Simplex piles
Encyclopedia: Simplex piles
Simplex pilesin accordance with DIN EN 12 699
We supply driven piles as displacement piles in a range of designs:
In-situ concrete driven piles
- Frankipfahl NG® piles
- Simplex piles
The piles are driven dynamically, either by internal pipe driving or by head driving, depending on the type of pile.
Applications
We use Cast-in-place concrete driven piles as deep foundation elements for all types of structures. These include:
- Industrial buildings
- Bridges
- Wind turbines
- Logistics warehouses
- Residential and commercial buildings
- Offices and hotels
Advantages
With their short set-up times, rapid pile production and high load-bearing capacity, driven piles are more cost-efficient and result in shorter construction times. The soil is fully displaced, yielding optimised subsoil conditions and zero drilling waste. This saves on additional costs for transport and landfill disposal.
The installation procedure and the control of the required resistances allow the pile lengths to be readily adapted to changing soil strata.
The advantages of driven piles:
- Very high pile loads possible
- Optimum adaptation to subsoil conditions
- Narrow piles with less concrete consumption and lower carbon footprint than alternative pile systems
- Full soil displacement, thus no transport or disposal costs for the drilling waste
- Complication-free use in contaminated soils
- Economical pile system due to high pile production output
- Very good resistance-settlement properties
- Plumb and raking piles can be installed at an inclination of up to 4:1
- Can be designed as an energy pile, so that the driven piles can also be used for geothermal purposes.
Basic facts
Quality assurance
Quality assurance in construction work requires compliance with European and national standards and the recommendations of the "Piles" working group (EA-Pfähle). The self-monitoring and documentation of construction execution are also regulated in manufacturing standards.
A procedure instruction that is individually adapted to the requirements of the relevant project is required to install driven piles. The machine operator’s instincts are just as important as their technical knowledge or experience. Operating the large special equipment is a delicate process that requires optimal tuning of the manufacturing parameters to achieve the desired pile resistance.
We ensure high execution quality with:
- Individually coordinated instructions
- Compliance with the requirements of DIN EN 12 699, Eurocode 7 and EA-Pfähle
- Clear processes governed by our quality management system in accordance with DIN EN 9001:2015
- Static or dynamic pile load testing
- Pile integrity tests
Design variants
We always work with our own special equipment and appropriately qualified professionals. Our greatest strength is our ability to adapt to the individual conditions on the construction sites at any time during the project. Our long-standing experience and a wide range of technical possibilities ensure that implementation is always safe and successful.
Der Frankipfahl NG®
© PORR
Frankipile NG®The top-of-the-range pile
Frankipfahl NG® piles are primarily used where good quality load-bearing soil types are located deep below the surface and/or where an unusually high load bearing capacity is required. The variety of design variants allows for individual adaptation to a wide variety of subsoil conditions and site scenarios, ensuring high load bearing capacities can be achieved.
These piles can be used as perpendicular piles or raking piles at angles of up to 4:1. Frankipfahl NG® piles also feature an enlarged foot to improve the absorption of tensile loads.
Edgard Frankignoul first applied for a patent for what is now a popular pile system all over the world in 1908. This included the fabrication of the complete pile using tamped, earth-moist concrete. The fabrication of shafts using pourable concrete and the characteristic foot dimensions, which have been in common use in Germany since the early 1990s, represent safe and economical improvements to the original concept. To differentiate between the system devised by Edgard Frankignoul and the newer version, we use the name Frankipfahl NG® for our product, where NG stands for “new generation”.
Frankipfahl NG® piles are also suitable for use in contaminated soils, as they use the displacement method and no soil is extracted. They can even be used as energy piles, with the Frankipfahl NG® piles conducting geothermic heat.
Frankipfahl NG® piles can be used as a deep foundation element for all kinds of construction projects. Suitable projects include:
- Bridge constructions
- Wind turbines
- Silos
- High-bay warehousing
- Crane runways
- Dock bases
- Industrial buildings
- Heavy duty surfaces
Technical brochure Frankipost
Advantages
The variety of design variants allows for individual adaptation to a wide variety of subsoil conditions and site scenarios, ensuring high load bearing capacities can be achieved.
The advantages of Frankipfahl NG® piles:
- Very high pile loads can be achieved, with a characteristic pile resistance Rk of up to 12,000kN
- Full soil displacement, eliminating transport costs for excavated soil
- The number and length of the piles used can be individually adapted for ideal results
- Foundation size can be reduced
- A very economical system due to savings in concrete and steel
- Very good resistance and settlement characteristics
- Soil may also be improved by means of gravel pre-compaction
- Reduced pile casing landing depth
- Low noise emissions in comparison to head-driven systems
- Can be used on contaminated sites
- Can be fabricated in particularly poor, soft soil layers using sleeve pipes
- Can be used as an energy pile
Basic principles
Quality assurance
Quality assurance in construction work requires the observation of both European and national standards. The design and manufacture of Frankipfahl NG® piles are governed by Eurocode 7 and DIN EN 699 and subject to the recommendations of the “Pfähle” working group (EA Piles). The self-monitoring and documentation of construction execution are also regulated by manufacturing standards.
Frankipfahl NG® pile fabrication procedures must be individually tailored to the requirements of the specific method used. This requires specialist knowledge and experience in the field, together with sound instincts on the part of the machine operator. Large specialist machinery must be handled with sensitivity and due attention to the optimum adjustment of manufacturing parameters if the desired pile resistance is to be achieved.
