The piling industry has a wide range of different approaches that are designed with certain projects in mind in order to ensure that a building has the very best foundation in place. After all, traditional driven piles are often impossible to implement in existing buildings which is why underpinning was developed. Both steel and concrete make effective and reliable piling materials, however the latter can be implemented in two distinctly different ways. Read on as we explain the difference between precast and cast-in-situ concrete piles…
Precast concrete piles are made ahead of time and then delivered to a construction site on the day of installation which means that they can save workers a lot of time because they are ready for installation using pile driving technology. On the other hand, cast-in-situ concrete piles need to be made on the field by first digging a hole into the ground using a rotary method, implementing a steel support frame and then pouring in the reinforced concrete before allowing it to set to create the piles. This is a lot more time consuming than the precast variety which means that projects tend to require a longer timeframe to carry out.
With this said, there is a lot more room for error when it comes to cast-in-situ concrete piles because they are constructed with the required depth and soil conditions in mind. In addition to this, they are also less likely to break because they don’t need to be driven into the ground using weight-bearing equipment. Contrastingly, precast concrete piles arrive premade and run the risk of cracking under the pressure of installation, or may be driven into the ground at unsuitable angles depending on the condition of the soil on the particular day of construction.
Here at Rhino Piling, our team work tirelessly in order to provide our clients with a foundation that can withstand the test of time. Prior to the commencement of each project, we will carry out an in-depth on-site evaluation in order to ascertain the condition of the soil and decide which material would be most suitable for the proposed structure. Both precast and cast-in-situ concrete piles provide a strong and reliable foundation and either is often selected as per the requirements of a project and the wishes of the client. For all your piling Manchester needs, get in contact with a member of the team today!
