Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 47, No.

1, 2010

TECHNOLOGY AND WORK PRODUCTION

PROCEDURE FOR INSTALLATION

OF "ATLANT" ANCHOR PILES

UDC 624.154
A. G. Malinin and D. A. Malinin
InzhProektStroi Company, Perm', Russia.

A new domestic procedure is described for the installation of "Atlant" anchor piles.
Characteristic features and advantages over other procedures are presented.

The InzhProektStroi Co. has developed, and is successfully utilizing a new procedure for the
installation of "Atlant" anchor piles, which is similar to that employed for the installation of "Titan" piles.
In contrast to its foreign analogy, the procedure has a lower cost owing to use of standard high-strength
tubes manufactured by Russian metallurgical plants. As a unique type of drill-and-inject piles, it can be
utilized for the construction of pile foundations, as well for strengthening the foundations of reconstruct-
ed buildings and structures, and as anchors − for stabilizing the rims of pits, slopes, retaining walls, etc.
As compared with other procedures employed for the installation of micropiles or anchors, the
"Atlant" procedure offers a number of advantages.
− Drilling of the hole, placement of the body of the anchor pile, and reinforcement are carried
out simultaneously.
− A five-tenfold increase in tube productivity is ensured as compared with the installation of
drill-and-inject piles or soil anchors.
− The anchors and piles are installed in unstable soils without use of drive pipes.
− Use of mini-drill rigs is possible for work involving the strengthening of foundations from the
basements of existing buildings in the confined spaces of underground structures.
The procedure developed [1-3] is based on use of hollow high-strength tubes as drill rods, which
remain in the hole as a reinforcing element of the pile or anchor tie rod after completion of drilling.
In essence, the "Atlant" procedure is a domestic analogy of the "Titan" technology. In both
cases, the procedure involves the drilling of holes using rods, which are not withdrawn after drilling,
but remain in the hole. A cement pile reinforced by the centrally positioned rod is formed after the
cement grout has hardened in the ground (Fig. 1).

Procedure for Installation of "Atlant" Anchor Piles

The installation of "Atlant" piles consist of the following operations:
1. Drilling of a hole to the design elevation using a cement grout with W/C = 1.0, which fulfills
two functions. Firstly, it is a drilling fluid that transports particles of ruptured soil onto the surface, and

Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 1, pp. 17-20, January-February, 2010.
©
20 0038-0741/10/4701-0020 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
 1
2
3
4

5
6

7
6

Fig. 1. Design of "Atlant" anchor pile: 1) nut; 2) washer; 3) plate;

4) dowel; 5) junction; 6) coupling; 7) tube; 8) drill bit.

Fig. 2. "Atlant" anchor rods.

secondly, a primary injection grout that impregnates the surrounding soil, filling cavities and cracks. It
is of particular import during drilling that the mud be allowed to issue continuously from the mouth of
the hole, since the existence of its discharge onto the surface will guarantee quality injection of the sur-
rounding soil.
2. Pressing of solidifying cement grout with W/C = 0.4-0.6 into the hole, during the process of
which a lining of pure high-strength cement stone is formed.
In contrast to the "Titan" procedure, where hollow tubular elements with a wavy rolled surface,
which ensure contact between the tubular element and cement stone, are used as rods, it is suggested
that domestic tubes with a smooth surface be used as rods in the "Atlant" procedure (Fig. 2). This will
make it possible to lower the cost of the work substantially.
Use of smooth tubes does not diminish the bearing capacity of piles (anchors); this is explained
by sufficient adhesion between the surface of the tube and cement stone. The strength of the contact is
provided not only by surface roughness, but also by the "squeezing" action of shrinkage stresses in the

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 TABLE 1
Pile No. ofType Diameter of Actual pile Diameter- Average diameter-
pile drill bit, mm diameter, mm increase factor increase factor
1 127 128 1.01
2 A 150 162 1.08 1.05
3 180 192 1.07
4 127 178 1.40
5 B 150 172 1.15 1.21
6 180 196 1.09

