Civil engineering

When is civil engineering used?

Civil engineering is indispensable for numerous construction projects, especially for:

• High-rise buildings with deep foundations

• Bridges and tunnels

• Excavations in densely populated areas

• Infrastructure projects such as road and railroad construction

• Hydraulic structures such as locks, dams and port facilities

• Underground garages, cellars and other underground structures where stable excavations and seals are required

The use of modern techniques in civil engineering means that structures can be built safely and economically, even in geologically challenging environments.

Important areas of civil engineering

1. pile foundation

Pile foundations in civil engineering are used to transfer the load of a structure to deeper, load-bearing soil layers. Depending on the subsoil conditions and requirements, different types of piles are used, including

• In-situ concrete piles: Drilled directly on site and filled with concrete

• Driven piles: Prefabricated piles that are driven into the ground

• Piles: Particularly suitable for difficult geotechnical conditions

2. excavation shoring

When constructing deep excavations in civil engineering, the lateral earth pressures must be safely supported. This is done with:

• sheet piling

• Pile walls

• diaphragm walls

Excavation shoring plays a particularly important role in underground garages and basements, as measures to seal against groundwater are often also required here.

3. soil improvement

Soil improvements are necessary to increase the load-bearing capacity and stability of the subsoil. The methods used in civil engineering include

• Soil injections for compaction and reinforcement

• Vibration pressure and vibration tamping process

• Icing techniques for tunnel construction

4. tunnel construction and underpinning

Tunnel construction often requires the use of civil engineering techniques to secure the subsoil, e.g. using icing or shotcrete methods. Underpinning is used for structures in the immediate vicinity of existing buildings to prevent subsidence.

Pile foundations in civil engineering – in-situ concrete piles as an efficient solution

In-situ concrete piles are one of the most frequently used methods of pile foundations in specialist foundation engineering. They are constructed directly on site by drilling or driving and then filled with concrete. Their advantages include high load-bearing capacity, adaptability to different soil types and the ability to safely transfer large loads.

The correct processing and professional capping of in-situ concrete bored piles are crucial for the stability and quality of the entire foundation. There are specialized methods and tools for this that enable efficient and precise processing.

Brextor® is one of the most innovative methods for professionally capping in-situ concrete bored piles. This method enables safe, economical and environmentally friendly processing of bored piles and bored pile walls. Find out more about the advantages of Brextor® and how it works in the following section.

Pile breaking with an innovative solution

Brextor® is an efficient, safe and high-quality method for breaking piles. With this method, not only single piles, but also all types of pile walls (tangent, secant or contiguous) are processed gently by machine. The work is done by one person and one machine. The weather conditions have no influence here.

Brextor® offers the following advantages:

🏗 Increased construction quality

Perfect pile breaking without cracks in the pile body or spalling on the pile outer skin, no bent or torn reinforcements and a height accuracy of +/- 1cm.

💵 Reduced construction costs

The demolition material consists of 80% gravel 0-30mm and can therefore be reused directly on the construction site. In addition, Brextor^® requires less working space than conventional mining methods. This means that not only expenses for transportation and disposal incl. fees are saved, but the purchase and supply of replacement material is also eliminated. Furthermore, the preparatory work eliminates the need for a separating diamand cut at the final extraction level and the cleaning effort is massively lower than with conventional extraction methods.

⏱ Shortened processing time

For example, a pile with a diameter of 1 m and a height of 1 m can be processed within 40 minutes. A daily output of up to 16 piles is possible. In addition, Brextor® provides reliable performance and therefore increased planning security.

♻️ Environmentally friendly

With Brextor®, the demolition material (80% gravel 0-30mm) can be reused directly on the construction site. Brextor® also requires less working space. This saves excavation and replacement material. By reusing the demolition material directly on the construction site and saving on excavation and replacement material, transportation can be saved. In addition, landfills are less polluted.

👷 Increased health & safety at work

No heavy physical labor is required for pile processing, which massively reduces the risk of health hazards such as HAVS syndrome. Brextor® also avoids working in danger zones.

Find out more about Brextor® here:

Contact us for more information and find out how you can benefit from this revolutionary pile breaking method.

Call us on +41 41 495 05 20 or send an e-mail to info@brc.swiss. We look forward to working with you and taking your projects to the next level.