Drilled Piles (CIDH) 

CIDH piles are used to support structures built on ground that is subject to movement. The piles are drilled through the unstable ground layer to more supportive substrata. Drilled piles are constructed by first drilling a shaft, then placing a steel reinforcing cage in the shaft, and finally filling it with concrete. 

D.J. Scheffler & Nye, Inc. can drill piles ranging from 24” to 120” in diameter. We are equipped to construct piles for single- and multiple-family residences, high-rise buildings and bridge foundations. 

Additionally, D.J. Scheffler & Nye employs the latest drilling technologies to minimize vibration during construction. Vibration may cause unstable soils to settle, thus causing damage to structures surrounding the job site.

Mini- and Micro-Piles

Mini- and micro-piles are smaller diameter than CIDH foundation piles. Nevertheless, they are capable of supporting significant foundation loads. These foundation elements are constructed similar to drilled piles, except that the reinforcement is a single steel bar as opposed to an I-beam or re-bar cage. Also, high strength grout is used to anchor and protect the steel bar instead of concrete. Typically, many micro-piles are placed in a grid beneath the structure’s foundation. The tremendous surface area of the micro-pile grid provides exceptional frictional adherence to the native soil, and is the source of this system’s strength. 

Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) Piles

CFA piles are constructed by utilizing specialized drilling equipment and methods developed, in part, by D.J. Scheffler & Nye. The CFA pile is constructed by drilling a hollow-stem auger into the ground. The auger is drilled to the pile’s desired depth in a single operation. Thus, very little soil is displaced. Once at depth, concrete is pumped through the auger’s stem, and then fills the hole as the auger is extracted. 

After the concrete is placed, the steel reinforcement (either an I-beam or a re-bar cage) is placed into the still-wet concrete column. Advanced computer instrumentation monitors all aspects of pile placement, including: depth, speed of auger rotation and rate of advancement, torque, concrete head pressure, and volume of concrete placed. CFA piles can be constructed in diameters ranging from 16 ” to 48”, and up to 120 feet deep. 

D.J. Scheffler & Nye is the leader in foundation drilling. Our long list of satisfied clients stretches from the Pacific Northwest through Southern California and on to Arizona. See photos of our Rosebowl and Santa Rosa Pier projects here.