By Hannah Robertson 400H • 60R • ABC Anchors • Case Study • Foundation Solutions • News • Other Structures • Portable Installer • Screw Piles • Torque Heads • Training • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Cotswold Canal Trust – Bank Stabilisation

Cotswold Canal Trust got in touch via our website in regards to a bank on the Thames and Severn canal that needed stabilising. They had heard about us from one of our previous customers, who we helped with the Dursley Tree House project featured on Grand Designs in 2016.

One of our team visited the site at Ham Mill Lane in Stroud to discuss a solution to stabilise the failed canal bank with the volunteers from the trust. A screw piling solution to support the gabion retaining structure was developed with their Structural Engineer to install 60R screw piles both vertically and raked at 45 degrees using our 400H handheld anchor driver. This stabilisation would allow the Thames and Severn canal to be dredged. The work also formed a small part of a wider effort to eventually reopen the canal for public use.

As a result of our solution and the volunteer team's hard work, more material was prevented from falling into the canal, and they were able to support an adjoining neighbour’s garden from falling further down the hill.

The volunteers were inexperienced in screw piling so an engineer attended site to provide training on the safe use of the equipment. We assisted them with safe working methods to allow them to pile at 45 degrees on a steep slope.

“We had a good session of familiarisation training with one of your engineers on Wednesday . I would just like to say how pleasant and helpful he was, it was a pleasure to work with him.”

Bob Ambury, Cotswold Canal Trust

We enjoyed working with the Cotswold Canal Trust as the team are all volunteers, so they were keen to learn and get stuck in.

We are now assisting the trust with the design of a further 4m high gabion retaining wall which will be supported on screw piles. We are keen to see how this second project progresses and hope to continue to be involved with the wider project of re-opening the Thames and Severn Canal for public use.

If you have a project in mind and are considering using screw piles due to their many benefits, please don't hesitate to get in contact with us.

By Hannah Robertson 2500X • 89R • ABC Anchors • Foundation Solutions • News • Screw Piles • Torque Heads • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

625kN Pile Test – Restricted Access London Site

When configuring suitable screw piles for a project, our Engineers rely heavily on soil properties determined from geotechnical investigation. Often undertaking soil testing using the ABC Anchors soil test probe, or commissioning a full soil investigation (SI) report from a geotechnical engineering firm provides us with sufficient design information. On small projects, use of our soil test probe instead can significantly reduce the cost compared to an SI report and provide similar results for specification purposes.

There are occasions however when pile testing is necessary to confirm our pile specifications.

ABC Anchors was recently contacted by a Client looking to install screw piles for a residential project in close proximity to the Thames in London. From an initial review of the SI it was understood that the site was underlain by a thin layer of dense gravels, however the soil properties below this were not described in the report. Being London based, an area known for weak Clays, and with a site in such close proximity to a river; it was decided that the soil report could not be relied upon alone. As the project required over 50 piles to be installed with design safe working loads of 20 tonnes per pile, it was critical to test the pile under load to confirm that any settlement was within acceptable limits.

ABC Anchors installed an 89R test pile to an installation torque of 25kNm using our Autoguide 2500X torque head mounted on a 3 tonne excavator. Typically excavators between 5-10 tonnes are used to install piles of this size, however as the site access was restricted to a small alleyway only 1.5m wide, a 3 tonne excavator was the only option. It was a testament to our Engineering team’s ingenuity and the skill of our installers that installation torques of this magnitude were achieved using such a low powered machine.

The pile was tested using our recently redesigned ABC Anchors testing equipment and experienced only 2mm of settlement when loaded to the pile’s ultimate load capacity of 62.5 tonnes. The Federation of Piling Specialists suggest that allowable settlement should be no more than 10mm under working loads.

The testing was a complete success and confirmed the suitability of our 89R rock tip pile for the project.

By Hannah Robertson 400H • 60R • ABC Anchors • Case Study • Installation • New Build • News • Portable Installer • Screw Piles • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Garden Structure – Karen’s Childcare

ABC Anchors were approached to assist in a solution for foundations at Karen’s Childcare. They wanted to expand the outdoor area for the children and the available space had a few challenges to overcome.

Site access and foundation positioning was limited, so screwpiles were identified as the best solution by the Client. The piles were to be installed behind a retaining wall and next to a boundary wall; therefore they needed a vibration free and non-destructive installation method to prevent damage.

We used our 400H Handheld pile installer due to a lack of space, ensuring a smooth installation. There was no damage to the wall, as the piles transferred load from the structure to below the wall to prevent it failing due to the additional load of the garden structure.

Our lightweight garden piles were specified by the team here as they were ideal for supporting the low loads (up to 2 tonnes per pile) and are suitable for most soil conditions. The 8 pile system was installed in a day and once finished, the structure could be built instantly, as screw piles are unique in not requiring any wet trades. This removes the time delay in the build for curing.

Our customer was happy we were able to find a solution to building on this tricky site and we are pleased to say they have now completed their garden structure.

