Professional load testing up to 3,559kN [800kips] is a premium service available to VersaPile's commercial customers.

Load testing can be very beneficial, especially for large scale projects. A structural load test can be performed on the job site to measure the total carrying capacity of a single helical pile in site specific soil conditions.

A load test is performed by applying enormous amounts of pressure upon a helical pile until it ultimately fails. This measures the amount of weight each pile can be expected to hold before it gives out. This is extremely valuable from an engineering perspective. A project with a site specific load test is no longer restricted to such conservative measures. Typically, a project being built on helical piles will be approved for 40% of the engineered estimations. So for example, if a pile engineer estimates that a pile will be capable of supporting 200,000 lbs then that pile will be approved to support 80,000 lbs. With a load test, a pile that fails at 200,000 lbs will be approved for 120,000 lbs. This is significant because with the additional information a load test provides, more economically friendly piles may be used to value engineer the project.

A major component of our load testing initiative is creating awareness for Helical piles within the geotechnical community.

We have noticed that many geotechnical engineers in Manitoba are not aware of the advantages and disadvantages of helical piles (Link to page on site that lists advantages and disadvantages) and therefore are hesitant to recommend their use. Unfortunately, this has led to many projects that were perfect for helical piles being built on alternative foundations, causing unnecessary issues on the project site. Because of this, we have partnered with two highly respected geotechnical engineers in Manitoba, Kelly Johnson (KGS Group) and Jenna Roadley (TREK Geotechnical) with the hopes of increasing awareness of helical piles as viable piling options. The ultimate goal is to have helical piles universally included as recommendations on geotechnical reports.

Call us today to learn more about VersaPile's professional load testing and how you can ensure the right foundation is being used for your upcoming project.