CHOOSING GROUND ANCHORS

We offer three main types of anchors, and each type has its own applications, installation methods, and advantages. These anchor types include:

• • Soil nails: Soil nailing systems are horizontal elements installed through the excavated cut in a slop or excavation.  These excavated lifts of 5’ to 7’ allow for rows of soil nails to be installed at a spacing sufficient to secure the soil together and permit additional excavation lifts to safely occur. Soil Nails, closely spaced  elements, such as Magnacore Hollow Bars, work as a system to hold the soil structures in place, acting as a form of earth retention.
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  • The soil nail installation process occurs in two steps: first, a specialty contractor installs soil nails at the top of the slope’s excavation and works downward; second, they apply a temporary or permanent facing, such as wire mesh and shotcrete, integrated to the soil nails to retain the soil. Soil nails work best for the following applications: Slope stabilization, excavations for below grade structures and hillside retention.

• • Ground Screws: Commonly referred to as Soil Screws, they are similar to soil nail elements in that they are installed through the face of an excavation to retain or hold back a block of soil. IDEAL is the leading manufacturer of helical soil screws. Each soil screw element has a series of helical plates welded to a central steel shaft. These helical plates extend along the full length of the screw to engage the entire block of soil that is being secured. Soil screws are lateral elements that stabilize soil for either temporary or permanent earth shoring applications.
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  • A main advantage of a Soil Screw versus a Soil Nail is that the Soil Screw does not require grout to engage the soil.  The helical plates along the shaft is what helps to lock in the soil to secure the slope or excavation. Soil screws work well for similar applications as soil nails, such as earth retention and slope stabilization.
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  • Tieback Anchors: Tieback anchors are horizontal elements that reinforce retaining walls, basement foundations, or earth shoring walls. Contractors drill or screw tieback anchors into place and install these earth anchors in segments. Then using a plate, whaler or other form of termination, they secure the tieback anchors to the wall or foundation structure.
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  • Tieback anchors work well for projects with limited access since they come in segments that are easily connected together as the element advances. They have the following applications: retaining walls, seawalls, earth shoring, sheet piling, and timber and lagging walls.