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[CCMC 13268-R] CCMC Canadian code compliance evaluation

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Compliance opinion

It is the opinion of the Canadian Construction Materials Centre that the evaluated product, when used as an auger-installed steel pile foundation system in accordance with the conditions and limitations stated in this evaluation, complies with the following code:

National Building Code of Canada 2010

ID Code provision Solution type
04-02-03-08-01-e-004.2.3.8.(1)(e) CSA G40.21, "Structural Quality Steel."Acceptable
04-02-03-10-00-0-004.2.3.10.(1) Where conditions are corrosive to steel, ...Acceptable
04-02-04-01-01-0-004.2.4.1.(1)(1) The design of foundations, excavations a ...Acceptable
09-04-01-01-01-c-019.4.1.1.(1)(c)(i) Part 9Acceptable

Ontario Building Code

Ruling No. 10-05-242 (13268-R) authorizing the use of this product in Ontario, subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Ruling, was made by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on 2010-04-12 (revised 2017-01-10) pursuant to s.29 of the Building Code Act, 1992 (see Ruling for terms and conditions). This Ruling is subject to periodic revisions and updates.

The above opinion(s) is/are based on the evaluation by the CCMC of technical evidence provided by the evaluation holder, and is bound by the stated conditions and limitations. For the benefit of the user, a summary of the technical information that forms the basis of this evaluation has been included.

Product information

Product name

Geopile

Product description

The product is an earth anchor constructed of a single helical-shaped circular steel blade welded to a steel shaft.

The blades are available in diameters of 254 mm and 305 mm with a thickness of 9.5 mm, or in diameters of 356 mm, 380 mm and 407 mm with a thickness of 12.5 mm. They are constructed as a helix with a carefully controlled pitch. The diameter of the blade is chosen based on the bearing capacity of the soil and the load that the auger-installed steel pile is designed to support.

The steel shaft is available in a diameter of 60.3 mm with a wall thickness of 4.7 mm or a diameter of 89 mm with a wall thickness of 3.18 mm. The central shaft is used to transmit torque during installation and to transfer axial loads to the helical blades, and provides most of the resistance to lateral loading.

The foundation system comes with other accessories, such as support plates to adapt it to the building structure, extension shafts and connectors.

The steel shaft, blades and accessories conform to CAN/CSA-G40.21-04, “Structural Quality Steel,” and have a galvanic coating of 610 g/m2 that meets the requirements of CAN/CSA-G164-M92 (R2003), “Hot Dip Galvanizing of Irregularly Shaped Articles.”

The piles are screwed into the ground using mechanized equipment. Sufficient downward pressure (crowd) is applied to advance the anchor one pitch distance per revolution until the applied torque attains a specified value. Extensions are added to the central shaft as needed. The applied loads may be tensile (uplift) or compressive (bearing), and only compressive capacity was evaluated in this report. The piles are rapidly installed in a variety of soil formations and are immediately ready for loading after installation.

a typical steel pile with a single helix
Figure 1. Géopieux / Geopile
  1. Shaft
  2. Helical blade

Manufacturing plant

This evaluation is valid only for products produced at the following plant:

Product nameManufacturing plant
Saguenay, QC, CA
GeopileProduct evaluated by the CCMC

Product evaluated by the CCMC Indicates that the product from this manufacturing facility has been evaluated by the CCMC

  Conditions and limitations

The CCMC’s compliance opinion is bound by this product being used in accordance with the conditions and limitations set out below.

  • The product under this evaluation is intended to be used as a foundation system to support the following types of construction:
    • Single storey residential buildings within the scope of Part 9 of NBC 2015; and
    • Accessory buildings such as sheds, gazebos, sunrooms, carports, decks or porches within the scope of Part 9 of NBC 2015.

    Other applications are beyond the scope of this evaluation, and a professional engineer skilled in such design and licensed to practice under the appropriate provincial or territorial legislation must determine the pile capacity and other design parameters.

