Keller is equipped to provide cost-effective, fast installation with reduced excavation and dewatering with Tangent Bearing Elements (TBEs), a more practical alternative to CFA piles, ACIP piles, large bored piles, caissons, shafts, and barrettes.
Common uses
Process
Typical pile-supported tall/heavy structures require large, thick pile caps to connect the upper structure to the foundation. In the past, large bored piles, caissons, shafts, or barrettes have been used to reduce such a connection. This, however, increases the project schedule. A relatively new technique originally developed in Florida, TBEs are a faster and more cost-effective installation alternative.
Like other foundation elements, they interact with the soil through the surrounding surface friction and end-bearing capacities to transfer the upper structure loads to the soil. TBEs produce the same overarching perimeter and bottom areas as the alternatives, reducing the size and depth of pile caps. As proven in Florida, the cost of excavation and dewatering decreases because the connection between the column and element (pile cap) is thinner.