Very heavy or large structures, such as tall buildings or massive industrial complexes, require foundations which can bear the load of thousands of tons, often in unstable or difficult soil conditions. Large diameter bored piles are non-displacement piles commonly used to carry such large vertical loads.

Usually founded in bedrock, bored piles provide an effective means of minimizing foundation settlements in a rather cost-effective manner. And bored piles are installed with little or no vibration, and much lower noise levels than driven piles.

Soil and rock materials are removed using specially designed drilling tools, buckets and grabs. Drilling up to depths of 50 meters at a diameter of 1 to 1.5 meters is not uncommon.

Forasol has a large range of equipment available for the execution of bored piles, using various methods which can be selected to suit the type of formation being drilled, the ground water encountered and site environmental constraints.

If drilling shaft support is necessary, this can be accomplished through the use of tube casings, which can be either vibrated, drilled or oscillated into the bore hole. Additionally, water, bentonite or polymer fluids can also be used.

Load capacities of bored piles are a function of many factors, including the techniques chosen, the structural composition of the pile shaft. In additional to bearing vertical loads, bored piles are a good method for bearing lateral and bending loads, such as those induced by wind and seismic events. In such cases, larger diameter piles with steel reinforcement cages are used.