Case Studies Ram Jack Helical Anchor Test Bed Requiring 1,000,000 lbs Capacity

Ram Jack Lowers Industrial Testing Facility Building Costs with Helicals

Havana, Florida

FMS Engineering, LLC was hired by Applied Fiber, a testing company specializing in terminated synthetic fiber systems.

PROBLEM
Applied Fiber needed to construct a test bed that would test high capacity rope terminations, requiring a 1,000,000-pound test. An anchor point had to be tied to the machinery used to conduct each test. Constructing a concrete anchor large enough to accommodate such loads would have cost $500,000.

PROPOSED SOLUTION
The engineer of record (EOR) suggested using a smaller concrete slab anchored by helical piles. The hope was that this would reduce the amount of concrete required. Initially, the EOR wanted 20 piles per slab with a working load of 90 kips per pile. Accommodating 90 kips per pile would require installing 5.5 in. dia. piles.

OUTCOME
Ram Jack Solid Foundations worked with in-house engineers to design a more economical use of piles of a different diameter to bring the cost down. Ram Jack value-engineered the project to reduce loads to 45 kips per pile using (32) 3.5 in. dia. piles per slab. The change in design to a smaller diameter helical pile reduced project time due to fabrication and shipping of materials. The 3.5 in. dia. piles also cost about half what the 5.5 in. would have. This kept the project on time and under budget.

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