Helical piles have been continuously used and improved for almost 200 years. They have been invented and used for the first time by Andrew Mitchell, an Irish architect (who was blind) to anchor and build lighthouses on sandy sea beaches, where the constant wave action and erosion of the shore would undermine any other type of foundation. He anchored and successfully built large lighthouses, docks, bridges, and marine shore structures. Some of the original structures and helical piles, installed in the 1800s, are still standing and in use today.
Helical piles have been used ever since, with an explosion of innovations, versatility, new uses, and applications after about the 1980s. Not surprisingly, even if originally used in Europe, the helical piles have been adopted and re-defined in North America.
In particular, the presentation will go over:
- Applications of the helical piles (sample typical projects).
- Conditions under which helical piles can be used or, otherwise, be rejected.
- Basic tools for assessing the structural bearing (or tension) capacity of helical piles.
- Occupational risks and hazards associated with helical piles installation, and
- Basic tools in calculating costs of helical piles.
The presentation is aimed toward general practising engineers and geoscientists, as well as architects. It includes real example projects that the presenter has been involved with in his professional practice.
- 6:00 PM–6:15 PM: Registration
- 6:15 PM–6:45 PM: Branch AGM and vote on incoming executive members
- 6:45 PM–7:15 PM: Buffet dinner and networking
- 7:15 PM–8:15 PM: Technical presentation on applications, design, and installation of helical piling
- 8:15 PM–8:45 PM: Q&A
- 8:45 PM–9:00 PM: Closing
BC Helical Piles Ltd.
Mr. Val Varga, P.Eng., is a Vancouver-trained civil engineer and Vice-President and Senior Engineer with BC Helical Piles Ltd. in Coquitlam. He studied building technology at BCIT, civil engineering at UBC, and obtained his master's degree at BCIT. Mr. Varga works as a senior consultant in repairing existing buildings. Part of his day-to-day engineering work consists of designing retrofits (repairs) of existing foundations, buildings, additions, tenant improvement, and building retrofits of various kinds.
Over the years, he used helical piles to solve project challenges, and acquired a personal interest in further studying and gaining more knowledge in calculating and designing helical piles for engineering applications. During this presentation, Mr. Varga will share with the audience interesting facts about the many uses, advantages, cost, and time efficiency of using helical piles. When he is not designing or installing helical piles, he is assisting clients and contractors solve building repair problems. Outside of all this, in his little spare time, he finds it relaxing to work and renovate houses.
BC Helical Piles Ltd.
Iraj has a degree in civil engineering, and oversees the day to day operations at BC Helical Piles; Iraj oversees the scheduling and commitment to the clients, meeting deadlines, project progress, and successful completion. He also oversees the process of producing drawings, structural design, and permit application progress (for various projects). Iraj is also the active manager of BC Helical Piles Ltd., and together with Val, ensures that we do what we promised by the date promised for the price promised. Iraj also oversees the quality control of the piles installed along with Val.
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