Drawing-based pile caps, beam seats and mounting heads
Sleeved caps, beam saddles and flanged heads connect a pile shaft to concrete, timber or structural steel. We fabricate each head around its shaft fit, bearing surface and upper-member connection, including the specified plates and fastening parts.
Caps, seats and flanged heads are fabricated for the specified shaft and upper member. Loose plates, shaft fastening sets and upper-member hardware are counted as named order items.
| Head or connection item | Fabricated supply | Upper interface to identify |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeved cap | Bearing plate welded to its specified sleeve or support stem | Concrete cap detail or designated steel bearing face |
| Beam seat or saddle | Bearing seat, side plates and lower pile connection | Actual beam section, seating face and side-fixing detail |
| Flanged mounting head | Drilled head plate with the specified sleeve or stem | Post or frame base pattern, orientation and contact face |
| Connection plates and hardware | Loose steel plates, specified bolts, nuts and washers | Separate shaft and upper-member joint schedules |
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Existing-footing underpinning or jacking devices are reviewed as a separate specified assembly. We supply the quoted fabricated steel and hardware; lifting equipment, site work and foundation design are outside the standard head order.
A head has two mating interfaces. The lower connection fits the pile shaft, while the upper plate or saddle fits the supported member. Both interfaces stay on the same head drawing, with their relationship to the finished support level.
A round shaft needs its outside diameter, wall and prepared top detail; a solid square shaft needs its bar section and corner geometry. The head socket has its own bore, engagement and fastening layout. Sleeve outside diameter describes the sleeve, not the space available inside it or the shaft it accepts.
The upper detail locates the bearing area, plate thickness and mounting holes. A beam saddle also uses the actual member width and the required contact along its seat. Side plates and their fixings follow that member connection, including clearance to place bolts and reach the fastening tools.
The drawing relates the pile centerline to the supported beam or post. Offset, plate direction and the finished bearing level define where the upper member sits. A centered cap, an offset bracket and a rotated flange therefore retain separate head marks even when their lower sockets are alike.
Plate, sleeve and seat materials are assigned to the actual fabricated assembly. Their product forms and preparation follow the head’s bill of materials.
Cap plates, sleeves and saddle sides retain their specified grades, product forms and thicknesses. Material records follow the assembly marks and the approved weld and connection details.
A saddle can use a formed seat or plate-built sides, as shown on its fabrication detail. Seat width, side height and any gusset arrangement follow that detail. Prepared edges, holes and weld joints remain identified for those parts, keeping the selected fabrication route with the finished head assembly.
| Fabricated head | Upper bearing face | Lower shaft connection | Position and preparation | Counted fastening parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeved cap or flanged head | Plate width, length, thickness and mounting-hole pattern | Socket bore, engagement and shaft-hole pattern | Plate orientation, offset and specified welds | Shaft bolt set; upper fasteners listed separately |
| Beam seat or saddle | Clear seat width, bearing length and side-plate height | Sleeve or stem dimensions and shaft fastening detail | Beam fixing holes, offset and any gussets | Shaft set and beam fixing set, each with its quantity |
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The quoted drawing identifies the head’s shaft connection and supported-member face together. Its revision stays with the material, weld and fastening scope, so the part can be checked against both mating details before production.
Bare steel, paint or hot-dip galvanizing follows the head’s finish schedule. The specification identifies the exposed plate, saddle and sleeve surfaces, including any different treatment at concealed or contact areas. The finish coverage stays with the complete fabricated head rather than only the visible top plate.
Bearing faces and sockets must retain their intended contact after finishing. Coating at the sleeve bore, through-holes and adjoining shaft affects that assembled fit. The connection detail identifies any preparation required at these mating faces, so a finished head can seat to the stated engagement.
Shaft bolts and upper-member fasteners keep their own material and finish descriptions. The applicable batch-fabricated steel and hardware specifications, such as ASTM A123 or A153 where called for, are identified by item. Nuts, threaded engagement and contact pieces follow the selected fastening assembly.