  • The product may be used as a foundation system to support various constructions, provided that it is installed according to the manufacturer’s current instructions and within the scope of this Evaluation Report.
  • Where the product is installed in granular soil or silt, there is a direct relationship between the applied torque and the allowable compressive loads, which are indicated in the Allowable compressive loads for the product in granular soil or silt table. 
  • Where the product is installed in a cohesive soil such as clay, the relationship between the applied torque and the allowable compressive load is not predictable; as such, the allowable compressive loads must be confirmed by on-site load tests. These load tests are also required if the allowable loads exceed those stated in the Allowable compressive loads for the product in granular soil or silt table. The tests must be conducted under the direct supervision of a professional geotechnical engineer skilled in such design and licensed to practise under the appropriate provincial or territorial legislation.
  • In all cases, a registered professional engineer skilled in such design and licensed to practise under the appropriate provincial or territorial legislation must determine the number and spacing of the auger-installed steel piles required to carry all the loads. A certificate attesting to the conformity of the installation and the allowable loads for the piles must be provided.
  • Where conditions (soil and environmental) are determined to be corrosive to steel, protection of the steel shall be provided. The determination of the presence of corrosive conditions and the specification of the corrosion protection shall be carried out by a registered professional engineer licensed to practise under the appropriate provincial or territorial legislation. If the determination of the presence of corrosive conditions is not completed before installation, the product, including all its accessories, is required to be hot-dipped galvanized, meeting the requirements of CAN/CSA-G164 (ASTM A123/A123M-17) with a minimum thickness of 610 g/m2, or another method that provides an equivalent level of protection and abrasion resistance deemed acceptable by the CCMC.
  • To be permitted to install the product, the installer must be certified by Géopieux (90906173 Québec Inc.). Using approved equipment, the installer must follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions and heed the uses and limitations specified in this Report. Each installer must carry a certification card with their signature and photograph.
  • Each auger-installed steel pile must be identified with a label containing the following information: manufacturer’s identification and the phrase “CCMC 13268-R.”

  Technical information

This evaluation is based on demonstrated conformance with the following criteria:

Evaluation requirements
Criteria number Criteria name
CCMC-TG-316615.13-10CCMC Technical Guide for Augered-Installed Steel Piles

The evaluation holder has submitted technical documentation for the CCMC’s evaluation. Testing was conducted at laboratories recognized by the CCMC. The corresponding technical evidence for this product is summarized below.

The product was tested to ASTM D 1143/D 1143-07e1, “Deep Foundations Under Static Axial Compressive Load.” A series of six tests were conducted on three different sites with granular soil to determine if there is a correlation between the torque applied during installation and the allowable compressive load: the results confirmed that there is a correlation. For the compressive loads noted in the table below, the factor of safety is 2.

Table 1. Allowable compressive loads for the product in granular soil or siltTable footnote footnote (1)
Applied torque Allowable compressive loads
N·m lbf kN lb
1 356 1 000 20 4 500
1 695 1 250 25 5 625
2 034 1 500 30 6 750
2 373 1 750 35 7 875
2 712 2 000 40 9 000
3 051 2 250 45 10 125
3 390 2 500 50 11 250
3 728 2 750 55 12 375
4 067 3 000 60 13 500
4 406 3 250 65 14 625
4 745 3 500 70 15 750

 

Administrative information

Use of Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) assessments

This assessment must be read in the context of the entire CCMC Registry of Product Assessments, any applicable building code or by-law requirements, and/or any other regulatory requirements (for example, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, etc.).

It is the responsibility of the user to confirm that the assessment they are using is current and has not been withdrawn or superseded by a later version on the CCMC Registry of Product Assessments.

Disclaimer

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has evaluated only the characteristics of the specific product described herein. The information and opinions in this evaluation are directed to those who have the appropriate degree of experience to use and apply its contents (such as authorities having jurisdiction, design professionals and specifiers). This evaluation is valid when the product is used as part of permitted construction, respecting all conditions and limitations stated in the evaluation, and in accordance with applicable building codes and by-laws.

This evaluation is provided without representation, warranty or guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied, and the NRC provides no endorsement for any evaluated product. The NRC accepts no responsibility whatsoever arising in any way from any and all use of or reliance on the information contained herein or the use of any evaluated product. The NRC is not undertaking to render professional or other services on behalf of any person or entity nor to perform any duty owed by any person or entity to another person or entity.

