--- title: IDEAL's STELCOR DDMS Piles used in Dole Salad Wind Turbines description: IDEAL Drilled-in Displacement STELCOR DDMS Micropiles were recently used in a wind turbine construction project for Dole Salad in California image: https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/install-gap-2.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/42-stelcor-ddms-for-wind-turbines-in-california#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/learning-center/) # 42 STELCOR® DDMS FOR WIND TURBINES IN CALIFORNIA July 25th, 2022 2 min read By [Bruce Stroyer](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/author/bruce-stroyer) ![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/install-gap-2.jpg?width=2400&height=1354&name=install-gap-2.jpg) [**VIEW/DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY INCLUDING  SOILS REPORT AND LOAD TEST DATA (PDF)**](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CASE-STUDY-AND-SOILS-REPORT-DOLE-WIND-1.pdf) **OVERVIEW:** Dole’s salad processing plant in Soledad, CA, recently began a $10 million project to install two wind turbines. The turbines will provide power to the facility to aid Dole in achieving its goal of net zero carbon emissions from Dole-managed operations by 2030. The two 500′ tall wind turbines are capable of producing 2.7-megawatts each for a combined total of 5.4 megawatts of renewable energy. ![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/install-gap-2.jpg?width=2400&height=1354&name=install-gap-2.jpg "install gap-2") **CHALLENGE:** The most significant obstacle encountered was the soil conditions at the project locations. Due to the nature of the structure of a wind turbine, the foundation must be able to resist high tension and compression loads. Achieving the loads was challenging as the soil mainly consisted of silty sands with sandy clays in a few areas. Geotechnical borings taken at the install locations found the subsurface conditions to consist primarily of loose, granular soils. Within the 50-foot boring, a suitable bearing layer was not encountered. Grouted helicals were considered for this project in the design phase, but they would have failed in tension. The lack of a suitable bearing layer also introduced many uncertainties when designing the foundations with helical piles. Mobilizing a dedicated piling rig for only two foundations would have been cost prohibitive. Therefore, traditional micropiles, auger cast piles, and other piling methods that rely on a dedicated rig were too costly. ![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/product-2.jpg?width=2397&height=1348&name=product-2.jpg) ![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/turbine-x-mountains-2.jpg?width=2400&height=1272&name=turbine-x-mountains-2.jpg) **SOLUTION:** The engineer specified STELCOR DDMS to support the wind turbines as alternate pile types were either cost prohibitive or incapable of resisting the loads in the conditions present. Drilled-in Displacement Micropiles have been proven to achieve lower cost per kip than alternate piling methods and perform well in sandy soils, making STELCOR a perfect fit. The IDEAL design team configured a STELCOR DDM with a 16″ grout column and a 7″ steel core to meet the loading requirements. The designed STELCOR pile was tested to 163 tons in compression and only moved 3/8 of an inch. The same pile was also used for the tension piles and is capable of resisting the designed tension load of 123 tons. [Avalon Structural](https://www.avalonstructural.com/index.html#general), a certified STELCOR installer, installed 42 total STELCOR DDMS. Each foundation consisted of 21 piles, with an inner ring of 7 compression piles and an outer ring of 14 tension piles. STELCOR was installed using only an excavator with a hydraulic drive motor attachment and a colloidal grout mixer. Mobilization and moving between install locations while on-site is very efficient as there is minimal setup. Even when set up, the installation equipment is highly mobile. Due to the efficiencies of STELCOR, installation rates were increased, saving time, money, and a lot of headaches. **INSTALLER:** **[Avalon Structural, INC.](https://www.avalonstructural.com/index.html#general)** **DESIGN LOADS:** Compression load: 123 kips Tension load: 123 kips **TEST LOADS:** Compression load: 163 kips Tension load: 163 kips **PILE DETAIL:** STELCOR 1600 18” Tip or Drive Plate 16” Corrugated Grout Column 13” Solid Grout Column 11” Reverse Grout Auger 7.0” O.D. X 0.408″ W.T. – 80 ksi central shaft **SOILS + EMBEDMENT DEPTH:** Subsurface explorations at this site mainly encountered loose to medium dense sands with layers that contained silt and clay. The borings were terminated at 51 feet, and the final 10 feet consisted of sandy silt and stiff lean clays with varying amounts of sand and gravel.  **NUMBER OF PILES:** 42 **EMBEDMENT DEPTH:** 50′ [**VIEW/DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY AND SOILS REPORT (PDF)**](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CASE-STUDY-AND-SOILS-REPORT-DOLE-WIND-1.pdf) ![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/install-portrait-2.jpg?width=895&height=1599&name=install-portrait-2.jpg) Topics: [ Case Study ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/topic/case-study) [ Drilled-In Displacement Piles (DDM) ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/topic/drilled-in-displacement-piles-ddm) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Baltic%20St_.png?width=713&height=401&name=Baltic%20St_.png) ### STELCOR Supports a Complex Development Site in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Neighborhood May 18th, 2026|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/stelcor-supports-a-complex-development-site-in-brooklyns-gowanus-neighborhood) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/16-777x246.jpg?width=777&height=246&name=16-777x246.jpg) ### STELCOR Piles Installed Adjacent to Elevated MTA for Lorimer House Project May 18th, 2026|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/stelcor-piles-installed-adjacent-to-elevated-mta-for-lorimer-house-project) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-webp.webp?width=1350&height=900&name=image-webp.webp) ### NYC - 272 STELCOR Piles Installed for a 14-Story Development in Gowanus August 1st, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/nyc-272-stelcor-piles-installed-for-a-14-story-development-in-gowanus) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/86%20DELANCEY%20web(16)--jpg.jpeg?width=720&height=471&name=86%20DELANCEY%20web(16)--jpg.jpeg) ### NYC - 112 STELCOR® Piles to 30' for a 12-Story Mixed-Use Rental Building June 23rd, 2025|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/nyc-112-stelcor-piles-to-30-for-a-12-story-mixed-use-rental-building) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/INSTALL-SNIP-2-WEB.jpg?width=720&height=404&name=INSTALL-SNIP-2-WEB.jpg) ### 5.5″ HELICAL PILES FOR A HOSPITAL PARKING GARAGE RETROFIT December 28th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/5-5-helical-piles-for-a-parking-garage-retrofit) [![STELCOR® DDMS TOUCHING DOWN AT JFK AIRPORT](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20220617_140517-WEB-scaled.jpg?width=2560&height=1920&name=20220617_140517-WEB-scaled.jpg) ### STELCOR® DDMS TOUCHING DOWN AT JFK AIRPORT October 31st, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/stelcor-at-jfk) [![FLYING EXCAVATORS AND STELCOR DDM’S AT A PAPER MILL IN DULUTH, MN](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/duluth-3-web-1.jpg?width=900&height=505&name=duluth-3-web-1.jpg) ### FLYING EXCAVATORS AND STELCOR DDM’S AT A PAPER MILL IN DULUTH, MN June 29th, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/flying-excavators-and-stelcor-ddms-at-a-paper-mill-in-duluth-mn) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/20210611_100954-WEB.jpg?width=2048&height=1536&name=20210611_100954-WEB.jpg) ### 93 STELCOR DDM’S INSTALLED FOR A 7-STORY HOSPITAL ADDITION March 3rd, 2022|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/93-stelcor-ddms-installed-for-a-7-story-hospital-addition) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/DSC00162-1.jpg?width=872&height=583&name=DSC00162-1.jpg) ### NYC – 75 STELCOR Piles for 8-Story Cantilevered Condos July 30th, 2021|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/nyc-75-stelcor-piles-8-story-cantilevered-condos) [![](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/DC-SEWER-2-150x150-1-1.jpg?width=150&height=150&name=DC-SEWER-2-150x150-1-1.jpg) ### Keeping it Clean in Washington D.C. 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With STELCOR February 2nd, 2018|2 min read ](https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/keeping-it-clean-washington-d-c-stelcor) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Bruce Stroyer", "url" : "https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/author/bruce-stroyer" }, "dateModified" : "2024-11-20T16:27:54.504Z", "datePublished" : "2022-07-25T11:40:50.000Z", "headline" : "IDEAL's STELCOR DDMS Piles used in Dole Salad Wind Turbines", "image" : [ "https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/install-gap-2.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/blog/42-stelcor-ddms-for-wind-turbines-in-california", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.idealfoundationsystems.com/hubfs/ASSETS/logos/Ideal-Logo.png" } } } ```