Scenario 1
Scenario 1: Thinner Piles Reduce Steel Usage and Freight
1.1 Background
As 1P multi-point drive solar trackers become more common, pile foundation density increases. Currently, W6×6.2 and W6×7 are the main specifications used (with W6×6.2 being the smallest available), resulting in excessive design margins and waste for most pile foundations.
1.2 Solution: Thinner Piles
We developed three new specifications — W6×5, W6×5.5, and W6×5.85 to improve pile foundation design efficiency, yield strengths up to 80 KSI available.
Reduce cost, for example, replacing W6×6.2 with W6×5 achieves 24% steel saving, 24% freight reduction, and over 15% overall foundation cost optimization.
1.3 Core Advantages
1. Reduce design redundancy and improve design efficiency.
2. Remarkable cost savings on materials and oceanfreight logistics.
| Designation | Depth, H (mm) | Width, B (mm) | Web, t₁ (mm) | Flange, t₂ (mm) | Unit Mass (kg/m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W6×6.2 | 146 | 95 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 9.2 |
| W6×6.5 | 146 | 95 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 9.7 |
| W6×7 | 147 | 100 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 10.5 |
| W6×7.75 | 148 | 100 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 11.5 |
| W6×8.5 | 148 | 100 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 13.0 |
| W6×9 | 150 | 100 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 13.5 |
| W6×10.4 | 151 | 101 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 15.5 |
| W6×12 | 153 | 102 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 18.0 |
Standard: ASTM A6
Steel grades: ASTM A572 / A992, GR50/60/65
| Designation | Depth, H (mm) | Width, B (mm) | Web, t₁ (mm) | Flange, t₂ (mm) | Unit Mass (kg/m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W6×5 | 144 | 95 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 7.6 |
| W6×5.5 | 145 | 95 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 8.2 |
| W6×5.85 | 145 | 95 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 8.7 |
ASTM A572 / A992 Grades 50 / 60 / 65
Yield strengths up to 80 KSI available.