Capital Piling Ltd Announces Sponsorship of Dorking Wanderers Football Club
We at Capital Piling Ltd are thrilled to announce our official sponsorship of Dorking Wanderers Football Club.
Continuous Flight Auger Piling, or CFA Piling for short, is a proven Piling method and a key component of a building's foundation. Used either in single piles or as part of a pile group, wooden, steel or concrete piles are buried deep into the ground to provide the foundational support for a wide range of structures. Due to its low noise and vibration and ability to be placed into a number of different soil types, CFA Piling has become a go-to piling method for inner city developments, acting as a fast, efficient, cost-effective and highly durable method of piling. In this article, we aim to take a closer look at CFA Piling and how it can directly benefit inner-city developments.
Continuous flight auger, (CFA), piling is designed to provide a stable foundation for a building or structure at speed, offering a fast installation process that allows for the unique ability to both drill and concrete in one smooth continuous operation. In short, a continuous hollow stem auger is drilled into the ground that is then immediately filled with concrete and reinforced with a steel cage. CFA Piling is therefore fast and effective, making it the ideal piling solution for installation in environmentally sensitive, or built-up and inner-city areas because it is a mostly noise and vibration-free method. It is suitable for ground surfaces or strata such as:
Since its introduction to the UK in the 1960s, CFA Piling has steadily become one of, if not the most, popular construction techniques to create deep foundations for a building, providing a solid, sturdy structure that can resist the full range of a building’s structural loading.
During the CFA Piling process, a hollow stem is rotated into the ground soil at a specific depth, before a concrete or grout is then immediately pumped through the hollow stem. This ensures the cavity space created as the auger is removed is filled correctly, with a reinforcement cage then placed directly into the fresh concrete. In essence, as the auger is extracted in a rotating motion, to remove the ground material, the concrete is extended to ground level and a steel reinforcement cage is plunged into the remaining wet concrete, thus providing structure.
CFA Piling is heavily utilised in construction works taking place in urban environments, such as an inner-city development, due to a number of important factors. These typically include:
Faster to install, highly efficient and producing low levels of noise and vibration in the process, CFA Piling has become the most popular method of piling for inner-city developments and it’s clear to see why. Below, we provide an in-depth analysis of the key reasons for using CFA Piling in inner-city developments:
Generally speaking, due in no small part to the high level of operational machinery used in most construction works, such as excavation or piling, will result in a high level of vibratory compaction, causing an influx of ground-borne vibration. As a result of the machinery, the ground will be weakened, compromised and disturbed, which can cause issues later on in the process, when piles are driven into the ground itself. CFA Piling, however, is virtually vibration-free, meaning it’s far easier to drive piles into the ground without disturbing the clay or soil, offering up an ideal solution for inner-city developments, urban environments, or sensitive locations where the ground may be fallible.
As an extension of the above, reduced levels of vibration will ultimately lead to a reduced level of noise disruption caused by piling. CFA Piling produces far less noise than other piling techniques and is therefore considered a low-noise operational piece of machinery. This is highly beneficial on worksites in inner-city developments as it will prevent complaints or disturbances to neighbouring communities caused by construction works in the nearby area. Keeping disruption at the absolute minimum is vital when operating heavy machinery or carrying out construction works in urban environments for inner-city developments, to ensure those living in close proximity are kept happy during essential construction works.
CFA Piling has a remarkably high production rate, with typical production rates for these types of projects ranging between 300-450m, (1000-15000ft), per day for piles with a diameter of 350-450mm and a length of 200-40m. This is significant, speeding up the process of installing your CFA piling significantly, particularly for buildings such as skyscrapers, where the piles will be relatively close to one another, meaning less time is needed between moving the individual piles. However, it should be noted that lower production rates will be expected on projects where piles are required to spread out across a large area, such as on bridges, with production rates here ranging from 60150m, (200-500ft), per day.
This makes CFA Piling an ideal solution for inner-city developments, which require fast, efficient and high-quality construction to reduce the levels of noise and vibration disruption during essential works. On top of this, with the increased requirement for buildings, structures and accommodation in an ever-urbanising environment, the need for a high production rate in this industry is pivotal.
Generally speaking, prices for CFA Piling are less expensive than other piling solutions, partly due to their high productivity and usage across a wide range of projects and applications. This makes CFA Piling not just the most popular solution for piling, but also the most cost-effective one too. Prices for CFA piles are typically a few pounds per foot less than other piling solutions, such as driven precast concrete piles of similar size or axial capacity.
CFA Piling can be installed up to depths of 25m, (82ft), which is an ideal solution for most low to mid-range load capacities, making it the most suitable form of piling for a wide range of both commercial and residential projects. This, in turn, makes CFA Piling the perfect piling solution for inner-city developments, as it’s well documented to provide the necessary bearing capacity required to provide the foundations for domestic properties.
A key advantage of CFA Piling, as mentioned, is its ability to be used on a range of building projects and in most ground or soil conditions, including sand, gravel, rock and clay. This makes them a highly versatile form of piling that can be utilised across a range of projects. This is exactly why they are applied so frequently in inner-city developments, as they are easy to install, strong, durable and highly versatile.
As you can see, CFA Piling is the ideal solution for built-up environments and inner-city developments, as it offers a fast, efficient installation at a relatively low-cost, whilst the guaranteed strength durability and versatility in design will ensure its suitable for a range of project types, whether this is in buildings, bridges or structures.
Seeking professional CFA piling contractors? At Capital Piling, Our professional teams are highly experienced in installing high-quality foundations on a vast range of projects. Whether you require foundations to extend your growing home or looking for a strong team for that major commercial project, Capital Piling is here for you.
We provide residential and commercial piling services, offering domestic homeowners, commercial clients and building contractors the most appropriate rig for your set-up, to ensure your project is completed on time and on budget. Operating across London, Essex, Guildford and the South of the UK, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the team.
