ADVANCES IN THE USE OF HELICAL PILES FOR FOUNDATION PERFORMANCE AND SEISMIC MITIGATION

Resumo

Helical piles have emerged as an effective alternative for deep foundations, offering advantages such as fast installation, low environmental impact, and high load-bearing capacity. Compared to conventional piles, they provide more efficient and economical execution with reduced labor requirements and lower project costs. Moreover, the technology behind helical piles has proven effective in mitigating the effects of soil liquefaction during earthquakes, as evidenced by several studies that show a significant reduction in permanent settlements and tilting of foundations. Another important benefit is the superior performance of these piles in offshore environments, where their installation without acoustic emissions is a valuable characteristic in sensitive locations. Numerous studies and experiments conducted in various geotechnical contexts, including shaking table tests and numerical simulations, demonstrate that helical piles can be optimized to perform in a wide range of soil conditions, including both liquefiable and non-liquefiable soils. The combination of technical innovation and economic efficiency positions helical piles as a strategic solution for foundation projects in diverse geotechnical and seismic scenarios.