Innovation of the year 1984: Starsol® process

Just over 30 years ago, Solétanche invented a process that was to revolutionise the bored pile technique. Based on a continuous auger, the Starsol® process controls concrete placement by means of a tube that is deployed as the auger is raised and monitors drilling curves and pile concrete placement in real time. The Starsol® process won first prize in the French Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics innovation awards in 1987 and has been further developed ever since, the latest example being the Starsol T-Pile® used by Soletanche Bachy Fondations Spéciales.