Arbé masters a wide range of special and deep foundation techniques :

• drilled concrete piles anchors and micro piles shotcrete
• nailing strips
• bank reinforcement
• driven piles

This sector of activity is specific due to the technical sophistication the large amount of equipment required and the need for experienced teams foundation engineers and worksite supervisors drillers and drillerhelpers fuel attendants shotcretors batch plant operators crane operators and excavator drivers.

For projects requiring unusually sophisticated or very vast technical operations we join forces with partners .

Concrete bored piles

The sector’s main activity is bored piles for foundations for buildings, engineering structures and industrial complexes:

1. Hollow auger piles

Our three drilling workshops produce piles with diameters ranging from 350 to 1100 mm. Our drilling machines are equipped with LUTZ parameter recording devices, enabling precise monitoring of the length, anchoring and concrete filling of future piles.

The hollow auger technique offers high productivity, reducing execution costs.

The majority of the concrete bored piles we produce for buildings arehollow auger piles. This approach proves perfectly suited in terms of profitability, deadlines, quality, cleanliness and noise reduction.

Thanks to our specific concrete formulations and technical expertise, we are able to incorporate reinforcement cages over 20 meters long into fresh concrete. As a result, we are also active on many civil engineering projects involving the use of hollow augers. For example, we have completed a significant number of full-height reinforced piles for the mining industry in New Caledonia.

2. Traditional piles

We use a variety of traditional piling techniques: simple bored piles, tubed bored piles, bentonite bored piles and barrettes.

We generally use these processes for large-diameter and/or very deep piles, often for engineering structures. They can be up to 2.50m in diameter.

In particular, we have a vibratory hammer for casing and a bentonite plant with desander for slurry piles.

3. A special application : retaining walls

Mainly with auger piles, we build temporary or permanent retaining walls:

• Moscow and Berlin walls
• Secant pile walls: this particular technique requires the prior construction of a guide wall, followed by meticulous phasing.

It enables the construction of underground structures below the water table, ensuring the vertical stability of the excavation while limiting water ingress.

We have used this method to build the BOTICCELLI building parking lot in downtown Noumea, the Médisud parking lot at Anse Vata and several pumping stations for the Noumea Town Hall, among others.

Tie rods and Micropiles

Tie rods and micropiles are another of Arbé’s specialties.

We produced 1,065 active tie rods ranging from 12 to 18 meters and 600 micropiles for the foundations of the Vavouto/KNS plant. This was an exceptional project, as this activity is usually concentrated on small reinforcement projects or isolated massifs.

We also specialize in the construction of micropiles for the foundations of electricity pylons, which requires very specific technical skills and fine-tuning of the bases at the foot of the pylons. We have completed the entire Nouméa/usine du sud/Vale NC electrical junction, the Témala/Ouaième transverse section and the relocation of the Dumbéa sur Mer line.

For this activity, in addition to 2 crawler drills, we have heliportable equipment that also enables us to carry out acrobatic work or work with reduced clearance and access.

Several kilometers of pipelines on steep slopes have been laid on micropiles in the Tiebaghi and Vavouto massifs.

For tie rods, we carry out pull-out tests using our own jacks and test equipment.

Shotcrete | nailing | slope reinforcement

The Foundations sector is involved in slope reinforcement and reinforcement for new earthworks or the restoration of unstable ground. Teams specialize in the construction of nail walls, sub-horizontal drains, shotcrete structures, slope protection nets and all types of slope stabilization work. In some cases, this may involve acrobatic work on slopes that are very difficult to access.

An example: the reinforcement of the embankment of the LE BALLAH residence in Baie des Citrons, a major project involving active tie rods and nails, and a shotcrete shell.

Our shotcrete teams also work on structural reinforcement operations, such as in the CHT cellars, where the old ceilings were in danger of collapsing.

The synergy between our sectors enables us to be fully effective on global reinforcement operations combining shotcrete and nailing, for example, with concrete repairs and the creation of small BA structures.

Driven piles

Arbé continues to develop its driven pile business.

This solution is mainly used for marine structures or large-diameter piles for civil engineering. We are equipped with hammers enabling us to drive tubes up to 1200m in diameter. A LUTZ parameter recorder is used to validate the correct anchoring of the piles.

We also drive sheet piles.

The complementary nature of our sectors can be seen on sites such as the construction of quays, where the crane alternates between pile driving and civil engineering handling. For example, the Quai des Caboteurs in Nouméa.

Partnerships

We have had a partnership with SPIE FONDATIONS, a major player in Special Foundations, for several years. Their support ranges from simple technical assistance (design office, execution plans, methods, etc.) to the use of their teams and drills alongside our own. In this context, we have carried out

• micropile foundations for the Témala – Ouaième and Goro – Nouméa power lines
• Active tie rods for the KNS project…

SPIE FONDATIONS also provides training for our teams.