Load Testing

Load testing helical piles involves measuring the pile height before and after striking it five times with a sledgehammer to assess its performance. The simplicity of this field testing method makes it a practical quality control procedure for helical pile installations.

Load testing a helical pile is far simpler than it sounds. The height of the pile above grade is measured (A). Next, a cap is inserted into the pile to protect its top. This cap is slammed five times with a sledge hammer (B), and the pile’s height is measured again. The sledge’s weight is […]…

This story was originally published by JLC Online.