Language

Une version française de ce document est disponible.
In the case of any discrepancy between the English and French version of this document, the English version shall prevail.

Copyright

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the National Research Council of Canada, 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the CCMC.

CCMC recognition

The Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) assesses compliance with Canadian building, energy and safety codes. We are the only construction code compliance service supported and operated by the Government of Canada. Trusted by over 6,000 regulators across Canada.

Most Canadian authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) consider CCMC product assessments acceptable as evidence for product approval.

CCMC assessments are recognized by construction authorities across Canada:

The CCMC provides code compliance assessments to Canadian code requirements, consulting nationwide with construction regulators to elicit regional variations in code requirements as well as provincial and local interpretations. Users are advised to review the technical information presented in CCMC assessments when making approval decisions. Learn more about how the CCMC provides a unique service for Canada.

For more information, contact the CCMC by phone at (613) 993-6189 or by email at ccmc@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

NOTICE

The information presented on this webpage (in HTML format) is the most up-to-date information available from the CCMC about this assessment.

By downloading this PDF you acknowledge that:

  • this PDF is intended for record-keeping purposes only,
  • it represents the information as it was available at the time of downloading, and
  • it may not reflect the latest available information at some future date.
References to this CCMC assessment (in product literature, on websites, etc.) must be made by linking to the evaluation webpage. This PDF must not be used as a means of distributing this assessment to an audience.

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Code compliance as an acceptable solution

Code Compliance via Acceptable Solutions

If a building design (e.g. material, component, assembly or system) can be shown to meet all provisions of the applicable acceptable solutions in Division B (e.g. it complies with the applicable provisions of a referenced standard), it is deemed to have satisfied the objectives and functional statements linked to those provisions and thus to have complied with that part of the Code.

National Building Code of Canada, Sentence A-1.2.1.1.(1)(a)

The CCMC has determined that compliance with this provision of the Code has been demonstrated as an Acceptable Solution. The evaluation report provides a summary of the basis of CCMC's compliance opinion.

CCMC's code compliance opinions

All CCMC evaluation reports are opinions of code compliance established in accordance with the National Building Code of Canada, Subsection 1.2.1. "Compliance with this Code," which requires compliance to be achieved by:

  • complying with the applicable acceptable solutions in Division B, or
  • using an alternative solution that will achieve at least the minimum level of performance required by Division B in the areas defined by the objective and functional statements attributed to the applicable acceptable solutions.

The CCMC assesses compliance with Canadian building, energy and safety codes, and is trusted by over 6,000 regulators across Canada.

Code compliance as an alternative solution

Code Compliance via Alternative Solutions

Where a design differs from the acceptable solutions in Division B, then it should be treated as an "alternative solution." A proponent of an alternative solution must demonstrate that the alternative solution addresses the same issues as the applicable acceptable solutions in Division B and their attributed objectives and functional statements. However, because the objectives and functional statements are entirely qualitative, demonstrating compliance with them in isolation is not possible. Therefore, Clause 1.2.1.1.(1)(b) identifies the principle that Division B establishes the quantitative performance targets that alternative solutions must meet. In many cases, these targets are not defined very precisely by the acceptable solutions [...] Nevertheless, Clause 1.2.1.1.(1)(b) makes it clear that an effort must be made to demonstrate that an alternative solution will perform as well as a design that would satisfy the applicable acceptable solutions in Division B—not “well enough” but “as well as.”

National Building Code of Canada, Sentence A-1.2.1.1.(1)(b)

The CCMC has determined that compliance with this provision of the Code has been demonstrated as an Alternative Solution. The evaluation report provides a summary of the basis of CCMC's compliance opinion.

CCMC's code compliance opinions

All CCMC evaluation reports are opinions of code compliance established in accordance with the National Building Code of Canada, Subsection 1.2.1. "Compliance with this Code," which requires compliance to be achieved by:

  • complying with the applicable acceptable solutions in Division B, or
  • using an alternative solution that will achieve at least the minimum level of performance required by Division B in the areas defined by the objective and functional statements attributed to the applicable acceptable solutions.

The CCMC assesses compliance with Canadian building, energy and safety codes, and is trusted by over 6,000 regulators across Canada.

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From: National Research Council Canada

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