We ensure high execution quality with:
- Individually tailored procedures
- Adherence to the requirements of DIN EN 12 699, Eurocode 7 and EA Piles
- Clear processes overseen by our quality management system in accordance with DIN EN 9001:2005
- Static and dynamic pile loading tests
- Pile integrity tests
Design variants
Frankipfahl NG® piles are in-situ concrete driven piles with retrievable casing tubes. The tubes are fitted with a waterproof seal at the base in the form of a plug of dried concrete or gravel sand. A free-falling drive-hammer works inside the casing, striking this plug and driving the tube into the earth. The required ramming force, measured in blows per metre, is an indication of the load bearing capacity of the soil on the site. After reaching the desired depth or meeting the given ramming criteria, the plug is detached and the necessary volume of footing concrete is driven in. Next, a reinforcement cage is installed, concrete filled in and the casing tube is retracted. Frankipfahl NG® piles can be installed perpendicularly or at angles of up to 4:1.
Herstellungsverfahren ohne Kiesvorverdichtung.
© PORR
If the soil at the intended casing landing depth does not have sufficient load bearing capacity, soil improvement measures involving gravel pre-compaction may be undertaken before the pile toe is fabricated. This soil improvement process consists of tamping (compacting) gravel both above and below the intended pile casing landing depth.
Herstellung mit Kiesvorverdichtung
© PORR
Frankipfahl NG® piles with a shaft diameter of 71cm have also been included in our range since 2009. We call this Frankipfahl NG® the Megapfahl pile. With a slender shaft diameter of 71cm, the Megapfahl pile characteristically provides pile resistances Rk of up to 12,000kN with, depending on the soil type, usually very little settlement.
Diverse applications for improved sustainability
The Megapfahl pile can be used in a wide variety of subsoil conditions as a deep foundation element for structures with particularly high vertical loads, such as bridges, industrial buildings, power stations and silos. The high load bearing capacity of this pile enables the construction of a much smaller foundation or abutment than that required with other pile systems, thus reducing the volume of concrete required, even with large supporting loads.
Optimisation example:
Optimierungsbeispiel
© PORR
Frankipfahl NG® pilesin contaminated soils
Environmentally friendly: 60-degree foot tip
Full soil displacement means the Frankipfahl NG® pile system is particularly suitable for use on contaminated sites. To reduce the carryover of contaminated soil during pile fabrication, we use a 60-degree foot tip when driving through the contaminated layer. Alternatively, it is also possible to use a lead seal to prevent pollutants from travelling into deeper layers.
Secure: lead seals
Pile foundations penetrating contaminated soil layers require appropriate measures to ensure that no pollutants can be carried over into other soil layers, or into groundwater, either during the pile fabrication process or subsequently. This can be achieved with the addition of special lead seals in the contaminated area.
Frankipfahl NG® pileswith sleeve pipes
In particularly poor, soft soil layers, where strong groundwater is present or where the site soil is particularly concrete aggressive, the fresh concrete columns of the pile require additional support and/or protection. Sleeve pipes attached to the reinforcement cage can be successfully used to address this issue.
Betonieren eines Simplexpfahls mit mobiler Betonpumpe.
© PORR
Simplex pilesDisplacement pile in accordance with DIN EN 12 699
Simplex piles are cost-effective in-situ concrete driven piles. They can be used as a deep foundation element for all types of structures. Using Simplex piles improves the subsoil by fully displacing the soil instead of extracting it. This also saves on additional costs for transport and landfill disposal.
One of the most persuasive features of the Simplex pile is its short production time. Under suitable conditions, it is particularly effective when used for foundations with a large number of piles and predetermined long embedment lengths in load-bearing subsoil.
Simplex piles can be used as deep foundation elements for every type of structure. These include:
- Logistics warehouses
- Industrial buildings
- Wind turbines
- Silos
- High-bay warehouses
- Crane tracks
- Heavy load areas
Technical brochureSimplex piles
Advantages
This pile system is particularly suitable for projects with a large quantity of piles and long pile lengths. Simplex piles are used where the noise emissions caused by head driving are not a critical factor.
- Very high daily output and thus rapid construction progress
- High pile loads possible: Characteristic pile resistances Rk of up to 6,000kN
- Full soil displacement, thus avoiding the need to transport excavated soil and saving costs
- Very economical system due to savings in concrete and steel
- Good resistance-settlement properties
- Can be used on contaminated sites
- Also available as an energy pile
Basic facts
Quality assuranceat Simplex pile
The requirements of the relevant European and national standards must be observed to ensure quality assurance during construction. Our Simplex piles are designed and manufactured in accordance with Eurocode 7 and DIN EN 12 699 and the recommendations of the “Piles” working group (EA-Pfähle). Self-monitoring and documentation of construction are regulated in the manufacturing standards.
A procedure instruction that is individually adapted to the requirements of the relevant project is required to install Simplex piles. The machine operator’s instincts are just as important as his technical knowledge or experience. Operating the large special equipment is a delicate process that requires optimal tuning of the manufacturing parameters to achieve the desired pile resistance.
We ensure high execution quality with:
- Individually coordinated instructions
- Compliance with the requirements of DIN EN 12 699, Eurocode 7 and EA-Pfähle
- Clear processes via our quality management system in accordance with DIN EN 9001:2015
- Static or dynamic pile load testing
- Pile integrity tests
