GSI Strengthens Cellular Infrastructure 

Edited by Debbie Reaney 

A recent cell tower retrofit was performed by GeoStabilization International (GSI), experts at providing solutions for protecting wind, solar, storage, power & energy infrastructure. GSI was selected as a subcontractor for this project, working for General Contractor, K-Co Enterprises out of Piedmont SC. K Co Enterprises serves all phases of commercial concrete, foundation, and tower construction needs in the south-eastern United States and are the go-to specialists in drilled caissons for towers, light poles, canopies, and other industrial applications.  

While cell towers are still relatively new in comparison with other structures, cell towers are an integral part of our critical telecommunication infrastructure, making them just as essential to society as roadways. In the past, humans were limited by where they could communicate from and how. Now dispatchers can use advanced software on a cell phone to send and receive communications, in real time, all thanks to cell towers. 

Towers are generally constructed on caisson or other large diameter pile foundations. Due to their ever-growing importance to our daily lives, changes to the building codes and additional equipment added to cell towers, including increased cell tower height, many cell tower foundations require additional support in the form of micropiles. Many new cell towers are supported on micropiles, as they are often more economical than other types of foundations.  The micropiles in this case were installed to increase the load bearing profile of the tower for equipment upgrades on the tower itself. Accepted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the Micropile Design and Construction Guidelines Manual, Hollow Bars are also being used increasingly for micropile applications. Through the increased bond stress resultant from the simultaneous drilling and grouting operation, Hollow Bars are the reinforcement bar choice in collapsing soil conditions. 

For this short yet significant project in Bayboro, NC the GSI crew chose to rent a Comacchio MC-8D unit for its versatility and powerful hydraulic drilling capabilities from their regional ICE® (International Construction Equipment, Inc.) Drilling Specialists. Designed for civil engineering works such as micropiles, anchors and ground improvement in general using all rotary and/or rotary- percussive drilling systems, the use of this rig made this retrofit a breeze. Utilizing the MC-8D, holes were drilled with 76mm (about 2.99 in) hollow bar approximately 30' (ft) into the ground and then grouted in place. This supplement to strengthen the foundation will also allow the addition of the new hardware required to update this tower.  

Magnificent work, GSI! Thanks to your team the folks of Bayboro and the surrounding area can feel confident that they will be able to communicate with loved ones, co-workers, emergency systems, both near and far due to this retrofit to local cell tower infrastructure. ICE® is happy to have been able to provide the deep foundation equipment necessary to help make this job a smooth one.  

Learn more about the Comacchio MC-8D and other Fully Articulated Multipurpose Rigs offered by the ICE Drilling Sales and Service Team and find out how they can help you with your next project.    

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