cement stone, which develop as the grout hardens and as the hydrostatic pressure of the soil acts on the
cement lining. The combination of all factors results in the fact that in the majority of cases, the pile
(anchor) will break away from the soil, and not from the "tube/cement-lining" contact.
The anchor elements (homogenizers), which fulfill the following functions are an important
structural feature of the "Atlant" rods:
− improve formation of the hole during drilling and increase its diameter;
− provide for homogenization of the cement mixture under compression; and,
− enhance the bearing capacity of the anchor pile.
It is expedient to mount homogenizers only on the rods of the tube situated in the root section
of the anchor when the latter are being installed, and only on those parts of the tube, which will be sub-
sequently situated in the strongest layer of soil when a pile is installed.
The InzhProektStroi Co. has strengthened the foundation of a residential building in Yekaterin-
berg with "Atlant" piles using tubes having a 735.5-mm section and smooth surface. The 3-m-long
tubes were joined by couplings 89 mm in diameter. Piles with a length of 30 m were installed in a clay
of from highly plastic to semi-hard consistency with interlayers of broken rocky soils. The piles were
installed from the basement of the building. Prior to the start of work, the piles were tested under
impressing and pull-out loads.
As a result of three impression and four pull-out tests, the average bearing capacity of the piles
was 565 and 582 kN, respectively.
The bearing capacity of the piles is therefore essentially similar during impression and pull-out
(within the framework of the testing error); this is explained by the small diameter of the piles and their
large length. Adhesion of the piles to the soil is basic, and the resistance of the soil beneath the lower
surface of the pile has virtually no effect on the final result. These piles can be treated as traditional
drill-and-inject piles, and also as anchors.
The tests confirmed the possibility of using a smooth tube to achieve a high bearing capacity
during impression and pull-out, which is comparable to the ultimate strength of the tube.
The influence exerted by additional anchor elements on the bearing capacity of the piles was
investigated in Perm' to enclose the pit during the construction of an administrative and commercial
building, where the "Atlant" anchors were utilized.
The soil mass within the bounds of the site is composed of sand with an upper one-meter layer
of fill soil. The pull-out of piles 3 m long was studied experimentally.
The anchors were distinguished by the diameter of the drill bit (114, 150, and 180 mm), and
type of reinforcement:
− "A" − ∅735.5-mm tube with a smooth surface; and,
− "B" − ∅735.5-mm tube with segments of reinforcing rods welded in pairs at an equal dis-
tance over the entire length of the tube.
Measurements of the diameter of the unearthed piles are presented in Table 1.

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 Fig. 3. Section of "Atlant" pile.

600
Bearing capacity of pile, kN

2
500

400

300
1

200

100

0
100 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190
Diameter of drill bit, mm

Fig. 4. Dependence of bearing capacity of pile on diameter

of drill bit: 1) type A; 2) type B.

It was established that the diameter of the piles is increased by 21% and a total of 5%, respec-
tively, when tubes with anchor elements, and smooth tubes were used.
The anchor elements serve as a unique linear mixer. In that region where they function, the body
of the pile is formed from a highly homogeneous and high-strength cement stone. Beyond the limits of
this region, the cement lining may contain no thoroughly mixed soil (Fig. 3).
Figure 4 shows a plot of the dependence of the bearing capacity of the anchor piles for a smooth
tube (type A), and a tube fitted with anchor elements (type B). It was established that use of anchor ele-
ments increases the bearing capacity of the piles by a factor of 1.5-2.

Comparison of "Atlant" And "Titan" Anchors

Experimental studies to determine the bearing capacity of soil anchors for strengthening of a
sheet-pile guide wall were conducted during reconstruction of inter-lock mooring structures on the
"Volga-Baltic" Canal (Fig. 5).
Three "Atlant" anchors with a length of 12 m, and 10 "Titan" anchors of various lengths were
installed in three sections under various geologic conditions (in sandy loams and highly plastic clays).

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 Fig. 5. Installation of effective anchors.

TABLE 2
Anchor Type of anchor Soil Limiting load, Failure
number kN
3 Titan 40/16 Sandy loam 534 Due to material
A1 Atlant 896.5 Same 550 Support slab
Anchor broken away
5 Titan 40/16 Clay 404 from soil
6 Titan 40/16 Same 269 Same
9 Titan 40/16 –”– 387 –”–
A2 Atlant 896.5 –”– 505 Limit of jack
A3 Atlant 896.5 –”– 455 Support slab

The diameter of the drill bit was 150 mm for all anchors, but the "Atlant" anchors were fitted
with anchor elements.
Results of the anchor tests of the 12-m long "Atlant" and "Titan" anchors are presented in Table
2, from which it is apparent that the bearing capacity of the "Atlant" is higher than that of the "Titan"
anchor in clayey soils. This is associated with the presence of homogenizers during the installation,
which improve the quality of hole formation during drilling, and, consequently, increase the diameter of
the body of the anchor.
According to the test results, the "Titan"anchor had to be lengthened from 12 to 15 m to provide
the design bearing capacity in the zone of clayey soils; this would not be required were the "Atlant"
anchors used.

Conclusions
Tests have indicated the promising nature of a new procedure for the installation of anchor piles.
We have successfully used the procedure on tens of projects − for the installation of geotechnical cur-
tains, pile foundations for production equipment at a number of industrial establishments, anchor stabi-
lization of the rims of pits, strengthening of foundations under failed buildings, etc.

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REFERENCES

1. A. G. Malinin, P. A. Malinin, and D. A. Malinin, Patent No. 74645, "Pile," Byull. Izobr., No. 18
(2008).
2. A. G. Malinin, Patent No. 83517, "Soil anchor," Byull Izobr., No. 19 (2009).
3. A. G. Malinin and D. A. Malinin, Patent No. 89538, "Soil anchor," Byull. Izobr., No. 34 (2009).

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