FAIRBROTHER GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING CC
Civil Engineer in Cape Town

Fairbrother Geotechnical Engineering is an established Cape Town based company with over 40 years of geotechnical experience. We have skilled and experienced staff, specialised plant, a fully equipped workshop and a professional management team and are able to offer a comprehensive solution for your all geotechnical requirements from site investigation, foundation design, excavation, piling and lateral support installation. CFA piles are formed by drilling a continuous flight auger into the ground. Once the required depth is reached, a specialised CFA mix is pumped down the stem as the auger is slowly withdrawn.There is a reduced risk of damage to nearby buildings as there is no vibration and noise levels are limited. Dewatering is described as the removal of water from saturated soils by means of wellpoints. The water is extracted from the ground by applying a vacuum through a wellpoint. Dewatering is most suited to saturated sands and non-cohesive soils. This solution is typically used to support basement excavations or existing unstable slopes and provides for an in-situ solution of reinforced earth. The soil nails are drilled on a close grid and this allows for the soil mass to act as a homogenous unit. A very cost effective solution to slope stabilisation and basement excavation. Not suited to basement excavations that have large surcharge loads close to the excavation. The tensioned anchor is used most commonly for lateral support to deep excavations with high surcharge loads and is often incorporated into piled retaining walls. The tension anchor can also be used to tie back large structures spanning deep seated failures and to resist uplift forces. The tensioned anchor can be offered as either a temporary solution or as a permanent anchor with a life span of up to 120 years. The concrete soldier pile is also used for lateral support systems. It can be used to create either as a cantilever wall or can be tied back using anchors or can be braced. The soldier pile can also be used to carry the vertical load of a building structure and is normally incorporated into the new structure as permanent works. The system is very adaptable and can accommodate almost any conditions. This system is generally used in sandy horizons below the water table and is often used as temporary works for trenches or pits. Pits can be constructed to depths of 8m in sands and provide for a very safe and effective temporary lateral support. The pits are constructed by first driving the soldier piles in and around the perimeter of the pit with a piling rig. A horizontal whaler is then welded around the inside of the soldier piles joining all of the piles together. If there is a high water table then dewatering must be done before the excavation proceeds. Not suited to lateral support that has surrounding infrastructure in close proximity to the pit as settlement does occur during construction.