Surefoot Africa

Concrete Free Solutions

& foundation systems
 about

Nicknamed the metal tree stump, Surefoot Africa Pile Caps are best described
when compared to a trees’ root system. our Pile Caps spreads its foundation over a
greater surface area achieving larger load capacities faster and more cost effectively.

• Fixed costs
• No concrete
• No excavation or spoils
• Reduced labour
• Less trades to organise and rely upon
• No engineering inspections required
• test changes
• Build faster – more jobs completed in a week, month and year
• Self-installation – no outside contractors or heavy machinery
required
• Adjustable in both plumb and level
• Easier site set outs
• Suitable in all wind categories and soil types
• Great for hard to access, sloping or remote sites
about

• No mess installation or re-establishment of landscaping

• No rain delays or foundations full of water
• Instant bearing capacity so your works can continue
• Installed in as little as 20 minutes
• Supports posts and structures of any size and type
“Did you know that the total embodied energy
of a standard builder’s house post concreted into
the ground has more embodied energy than the
equivalent Surefoot Africa Pile Cap foundation”

environmental impact
environmental impact

Embodied energy is the total energy required for the extraction, processing, manufacture
and delivery of building materials to the building site. Energy consumption produces CO2,
which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Concrete Embodied Energy Surefoot Embodied Energy

928.02 MJ 719.72 MJ

Biodiversity on site

Surefoot Africa products help avoid unnecessary disturbance to vegetation and soil and
responds to the natural topography of a site eliminating the use of heavy machinery to
install foundations. This saves energy, preserves natural drainage patterns and prevents soil
erosion and sediment run offs from waste spoil. Excessive excavation can damage the
ecological integrity of the site and disturb groundwater zones.

Waste minimisation

Surefoot Africa products reduces on site waste such as excess concrete and spoil from
foundations. This waste in most cases is transported off site which adds to the total
embodied energy of a building and CO2 emissions.

Recycling

Surefoot Africa sources its steel from environmentally focused suppliers who use local steel
suppliers as part of their manufacturing processes. At the end of a building’s design life our
Pile Caps can be removed from the ground and recycled back into its raw form to produce
other steel products.
Residential, commercial, industrial

Features

Our Pile Caps can be installed in all soil

1 types including rock and fill sites.

Build taller not dig deeper. Shallower

2 foundations are achieved with our
Concrete Free Solutions.

Load carrying capacity ranges

3 between 1 tonne to 20 tonne on one
single pile Cap.

Universal in design, our Pile Caps

4 enables you to attach any post or
structure. Adjustment in both plumb
and level can be achieved “after” your
foundation is installed.

Our Products eliminates the need for

5 extensive propping or shoring of your
posts or structure during the
founding process. There is virtual instant
bearing capacity so your works can
continue within a few days.

Great for hard to access, sloping or

6 remote sites. Products are light enough
to hand carry and installs with simple
tools. Self-installation eliminates the
need for outside contractors or heavy
machinery on site.
 retaining walls & sound barriers

Fixed Cost
The cost of your Pile Cap solution is
established and fixed on acceptance of your
customized estimateu

Sustainable
With an emphasis on sustainability, Surefoot
continues to minimise their environmental
footprint.

Time Saver
Offering quick installation, Surefoot is a time
efficient process that can significantly reduce
construction time by half on many structures.

Quality Materials
All materials used in the manufacturing and
installation of Surefoot complies with all
relevant Standards.
solar
customised solutions
shade sails

Features

Our products can be installed in all soil

1 types including rock and fill sites.

Build taller not dig deeper. Shallower

2 foundations are achieved with our pile
caps.

Load carrying capacity ranges

3 between 1 tonne to 20 tonne on one
single pile Cap.

Universal in design, the pile cap

4 enables you to attach any post or
structure. Adjustment in both plumb
and level can be achieved “after” your
foundation is installed.

Great for hard to access, sloping or

5 remote sites. Our pile caps are light
enough to hand carry and installs with
simple tools. Self-installation eliminates
the need for outside contractors or
heavy machinery on site.
lighting
temporary or permanent
applications/industries

Today these pile caps are used in a wide range of applications and industries across
Europe and now WE ARE entering the African market.
• Housing industry • Event industry
• Energy Industry • Shade sail industry
• Park equipment • Lighting industry
• Communication industry • Retaining walls & sound barriers
• Signage industry • Decking and boardwalks
• Tethering industry • Mining industry
• Portal frame construction • Bus shelters
• Defence industry • Fencing
• Banner & Flag industry • Stock yards
• Temporary structures • Green construction
• Slab stabilization & under pinning

applications/industries

Builders report up to 60% savings

 Engineering Principles
Introduction

Surefoot Africa pile cap foundation system was developed as a miniaturization of large
scale piling technology used in major infrastructure projects. During this time Surefoot Africa
products and brands has undergone design development, compliance and certification
and is intended as an alternative foundation system to systems currently used within the
building industry today. It’s primary design & purpose is to adapt and be used in a wide
variety of industries for a range of different structures, easily, providing a more effective way
of grounding structures for the end user.
certification

Engineering principals

Our pile cap product engineering principles are based on piling technology using a
combination of skin friction and point bearing. The pile cap is installed via steel tubular
Piles / Magnapile driven into the ground by a commercially available industrial jackhammer
and attachment tool. This provides the necessary driving force to install the piles to the
required depth.

