Effect of boring method on bearing capacity of short cast-in-place piles

1. Bored-hole/cast-in-place piles 4–10 m long tend to retain a constant value of the unit bearing capacity, irrespective of soil moisture. Driven piles, and piles cast in punched holes, undergo a loss unit bearing capacity (up to 20%) as their length is increased.
2. With the saturation of high-porosity collapsible soils, the unit bearing capacity of bored-hole/cast-in-situ piles up to 10 m long diminishes two to three times, on average. For cast-in-place piles installed in a punched hole, and for driven piles, this reduction ranges up to only 30%. This trend is characteristic of soil layers whose collapsibility properties diminish with depth, from 2–3% to 1–1.5%.
3. The unit bearing capacity of cast-in-place piles installed in punched holes is equal to that of driven piles, both for saturated and dry soil conditions.
4. Following soil compaction, the unit bearing capacity of concrete cast-in-place piles installed in punched holes is higher than for bored-hole/cast-in-place piles, in the ratio of up to 2 for slightly moistened soils and 3–3.5 for saturated soils.
5. All other conditions being equal, the unit bearing capacity is greater for driven piles, and somewhat smaller (by 10–15%) for piles cast in punched holes. The smallest unit bearing capacity is observed in bored-hole/cast-in-place piles (1.5–2 times less than for driven piles).
Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 4, pp. 14–15

making a low distortion frame construction

A method of making a low distortion frame construction, the construction having joint regions formed by first and second overlapping members defining a lapped interface, the joint regions being comprised of material that can be converted to a solid state deformable plastic condition by friction heat, comprising:

(a) providing a stir friction welding tool having
(i) a rotatable thermally conductive body presenting a shoulder to engage the joint region for storing friction-generated heat, and
(ii) a friction generating pin rotatable with said body about a pin axis and selectively extendable from the shoulder to progressively penetrate the overlapping members as the joint region in contact with the pin becomes plastic;

(b) placing the tool shoulder against the joint region with the pin axis transverse to the lapped interface and spinning the body while progressively extending the pin at a rotational speed effective to generate friction heat that converts the adjacent material of the joint to a plastic condition allowing the spinning of the probe to stir such plastically converted material; and

(c) controlling the depth of penetration of the spinning probe while translating the tool across the joint region to perfect a friction stirred welded zone that extends through the interface and between the overlapping members to provide a welded joint that is exceptionally strong in shea

How construction loans work

Construction loans are story loans. That means that the lender has to know the story behind the planned construction before they're willing to loan you money. Because it's a story loan, it's not going to be standardized like mortgage loans underwritten to Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae guidelines. That said, there are some common features to a construction loan. Construction loans typically require interest-only payments during construction and become due upon completion. Construction loans are usually variable-rate loans priced at a spread to the prime rate or some other short-term interest rate. Many homeowners use construction-to-permanent financing programs where the construction loan is converted to a mortgage loan after the certificate of occupancy is issued. Depending on your view on interest rate trends, you could also purchase a rate-lock agreement valid through the expected completion of the construction. Just make sure you allow for the inevitable construction delays.

A construction loan, unlike a mortgage, isn't meant to be around for a long time. If you're taking out a $200,000 construction loan for six months and you pay an extra 0.5 percent on the loan, it costs you an additional $250. (Assumes an average $100,000 loan balance over a six-month construction period.)

You may be willing to pay a higher rate on the construction loan if you're doing construction-to-permanent financing and can get better mortgage terms or a longer, better rate lock from that lender.