A bearing seat transfers contact through the surfaces shown on its detail. Required uplift or lateral restraint needs the specified upper and lower connections, with their fastening parts and load-transfer design. The order keeps those joint roles explicit instead of treating every cap with a plate as the same support arrangement.
The installed shaft-top datum and the head’s bearing plane establish the mounting height. A fixed head uses that defined relationship. Where an accepted adjustable detail is specified, its setting, retained engagement and fastening arrangement belong to that design; a slip-on sleeve alone is not an adjustable-height assembly.
Welded sleeves, cap plates and saddle pieces arrive as the fabricated assembly identified in the order. Loose bolted plates and connecting hardware remain separate for the agreed assembly sequence. Any site-welded connection is identified with its required joint detail and responsibility before the head fabrication is released.
A new-build order can group heads for concrete caps, beam supports and mounting-frame bases under one structural position schedule. Each position retains its actual shaft and upper connection, including handed or offset pieces. That schedule turns repeated supports into countable head assemblies without assuming every position uses the same termination.
A head-only order can connect retained pile shafts to a replacement beam, revised post base or changed support level. The existing shaft-top information and new framing detail define the pieces being replaced. The accepted review identifies the retained parts and the new head configuration, allowing the termination steel to be priced as its own package.
Dimensional checks locate the bearing face, plate or seat dimensions, hole centers and any offset against the head drawing. The record follows the head mark and structural position. Rotated or handed pieces retain their intended relationship between the shaft centerline and upper fixing pattern.
Sleeve checks identify the bore, engagement and shaft-fastening openings specified for the head. Weld inspection follows the required plan at the sleeve, plate and saddle joints. The accepted joint detail sets the examination and record scope for those fabricated connections.
Component records link the plate, sleeve and seat materials to the assembly. Finish checks retain the stated coverage and mating-face requirements. Shaft fasteners and upper-member hardware are checked as separate scheduled items, with their size, grade, finish and quantities distinguishable.
For an order requiring evaluated-system components, the document list identifies the actual supplier, head, shaft family and covered application. Fabrication and inspection records remain tied to the purchased assembly and accepted detail. The supplied steel records support that component release; installed foundation acceptance follows the project’s separate plan.
Head prices itemize fabricated assemblies, loose plates, shaft hardware and upper-member fasteners. Drawing revision, finish and required records accompany the quantities and shipment terms.
A head quantity does not determine every bolt count. The lower shaft connection and the upper beam or base connection have their own schedules, including nuts, washers and any specified contact pieces. Additional fastening sets are separate order lines, making spares distinguishable from the parts assigned to each installed head.
Caps and saddles are grouped by their assembly marks, with contact protection around bearing faces and projecting sides. Loose plates and hardware are packed beside their corresponding head groups. Position references distinguish mirrored, rotated or offset heads during receiving and distribution to the framing locations.
We can review a head-only fabrication request against the actual shaft-top geometry and upper connection. Identify the shaft supplier and required system records with that request. The offer states the reviewed connection scope; matching a physical shaft size does not transfer another supplier’s system approval to a new head.
Provide the surveyed shaft centerline and level alongside the framing position. The responsible designer can then review the affected interface, and the accepted head detail defines any changed offset or mounting arrangement. Revised head marks keep those positions separate from the original framing lot.
Record the actual member width and compare it with the released seat detail. A revised saddle or an accepted change to the framing interface can then be priced from that review. We keep the changed seat and fastening detail under its own revision before the replacement pieces are fabricated.
Yes. Each head form has its own shaft connection, upper bearing geometry and drawing mark. The schedule counts the different assemblies and their fastening parts separately.
The finish schedule can identify different treatment at bearing faces, sockets and concealed surfaces. The fabrication quote retains the required coverage and finished mating geometry for each head detail.
Attach the pile-shaft top detail and head or framing drawings with their revisions. Include head quantities by position, materials, finish, required hardware and delivery destination. We return an itemized head-and-connection offer that identifies the fabricated assemblies, upper and lower fastening parts, records and packed groups.