Design and certification

Foundation design and certification using Surefoot Africa products should be carried out by
a registered professional engineer. Under no circumstances should our products be sold or
installed without prior design and engineering being undertaken except where relevant
code related provisions permits such actions. Our pile caps are Agrement certified

Installation

Installation should be undertaken by known trained and experienced installers who hold
relevant industry experience or license classes to carry out such works. DIY installation should
not be entered into and treated with extreme caution.
Engineering Principles cont.

Foundation inspection

Unlike traditional founding methods Surefoot Africa pile cap foundations are an all in one
process therefore there is no opportunity for an engineering inspection of foundations. As with
conventional pilling installers are required to document the actual driven depths of piles and
provide a written report to the project engineer upon completion, it is therefore mandatory
that this be done during the installation process of Surefoot Africa products.

Load capacities

Surefoot Africa products are engineered to yield loads ranging from 1 to 25+ tonne

certification
depended on which Pile Cap type is used. Ultimate load capacities of each Pile Cap is
determined by soil type, wind and terrain category and associated implied loads of a
structure. It is important to realize that ultimate loads capacities will vary depended on the
above mentioned factors and differ with each application and site specific environment.
Additional load capacities can be achieved on the basis of specific design of a foundation
system, which may include multiple Pile Caps.

Driving pins

32 nominal bore x 2.6mm MINIMUM thickness galvaniZed steel tube (commonly known as
light tubing) is required to be installed in conjunction with the Pile Cap products. Pins should
be driven to appropriate depth specified or to refusal whichever is lesser. The test for refusal
shall be where the pile penetration for each 15 seconds of hammer time is less than 5mm.

Site classes

Our products can be installed in all soil types. Problem sites such as highly reactive clay and
rocky sites is where it works best and is typically where the system offers the best cost savings.
For rocky sites, drilling and chemical anchors my be required in conjunction with our pile
caps. Where fill has been identified, the pin depths specified are depths of penetration into
natural undisturbed soil below the fill unless density testing has verified and appropriate max
dry density exists.
 Engineering Principles cont.

Fixings

8.8 grade (structural) hot dipped galvanised steel bolts are required to be used to bolt
structures to the Surefoot base in accordance with EN 15048.

Tek screws are required to be used to provide locking of each driving pin into the Surefoot
pile guide. Class 4 (12 – 24) screws should be used with a minimum shear
strength of 8.6 (kn). These Tek screws are designed for highly corrosive environment
and have a yellow chromate finish. This provides the best resistance to humidity and
specifications

environmental effects.

Design Life

The Surefoot Africa products have a design life of 50 years minimum.

It is important to realize that the systems ultimate life expectancy is determined by many
factors such as the type of soil and the surrounding environmental effects. Soils that have
low PH levels and low moisture levels will perform best over soils that have high PH levels
and high moisture levels. It is therefore recommend that if additional information is required
on this subject matter in order to further calculate life expectancies beyond the 50 year
minimum requirements that an appropriate soil survey be conducted at the location in
which the system is to be installed taking into consideration the surround environment.

Welding, cutting and abrasion

It is not recommend nor endorsed to weld directly to the Cap, as this will reduce the hot
dipped galvanized surface coatings durability thus becoming more susceptible to corrosion
rates. This can vastly reduce the design life of the product. Cut ends of driving pins, cutting
of bolts after installation and minor abrasions should be treated with a zinc rich coating to
ensure system design life can be met.
 some specifications on a few of our range of products
SF 200
Length 302mm
Width 302mm
Height 50mm
Weight 6.5kg
Average installation time 10 minutes
Driving pins 4 x 32NB (nominal bore) hot dipped galvanised
2.6mm thick tubing
Finish Hot dipped galvanised ISO-1461
Bolts 4 x M20 full threaded 8.8 grade structural

SF 300
Length 376mm
Width 376mm
Height 50mm
Weight 15kg
Average installation time 15 minutes
Driving pins 4 x 32NB (nominal bore) hot dipped galvanised
2.6mm thick tubing
Finish Hot dipped galvanised ISO-1461
Bolts 4 x M20 full threaded 8.8 grade structural

SF 400
Length 476mm
Width 476mm
Height 50mm
Weight 26kg
Average installation time 20 minutes
Driving pins 8 x 32NB (nominal bore) hot dipped galvanised
2.6mm thick tubing
Finish Hot dipped galvanised ISO-1461
Bolts 4 x M20 or M24 full threaded 8.8 grade structural

SF 500
Length 576mm
Width 576mm
Height 50mm
Weight 36kg
Average installation time 30 minutes
Driving pins 4x 32NB (nominal bore) hot dipped galvanised
2.6mm thick tubing
Finish Hot dipped galvanised ISO-1461
Bolts 4 x M20 full threaded 8.8 grade structural
Installed with Simple Tools

Surefoot Africa
Tel: (+27) 21 556 4064 (National)
Email: info@surefootafrica.com
jessy-lee@surefootafrica.com
Web: www.surefootafrica.com