Providing a range of geotechnical solutions for any ground condition in Ireland, McDonnell Piling & Foundations investigate, review and recommend, then give practical and realistic advice to their ever-expanding customer base.
For this month’s edition of Building Ireland, we profile Cork based company and speak to General Manager Liam O’Brien about the success of the business.
Established in 2005 and headquartered in Fermoy, McDonnell Piling & Foundations offer a wide range of services.
The company’s expertise and knowledge has seen them earn a number of top projects around the country since its inception eleven years ago.
Operating a vast range of modern equipment, this burgeoning business can carry out any work to the highest standard possible.
To carry out their daily duties, the company relies on a highly trained and efficient staff, while a good business acumen has stood them in good stead over the years.
“The business was realigned and streamlined around 2009 to 2011. We have an experienced workforce here, all of who are highly trained in their area of expertise,” said Liam.
McDonnell Piling & Foundations can deliver a cost-effective solution to any project regardless of the ground conditions encountered or however technically or commercially challenging the project may be.
The services that the company provides include CFA Piling & Bored Piling, Bottom Driven Cased Mini Piles, Ground Anchors, Soil Nailing, Underpinning, Ground Beams, Bulk & In-Fill Grouting and Pressure Grouting.
Operating a fleet of piling rigs, the company is able to form piles between 300mm and 900mm which provides loads up to 3000 kN dependant on ground conditions and using a technique called the Continuous Flight Auger to form the piles.
Continuous Flight Auger (C.F.A) piling is generally used on larger structures to transfer high vertical loads through soft overlying soils to competent strata beneath. It is also use for formation of basements as an alternative to sheet piles where space restrictions prevent excessive digging. Dependant on ground conditions and the presence of water, the walls may be contiguous or secant.
“All piles constructed are subjected to integrity testing to ensure the quality of the pile formed. In addition, we can carry out static load testing of selected piles to determine the load settlement performance of the pile and ultimate capacity. Alternatively, selected piles may be dynamically tested to ascertain their working load settlements.”
Bottom Driven Cased Mini Piles sees the installation of bottom driven piles and is quick and efficient. A thin walled steel tube, closed ended, is driven in lengths of 2 to 6m using an internal drop hammer on to a dry concrete plug. The tubes are joined by a full fillet weld as the installation proceeds. The depth of the piles are designed using a predetermined set or length criteria. Once the required depth is reached the tube is filled with high slump concrete or grout.
“Ground anchoring is another service we provide and this is where we carry out the installation of both strand and bar anchors. We have extensive experience in a wide variety of ground conditions and are happy to assist in the development of schemes with clients.”
Soil Nailing sees McDonnell Piling operating a number of drill rigs capable accessing embankments with the minimum of access preparation, together with a number of rigs capable of working within confined areas.
Underpinning is where the company can gain access to even the most restricted areas.
Ground beams are reinforced concrete beams used to transfer the applied structural load to the piles.
“Bulk-In-Fill Grouting is typically called for when the roof of a void collapses, or a sink hole or depression forms producing deformation of the ground surface or when pre-construction site testing uncovers such potential defects.”
Permeation or pressure grouting is the direct pressure injection of a fluid grout into the ground to fill the spaces between particles. It is a very flexible approach to ground improvement.
Over the course of the next 12 months, the company will be focusing on a new area for the business and that is pre-cast piles.
“That is an area that we are looking to grow and expand. There has been an upturn in business and we saw major growth in 2015, while the first six months of this year were the busiest we ever had and hopefully that will continue, we have the confidence to think it will.”
Contact Details:
McDonnell Piling & Foundations,
Rathealy Road,
Fermoy,
Co. Cork
T – +353 21 461 3131
E: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, Septmber 2016, Vol 2 No 5
Foundations, McDonnell, Piling
