engineering

Olivier pile

Olivier pile is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Olivier pile rather than just read about it. In short: An Olivier pile is a drilled displacement pile:. This is an underground deep foundation pile made of concrete or reinforced concrete with a screw-shaped shaft (helical shaft) which is performed without soil removal.

Key takeaways

Olivier pile belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Olivier pile to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Olivier pile from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An Olivier pile is a drilled displacement pile:. This is an underground deep foundation pile made of concrete or reinforced concrete with a screw-shaped shaft (helical shaft) which is performed without soil removal.

History The Belgian Gerdi Vankeirsbilck applied for the production patent for the Olivier pile in April 1996. This technique was implemented by his own company and various licences have been granted in Belgium and abroad. Due to its screw-shaped shaft, the Olivier pile is particularly suitable for use in soils with low load-bearing capacities, such as clay and loam. In 2018 a patent was applied for drilling without the use of a lost bit.

Description An Olivier pile is drilled into the ground by the use of drilling rig with a top-type rotary drive with variable rate of penetration. A lost tip is attached to a partial-flight auger which, in turn, is attached to a casing. The casing, which is rotated clockwise continuously, penetrates into the ground by the action of a torque and a vertical force. At the desired installation depth, the lost tip is released, and the reinforcing cage is inserted into the casing. Concrete is then placed inside the casing through a funnel. The casing and the partialflight auger are extracted by counter-clockwise rotation. The shaft of the Olivier pile has the shape of a screw. The casing has an external diameter of 324mm (12.75"), with a wall thickness of 25mm (1"). The casing consists of several parts assembled with watertight couplings, which are strong enough to handle the maximum torque produced by the rotary drive. The various auger heads, for the various diameters of the Olivier pile, all have a larger diameter than the casing. Common diameters of the auger head

diameter 36–56 cm (14"-22") diameter 41–61 cm (16"-24") diameter 46–66 cm (18"- 26") diameter 51–71 cm (20"-28") diameter 56–76 cm (22"-30")

Installation

An Olivier Pile is screwed into the ground without vibration, the soil is displaced sideways. No soil is transported to the surface. The rotary pressure is compared with the results of the cone penetration test. The rotary head with a maximum torque of 55 ton meter is pulled up and down along an adjustable leader, which is strong enough to hold all the forces. The leader is adjustable in all directions, so that it is possible to drill leaning backward or forward. When the desired depth has been reached, it is possible to place reinforcement through the casing. Then the auger head is screwed back. The lost tip is disconnected from the auger head and left behind. During the screwback process, the soil is displaced again. This system is called 'double soil displacement'. While screwing back, concrete is poured into the casing. Because of the weight of the concrete, the concrete is injected into the space under the auger head. During the screwing back, the Olivier Pile is formed with the screw-shaped shaft. The screw-shape has a pitch of ±250mm (±10") and an external diameter of ±200mm (±8") larger than the base shaft. This process continues until the entire casing and the auger head are back on the ground.

External links Research and Development Activities on Pile Foundations in Europe, wtcb.be Drilled Displacement Piles – Current Practice and Design, researchgate.net Cast piles, floridabuildingofficials.com The history of displacement piles, soilmecna.com

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Olivier pile

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Olivier pile claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Olivier pile before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Olivier pile ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Olivier pile

In research: Olivier pile appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Olivier pile in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Olivier pile is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Civil engineering, Foundations (buildings and structures), Geotechnical engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Olivier pile outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Olivier pile in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Olivier pile means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Olivier pile out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Olivier pile in simple terms?

Why does Olivier pile matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Olivier pile?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Olivier pile.