“ABC Anchors provided an 8 screw pile solution in a difficult location that was installed by a very professional team of two. it is a great system that is providing support to our Outdoor Structure which was designed, manufactured and installed by Beyond Timber of Dinnington.”

David Ellison, Karen's Childcare

For more information on our services, or to talk to us about your own project, please feel free to contact us. If you have any questions on using a screw pile system, our FAQs may provide the answer!

By Hannah Robertson AB Chance Distributor • ABC Anchors • News • Training • • • • • • • 0 Comments

CPD Accredited Training

We are delighted to announce that ABC Anchors is now an approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training provider.

Being CPD accredited ensures that the training offered by ABC Anchors meets strict standards and quality benchmarks, whilst also demonstrating our continued commitment to education within the construction industry. Attending any of our training courses counts towards achieving your annual professional CPD quota as a Fellow, Associate, Chartered, Incorporated, Graduate or Technician member with all of the relevant professional institutions.

Read More

By Hannah Robertson 60R • ABC Anchors • News • Screw Piles • Shows • Tree Roots • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Confor Woodland Show 2017

Autoguide Equipment and ABC Anchors would like to thank everyone that joined us at the Confor Woodland Show last week. We hope you all enjoyed the show as much as we did; we were definitely glad that there was slightly less rain and mud than the last trade show we attended!

If you saw us at the show, you probably noticed that we are celebrating our 40th anniversary this September! We have been celebrating in a number of ways, including building a special edition Midi Postmaster, as well as handing out some free gifts at the stand. We are happy to report that our gift bags, including a bottle of ‘Ruby’ port were very well received, although some of the staff here are a little disappointed about the lack of leftovers!

Read More

By Hannah Robertson News • Shows • • • • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Confor 2017 – Register your interest

This September, our sister company Autoguide Equipment are celebrating their 40th anniversary, since being established in 1977! This anniversary is important as testament to many years of success and experience in the landscape construction and agricultural industries. Since the Confor Woodland Show corresponds perfectly, we are celebrating at stand, W47, on the 7th and 8th of September.

ABC Anchors will also be featured on the stand, with a tree friendly screwpile foundation system, recommended by the top arboriculturalists.

Autoguide's range of vibrating post drivers will be demoed at the show. Since it is such a special occasion, we are making a limited edition Midi Postmaster. Rubies are of course the gemstone associated with a 40th anniversary, so look out for this as a theme!

In following with our celebrations, we will be giving away a free ‘ruby’ gift to the first 40 enquiries. This will be on both days, so get in quick to avoid missing out! All you need to do is leave your details with your enquiry. If you’d like to register your interest online to save time on the day, please fill out the contact form below.

To keep updated on our celebrations, check our website regularly and subscribe to our newsletter.

By Hannah Robertson News • • • • 0 Comments

British Heart Foundation Barbecue and Raffle 2017

The British Heart Foundation is a cause very close to some of our employees here. For that reason, we decided to combine a staff social with a charity event, hoping to raise as much money as we could for the BHF.

This week, we held a barbecue, raffle and games. The raffle prizes were donated by suppliers, friends and family. We were extremely grateful for the generosity shown by donators and staff members, and as a result we raised £416 in total for the charity.

By Hannah Robertson 400H • 60R • ABC Anchors • Case Study • Foundation Solutions • Portable Installer • Screw Piles • Tree Roots • Uncategorized • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

RD Residential – Garden Studio

This project involved the construction of a timber-built garden studio in West London.

Screw piles were a preferred choice for the foundations, as the proposed location for the structure was at the base of a mature tree and in a tree root protection area.

The access to the site was also restricted allowing only hand held equipment to be used.

Both the customer and contractor for the build were new to screw piles and had been referred to us by their structural engineer, all the information was provided to each party and the system and method was approved.

The 60R product range was chosen due to the loading and the structure, and the unique 400H Hand Held anchor driver was chosen for the installation. The ground conditions varied across the site so additional extensions were used to achieve the required torque for the design load.

The foundations for the garden studio were successfully completed and the contractor was very happy with the service received:

“From start to completion ABC Anchors were a pleasure to deal with, very supportive, and easy to talk to when queries arose.  We would highly recommend both their products and service and will definitely be using them again for any piling needs we have.”

Ed O'Donnell, RD Residential

By Hannah Robertson ABC Anchors • Utilities • • • • • • 0 Comments

Achilles

ABC Anchors are proud to announce that we have passed our recent Achilles assessment with flying colours, therefore receiving a renewed UVDB Verify accreditation.

Achilles is a platform used by utility companies to ensure supplier compliance with Health and Safety, Environmental and Quality practices and procedures.

Achilles enables buyers to see us as an approved supplier, meaning that our products reach more customers and we can appear in tenders.

This recognition is an important addition to our achievements across both ABC Anchors and Autoguide Equipment, including accreditations in both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, for Quality and Environmental Management Systems.

Image result for achilles uvdbImage result for achilles uvdb