Helical piles are presented as displacement deep foundations that can be installed with small hydraulic drive heads on mini-excavators or skid steers, generating minimal spoil and vibration compared with driven piles. The FAQ addresses load capacity verification via torque correlation (e.g. kN-m per kN of capacity), corrosion protection options such as hot-dip galvanising and increased sacrificial thickness, and suitability in soft clays, fills, and below groundwater. Design is framed around ICC-ES AC358, with emphasis on tension, compression, and lateral performance for underpinning, boardwalks, and utility structures.

Settlement prediction in layered soils is shown to depend strongly on how vertical stress increments are computed, comparing classical Boussinesq-based methods with numerical analyses in Settle3, RS2, and RS3. The piece contrasts 1D influence-factor approaches against 2D/3D finite element and finite difference models that capture stiffness contrasts, non-linear behaviour, and complex load geometries. For practitioners, it signals when simple elastic solutions become overly conservative and when full numerical stress redistribution is needed to refine serviceability settlement estimates.

Quaise Energy is advancing Project Obsidian in Oregon, aiming to build the first superhot geothermal plant by drilling into rock above 300°C and delivering a baseload 50 MW from only a handful of wells by 2030. A modelling analysis presented at the 2026 Stanford Geothermal Workshop by senior mechanical engineer Daniel W. Dichter indicates higher subsurface temperatures could ultimately support 250 MW in phase two, with a regional goal of 1 GW. The confirmation well is due online later this year, with lab work at Oregon State University recreating extreme downhole geochemical conditions.