CTL|Thompson Receives IAS Laboratory AccreditationWith the demand for helical foundation systems on the rise in industrial, residential, and especially commercial applications, CTL|Thompson has seized the opportunity to be on the forefront of becoming IAS accredited in order to perform product testing for helical piles. With the recent ICC-ES Evaluation, Inc. approval of the Acceptance Criteria for Helical Foundation Systems and Devices (AC358), there is now a standard to which ICC-ES staff, testing laboratories, inspection agencies, and manufacturers of helical foundations systems can refer to that establishes intended capacities and resolves previous limitations. CTL|Thompson served as the lead consultant in the preparation of AC358 and is uniquely qualified to now offer IAS accredited helical pile product testing.
CTL|Thompson applied for IAS laboratory accreditation over a year ago and has recently completed the process. The laboratory facility in Fort Collins, CO will be used as the primary helical test facility. CTL|Thompson has a number of people in the lab that have worked on the IAS accreditation and will assist with helical testing. The lab is currently setup to conduct all of the lab tests specified in AC358 including shaft torsion, helix compression, coupling rigidity, and bracket capacity. In addition, they are equipped to conduct field tests required by AC358 including axial compression, axial tension, and lateral load. On the forefront of their capabilities is the Tinius Olsen electro-mechanical torsion testing machine with 1-Million in-lb (83,000 ft-lb) torsion capacity, computer data acquisition and logging capability, an adjustable rotation rate of 5 to 180 deg per minute.
Currently, CTL|Thompson has contracts with five helical pile manufacturers and has proposals pending with four others. According to Fort Collins Division Manager and IAS Testing Lab Director, Dr. Howard A. Perko, PE, “We are very excited about the opportunity to help our clients with the preparation of their ICC-ES product evaluation reports. We have several staff members standing-by to provide customers with a high level of service and accurate and timely test results.” CTL|Thompson also has a number of structural engineers that can assist with calculations for ICC-ES evaluation reports. For additional information, CTL|Thompson’s IAS Testing Lab Technical Manager, Mr. Moncef Souissi at msouissi@ctlthompson.com (970-206-9455).
Helical Pier World
