The purpose of pile driving is to use a mechanical vehicle or device to drive piles into soil to provide better support for future buildings or constructions. There are lots of pile drivers that are available to use, and the difference between them is based on the resistance or toughness that the material has and if it is compatible with the type of soil that the terrain offers. Here are some of the most used ones:
Timber Pile: used to support any structure, bulkheads and dolphin style structures as well.
Steel Pipe Pile: bridges are supported for this type of pile and also works nicely in oilfields applications.
Steel Sheet Pile: mainly used to contain embankments but also can be used for foundations piles in certain applications.
Concrete Pile: this pile is commonly used to support structures like bridges, platforms, and even some foundation piles, making it one of the most reliable types among the others.
Pile Driving Services
Due to the high risk that comes with these pile driving machines and the dangers to people, there are lots of companies that can help you by offering their pile driving services. These companies are recognized for having highly trained personnel that knows how to use all the mechanical devices and equipment that is required to place piles in the soil without any complication. The only thing that they will need from you is to give them detailed information about the place where you would like to add piles and the reason why it is required, the driving capacity of the terrain and most importantly, all about the soil in which the equipment will be used on. All of this is going to be very useful to determine the exact type of equipment and what precautions the workers will have to keep in mind when working in the soil of the place.
The first thing to do is to prepare the soil where we are going to drill in order to make it an easier process, later, a group of our workers will operate one of the pile drivers to put in the pile, however, before this, we do a thorough check of the equipment as well as an examination to the piles that are going to be used, this must be done to avoid any accident in the process. Once the examination is finished, then it is time to start getting the pile in the hole that has been prepared, and finally, when the procedure is done, the inspector of the project has to perform another examination, but this time is to check out if everything is secured and if the terrain, as well as the pile, is stabilized, depending on how many piles your construction needs, the duration of the procedure will be longer.
The necessary equipment to perform this duty can be very complicated to control for beginners, and for that reason, different companies around the world have decided to offer great help for those who want to start a building or prepare a construction for the future. Speaking of equipment, you should know at least the most important ones if you are interested in this activity.
Pile Driving Equipment
Some special equipment is required to perform pile driving without any complication, allowing a more precise and complete monitoring of the piles without suffering for any rupture of the material, and more importantly, with the help of the technology advancements, these machines have been upgraded to its utmost limits, making them very reliable and comfortable to the one who will manipulate it. The most commonly used pile driving equipment are:
Piling Rigs:
This pile driver is fundamental to make foundations in construction sites or for civil engineering projects in which certified equipment is required in order to guarantee excellent results in the building. Also, what makes it special is its capacity of adaptation to every type of soil or terrain, making it a very reliable option for constructions that counts with unstable soil or problems with the terrain, in simple terms, is one of the most secure pile drivers among other types. This model in specific has become famous not only for the previous aspects but for all the appearances that it has in important movies, TV series and most importantly in documentaries about civil engineering.
Hydraulic Press-In:
This device has become particularly useful in hurricane situations, due to the great improvement that it offers in zones where the hydraulic hammers and diesel hammers make problematic vibrations in the terrain which causes serious consequences to the building or the life of the people who are nearby. This hydraulic press can fit in almost every traditional pile driver, including the older models. Its most important appearance was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where the device was used to repair the damage of the drainage system.
Vibratory Pile/Extractor:
A very useful device when it comes to working in terrains that are unnecessary to the building, the way it works is kind of easy-to-explain, this device creates a type of sound and vibrations that allow extracting materials that are on the soil. This device is mostly used in bridge construction to clean the place after everything is finished. It is very reliable for its compatibility with older designs, so there is no excuse to not use this great piece of equipment in every construction. Sadly, in cities or zones with a great number of people, it is not recommended due to the vibrations that it produces, however, some specialists sometimes say that these vibrations won’t disturb any wildlife or people in the area.