A passive annular grout seal assembly is disclosed for sealing an annular opening between a driven pile and a skirt pile sleeve for an offshore platform. The annular seals are located at the bottom of the pile sleeves near sea floor and automatically activated when piles are inserted and driven through the pile sleeves without any active operational procedure during offshore piling. The seal configuration fully utilizes the seal height, the grout column height and the density difference between grout and sea water to produce enhanced sealing capacity against the column of grout above.

Embodiments described herein relate to construction of subsurface structural elements that are configured to redirect soil forces. For instance, a form may be used to construct a subsurface structural element such that the subsurface structural element redirects soil forces to vertically displace a foundation rather than have the soil forces crack or otherwise damage the foundation.

Foundation system for towers, especially for onshore wind turbines, comprising a central shaft buried or partially buried, preferably hollow and formed by dowels made from precast concrete, an essentially flat lower slab and completely buried, and lateral support means in the form of inclined struts that are joined at their upper end with the central shaft and at its lower end with the lower slab, and that are preferably entirely buried. The wind tower is located on the partly buried main shaft. The foundation system may comprise other lower elements connected with the lower slab, such as radial ribs or peripheral beams. The struts are preferably prefabricated elements incorporating an efficient and economical connection system by pre-stressing. The foundation system maximizes the fraction of the weight of the foundation by gravity generated by soil or ballast material, allowing an important economy in the structural materials of the foundation.

An apparatus for carrying out bi-directional load testing of close ended driven piles and injection piles utilizing a hydraulic jack, comprising an enclosure for housing the hydraulic jack (13). The enclosure (1) includes a first hollow body (10) a second hollow body (15). The first hollow body (10) had a covered upper end (10a) and an open lower end (10b), with the upper end being capped by an attached top plate (11) having an external surface (11a) which the lower end (81b) of a first pile (81) may be axially attached to, and an internal surface (11b). The open lower end (10b) has a cut-out (12) originating on the edge of the open end (10b) of the first hollow body for receiving a hydraulic connection (14) for the jack (13). The second hollow body (15) is capable of housing the hydraulic jack (13), has an open upper end (15a) and a lower end (15b). The lower end (15b) is capped by an attached base plate (17) having an external surface (17a) which the upper end (82a) of a second pile (82) may be axially attached to, and an internal surface (17b) for attaching the base (13a) of the hydraulic jack, and an opening (16) on the capped lower end (15b) originating at a point where the edge of the lower end (15b) abuts the base plate (17) for receiving the hydraulic connection (14) for the jack. The first hollow body (10) and the second hollow body (15) are capable of axial movement relative to one another when actuated by the hydraulic jack.

Weak soil anchor device (1) for anchoring a number of structures, as well as method for arranging an anchoring in weak soils. Seen in a vertical operating position, the weak soil anchor device (1) comprises: an elongate inner continuous open box structure (2) with a triangular cross-section comprising a first wall surface (3), second wall surface (4) and third wall surface (5), an outer continuous open box structure (10) with a smaller vertical extent than the inner box structure (2) and having a triangular cross-section consisting of a first outer wall surface (11), second outer wall surface (12) and third outer wall surface (13), the vertical center area (14) of the first, second and third outer wall surfaces is connected to the inner elongate continuous open box structure (2) in a lower area of respectively an outer edge area between the first and second wall surface (3, 4), second and third wall surface (4, 5) and the third and first wall surfaces (5, 3), and anchor brackets (20) are arranged in a lower outer area of the weak soil anchor device (1), where the weak soil anchor device comprising the inner and outer box structure (2, 10) is lowered down into the weak soils to a desired depth.

Embodiments described herein relate to construction of subsurface structural elements that are configured to redirect soil forces. For instance, a form may be used to construct a subsurface structural element such that the subsurface structural element redirects soil forces to vertically displace a foundation rather than have the soil forces crack or otherwise damage the foundation.

A method for reinforcing an aggregate pier. The method includes inserting a conical-head pipe into the aggregate pier, injecting grout into the aggregate pier by injecting the grout into the inner chamber of the hollow rod, driving the conical-head pipe into a soil under the aggregate pier by driving a secondary pipe into the aggregate pier and pushing the conical-head pipe toward the soil under the aggregate pier by utilizing the secondary pipe, filling the secondary pipe with grout, and inserting a reinforcement bar into the secondary pipe and the hollow rod. This method reinforces an aggregate pier against excess tensional and compressional loads of a concrete foundation.

A manhole is provided with a base plate, manhole walls, and a cover plate for covering the manhole. The manhole walls include of a plurality of grid-like wall elements arranged in rows one above the other and selectable from a modular system. A part of the grid-like wall elements has at least one conduit insertion opening so that the position, number, and size of conduit insertions into the manhole walls are freely selectable by arranging the grid-like wall elements. Several circumferential connecting frames are provided, which are arranged at different heights, and the grid-like wall elements are each connected on their top sides and bottom sides to one of the connecting frames.