Location: McIntosh, Alabama

Description: This project utilized SynchroPile Post Grouted Drilled Shaft Foundations for a retrofit of Olin Chlor Alkali Product’s existing McIntosh Alabama plant. The project consisted of 31 SynchroPile Post Grouted drilled shafts 36” in diameter and 185 feet in depth. Since weak underlying soil strata's were present the shafts were designed with 90 feet of permanent steel casing with the excavation below this point supported by bentonite slurry. Due to the high loads to be placed on the foundations and the fact that the retrofit would tie into the existing plant structures, settlement was very critical and necessitated the use of the SynchroPile Post Grouted Shafts. During the installation of the reinforcing steel cages, grout distribution plates were installed to allow for post grouting of the shafts after installation. A full scale O-Cell load test was also installed on the first production shaft to verify shaft capacity and the post grouting criteria. All of the shafts for the retrofit program had to be installed within the operating areas of the facility and with as little as 14 feet of working width.

Owner: Olin Chlor Alkali Products McIntosh, Alabama

Engineering and Inspection: Thompson Engineering Mobile, Alabama