St. Theresa Industries (STI) Holdings, a manufacturer of steel fabrication and accessories used for power generation, transmission and distribution in Sri Lanka, has introduced Helical Anchoring, an innovative, extendable deep foundation system, in Sri Lanka.
With the partnership of Chance Foundation Solutions in the US, the international leader in earth anchoring, STI Holdings aims to bring this superior technology to elevate the fast-growing local construction industry.
STI Holdings has been working with Chance Foundation Solutions’ parent company Hubbell Power Systems (HPS), a global manufacturer of products that support the delivery of power, in bringing mission-critical infrastructure and products to Sri Lanka.
A technology with a 100-year history, Helical Anchors are used worldwide for residential and light commercial and heavy commercial construction, machinery or equipment foundations, telecommunication and transmission towers and virtually any application where site access is limited or remote.
STI Holdings will first introduce helical anchoring to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) as part of a technology transfer initiative. With the introduction of this technology, a CEB transmission tower can be installed within six to seven days, which presently takes 21 days to set up the foundation of the tower.
Founder and Managing Director Colin Fernando said, “Helical anchors are commonly selected for earth anchoring applications because they are quick to install and can be proof-tested and loaded immediately with no concrete to cure or de-watering of the excavation to deal with.
“This anchoring system is being used in the US, Europe, Australia and in other countries as a successful method of laying a foundation. This technology, which contributes towards minimizing the lead-time in power transmission projects drastically, takes less than 15 minutes to place one anchor into the ground unlike traditional civil foundation, which requires a number of weeks for curing.
Director, Technical Management at STI Holdings, Madusanka Fernando said, “These helical anchoring systems have been used not just to construct simple structures but also for building mega projects like 10,000 KM tower lines running through the Amazon forest to giant network cables deep under the seabed.”