We are the one-stop for all your earth retention needs. Through
the use of the proper, cost-effective earth retention system, we take your
worries away. We have been keeping things right where they are for over 60
years.
Earth retention systems we design and install
include:
- Sheet Piling
- Soldier Beams and Lagging
- Soil Nails and Shotcrete
- External
bracing - soil anchors or tie backs
- Internal
bracing - struts, diagonals, and rakers
- Secant
and Tangent Pile Walls
- Underpinning
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Why do you need earth retention? Whenever you dig into
the ground there are several items that you need to think about:
- Protection of the workers
during construction
- Adjacent structures
- Utilities
- Public/municipal/private
property
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Thatcher provides full engineering and project
management services:
- We have an in-house
licensed Structural Engineer and a Civil Engineering Ph.D. We know
design/build.
- Let our experience help
you reduce your costs. The earlier we become involved in the project, the
more we can optimize the design. It is not uncommon for us to optimize
ourselves right out of work!
- For projects in Chicago,
we can help you navigate the city's permit process. We can shave days,
weeks, and sometimes months off the process.
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How do you know which type of earth retention is right for
you? Below is a very basic chart to guide you through three typical systems:
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Soil Condition |
Sheet Piling |
Soldier Beams
& Lagging |
Soil Nails
& Shotcrete |
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Granular
soil, excavation above water table |
X |
X |
|
| Granular soil, excavation
below water table |
X |
|
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Cohesive
soil, excavation above water table |
X |
X |
X |
| Mixed soil, excavation above
water table |
X |
X |
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Mixed
soil, excavation below water table |
X |
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| Retaining wall, back filled
after installation |
X |
X |
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Any soil,
excavation next to existing structures |
X |
|
X* |
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* Cohesive soil and underpinning is necessary |
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The most common types of earth retention are sheet piling
and soldier beams and lagging. They are usually installed in the following
configurations:
- Cantilevered - for shallower excavations, typically 8 feet or less if there is no adjacent structure.
- Internally Braced - walers and struts transfer the load to the opposite wall, concrete deadmen, or sheet piling deadmen. Typical of deeper excavations, 8 feet or more, or if there is an adjacent structure.
- Tie-backs - soil anchors are drilled through the sheet piling or soldier beams, grouted, and tested for design capacity. The load is transferred through a waler. Typical of deeper excavations, 8 feet or more, or if there is an adjacent structure. Also used if the excavation must be free of obstructions.
- Combination of all three - not all sites are uniform on all sides, therefore, we typically utilize one or more to optimize the earth retention system and reduce costs.
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Our goal is to provide the most cost-effective, least obtrusive earth
retention system while affording the maximum protection to workers on the
site and minimizing movement of the adjacent earth.
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In the winter of 1958, a very reputable and upstanding
General Contractor tried to make an open excavation along Jackson Street in
the west Loop. It was early January and the ground was frozen so they didn't
think that they needed to have any earth retention. After all, the ground was
hard as a rock and it was only going to be open for a few days. What's the worst thing
that could happen?
A thaw. A couple of days later as temperatures crept above
40 the ground started to creep into the
excavation. Pretty soon water mains were cracking and electric lines were
breaking. Thatcher Foundations got a phone call in the afternoon. We were
there the next morning. We set up our "Office Trailer" in Lou Mitchell's
Coffee Shop. The job was completed and order restored. But our work wasn't
done there. 50 years later, we are still providing earth retention all around
Chicago, the suburbs, and northwest Indiana - everywhere it is needed. And you
can still find us at Lou Mitchell's most mornings at 5:30 a.m. sharp.
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Download our Earth Retention brochure. Click here
Call us today and let us show you how we can help you
complete your project on time and on budget!
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