Metal Foundations Industries: foundation designs

Metal Foundations Industries (MFI), a Pittsburgh-based company that specializes in the design, engineering and installation of steel foundations, offers an innovative alternative to standard concrete and driven pile foundations for ground-mounted PV panels and heliostat tracking mirrors.

Seeing the various challenges that solar developers and installers face when installing standard concrete and drive pile foundations for ground-mounted PV panels and heliostat tracking mirrors, Metal Foundations recognized an opportunity to offer a strong, durable, reliable and cost-effective solution.

Many solar developments are located in remote locations, therefore concrete is not always practical and many times water is not readily available. No concrete is required to install our steel foundations nor is water necessary. Also, many solar technologies require precision positioning for the system to work properly. The smallest deviation can cause detrimental effects. This is very difficult to do with driven pile foundations. Although satisfactory for basic applications they cannot compete with Metal Foundations’ designs when precision is essential. Our patented foundation designs and proprietary design processes give us the distinct advantage necessary to hone in on minute details to develop foundations that can accommodate the strictest specifications.

Metal Foundations patented designs offer developers and installers the unique advantage of greater control against forces such as; torsion, overturning, shear, deflection and rotation. Our proprietary design process considers many factors including; soil conditions, load, structure and various forces to custom design a foundation to perfectly meet the needs of each unique project – ensuring clients a strong, reliable and sturdy foundation built to the exact specifications they define. In addition, our foundations are made of solid steel – a “green” building material that is 100% recyclable and exceeds the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) requirements for LEED certification.

During the design process, soil type, location and the size of the foundation are analyzed to determine which of Metal Foundations’ proprietary installation processes will be most effective. None of our installation processes require concrete, therefore large excavation, water usage and soil disruption are eliminated. Our installation processes ensure easy installation in any soil condition, in any weather, and in any location with no spoils to haul away.

By eliminating the need for concrete, we eliminate the time restraints and costly procedures involved with large excavations, concrete preparation, and downtime – saving clients valuable time and money.

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