excess energy produced by the sun during daylight hours will need to be stored...
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New Construction Piles for Unstable Soils
Solimar Subdivision: Mary Esther, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by General Contractor D. R. Horton to install Drive Rite™ 26000 Series 2-7/8" Schedule 80 Helical Pipe Piles at the Solimar Subdivision in Okaloosa County, Florida. The homes were to be constructed on sandy soils which had a layer of organic matter ranging from 5' to 18' deep. Due to the unpredictability of the depth...
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Post-Construction Piles for New Floor
Summer Camp Welcome Center: St. Teresa, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by General Contractor Childers Construction to install Drive Rite™ 26000 Series 2-7/8" Schedule 80 Helical Pipe Piles at the Summer Camp Welcome Center in St. Teresa, Florida. The live loads of the building changed when the building changed from a sales office to a store and restaurant. Helical piles were used to attach to the existing beams to give...
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New Construction Piles
Water Street Marina: Apalachicola, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by General Contractor Culpepper Construction to install Drive Rite™ 25000 Series 2-7/8" Schedule 40 Helical Pipe Piles at the Water Street Marina in Apalachicola, Florida. AFS reviewed the soil information and found the top 12' of soil was loose sand. From 12' to a depth of 55' was extremely loose clay...
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Helical Piers for New Residence
Sea Island, Georgia
The architect and general contractor selected Drive Rite™ Hot-Dipped Galvanized Helical Steel Piers to support the footings of this 26,000 square foot residence in Sea Island, GA. Soil borings revealed single digit blow counts to a 20-25 foot depth on this beautiful marshland site. The selection of helical piers over auger cast was based on...
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Telemetry Support Pole
Tradition, South Carolina (Hilton Head Area)
Pre-construction underpinning was required prior to the installation of a telemetry support tower. Maximum wind loads (tension and compression) to be exerted on each steel pier was 38,000 lbs working load (76 kip ultimate load) and the maximum dead load was 7.4 kips. The structural engineer specified four helical steel piers to anchor the 8' x 8' x 2'-0" thick concrete foundation for the telemetry support tower...
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Warehouse Expansion Underpinning
Villa Rica, GA
Engineered Solutions of Georgia was contacted by Grubb Engineering Services to consult on the most cost-effective way to underpin a warehouse expansion for RSC Distribution Service. The project was a fast-track job for RSC and general contractor Titleist Building Systems. Auger cast piles and grouted micropiles were considered and, after careful cost analysis, helical piles were selected...
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Repair Piles for Parking Deck
Attorneys' Offices of Sachs & Sax: Tallahassee, FL
Alpha Foundation Specialists, Inc. was contacted by Barton Construction to stabilize the attorneys' office of Sachs and Sax. This office was constructed above the parking area. The office was supported by 25 auger cast piles. The auger cast piles had as much as 4" of failure. It was discovered through test borings that the auger cast piles were not belled at the bottom like they were designed to be...
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