Piling is a crucial part of construction work and it forms the foundation for structures that can be anything from bridges to skyscrapers. It is a method of setting deep foundations for heavy loads, making it particularly useful in challenging ground conditions that cannot be easily excavated. For this reason, piling equipment must be the right fit for the job at hand. There are several different types of piling rigs to choose from, depending on the type of pile that is being driven or extracted.
Ancient piledriving machines used human or animal labor to lift weights and drop them on the end of a pile, but modern equipment uses a range of power sources from hydraulic, steam, diesel, and electric power. Vibratory pile driving has become the most popular technique for pile driving and extraction. It creates vibration in the pile which reduces skin friction, allowing it to pass through the ground with less resistance. This is combined with a powerful hammer that functions to boost the gravity force of the pile, increasing driving and extraction speed.
Exploring the Essential Piling Equipment for Construction Projects
Some of the latest piling rigs are self-contained units that include a hydraulic pile hammer or rotary drill and are equipped to handle a variety of piling projects. They can be used to install open or closed-ended steel pipe piles and are available in a wide range of capacities for both live and dead load bearing applications. They also feature a 3D machine control system from Leica Geosystems, which helps to ensure accurate positioning of the piling rig, so that it is always working in the correct orientation.