Bearing behaviour of helical piles under axial loading

Helical piles are rotating installed into the ground using hydraulic equipment. This method of construction offers time and cost advantages over bored piles. Small-scale 1g tests using the PIV method were carried out to investigate the soil mechanical behavior that occurs due to axial loading. The results are presented and compared with analytical approaches for the calculation of the bearing capacity from literature, The results of the model tests are compared with observations from large scale laboratory tests and field tests. Recommendations for dimensioning and quality assurance are given in conclusion.