Who we work with on piling
- Piling contractors who need a design, or a design check, for a specific job and want installation criteria their crews can verify.
- Builders and developers whose site has fill, highly reactive clay or a slope that rules out conventional footings.
- Energy and infrastructure contractors with pile-supported structures and equipment, where uplift and lateral load often govern.
- Designers who need foundation input on an unusual structure.
Design actions we consider
- Axial compression: geotechnical capacity from shaft and base resistance, and the structural capacity of the pile section.
- Uplift and tension: often the governing case for lightweight structures exposed to wind.
- Lateral load and moment: soil–pile interaction, pile head fixity and deflection limits.
- Settlement: total and differential settlement, including group effects where piles are closely spaced.
- Ground movement: reactive clay heave and shrinkage, and the effect of fill.
- Durability: corrosion allowance for steel piles and exposure classification for concrete.
- Pile caps and connections: how load gets from the structure into the pile.
Installation criteria and verification
A pile design is only as reliable as the evidence that each pile was installed as intended. We set installation criteria suited to the pile type, such as minimum founding depth or embedment, torque criteria for screw piles derived from the design and the supplier's data, or driving criteria. We also specify the records the installer needs to keep.
Where load testing is warranted, we can help plan the test programme and interpret the results against the design.
The relationship between installation torque and capacity depends on the pile, the soil and the supplier's data. We don't substitute generic factors or "typical" capacities for project-specific design, and you shouldn't rely on them for construction either.
Design, not installation
MEG provides the engineering design and assessment. We don't manufacture, supply or install piles, and we don't carry out physical load tests. Piling contractors and testing providers do that work, and we work alongside them.
What piling engineering covers
- Selecting a suitable pile type for the ground, the loads and site access
- Geotechnical and structural pile capacity for axial, uplift and lateral actions
- Pile layouts and schedules
- Pile caps, ground beams and connections to the structure
- Installation criteria and record requirements
- Load-test planning and interpretation, where engaged
- Assessment of installed piles against records, where piles didn't go in as designed
What you receive
- Pile designCalculations covering geotechnical and structural capacity for each design case.
- Drawings and schedulesPile layout, pile schedule, and cap and connection details.
- Installation criteriaWhat the installer must achieve and record for each pile.
- Test plan and interpretationWhere engaged, a load-test programme and an assessment of the results against the design.
What we need from you
- A geotechnical report with borehole or cone penetration test (CPT) data and design parameters
- Loads at each support: vertical, uplift and lateral, from the structure or equipment supplier
- Site constraints: access, underground services, rig size and working platform
- The proposed pile type or product data, if a system is preferred
- Installation records, if we're assessing piles already installed
Don't have everything yet? Send what you have. We'll tell you what's missing and whether it affects the proposal.
How it works
- Scope conversationWe talk through the structure, the ground and your preferred pile system.
- ProposalWe confirm the scope, the design cases, the deliverables and the programme.
- DesignWe design the piles and details, and issue the installation criteria.
- VerificationWe review installation records and, where engaged, load-test results. Anything outside the criteria gets an engineering response.
Who does what
MEG provides
- Pile design and engineering assessment
- Installation criteria and review of installation records
- Load-test planning and interpretation, where engaged
Not included, or by others
- Pile manufacture, supply or installation
- Physical load testing
- Geotechnical investigation
Relevant experience
MEG's piling work includes footing and pile design for utility-scale solar array foundations at Georgetown (TAS), Fulham and Wangaratta (VIC), and Hay and Moama (NSW). See project experience.
Questions
Which pile type is right for my site?
It depends on the ground, the loads, access for the rig, vibration and noise constraints, and cost. Screw piles suit many residential and lightweight structures and can be loaded straight away. Bored piers suit heavier loads and stiffer ground. Driven piles are efficient on large, repetitive layouts. We'll recommend options once we've seen the geotechnical information.
Can you design using our product?
Yes. We design based on your product and the project's requirements, and set installation criteria your crews can check on site.
What testing do we need?
Send us the project documents. We'll assess them, tell you what approach works best, and what testing may be required based on the project and the ground conditions.
Some piles didn't reach the design criteria. Can you help?
Yes. We assess the installation records against the design and recommend an engineering response. That might be accepting the pile with reduced capacity, adding a pile or changing the cap.