Installation Equipment

A pile only goes in the ground well if the equipment suits the pile and the soil. This chapter describes the full driving system and how to choose its parts. It begins with an overview of the system as a whole, guidance on selecting equipment, and a frank look at the limits on how far and how hard a pile can be driven.

The next sections go through the main equipment families. Impact hammers include external combustion hammers, internal combustion hammers, and the driving accessories that sit between hammer and pile. Vibratory drivers are covered next, with the way they perform, the types available, the kinds of piles they drive best, and excavator-mounted units.

A section on rigs then covers the machines that carry and guide all of this: cranes and booms for impact hammers, cranes for vibratory hammers, power systems, and leader systems. Each choice affects production, safety, and cost, and the chapter explains the reasoning behind common setups.

The last section handles specialized operations for jobs where ordinary driving is not enough. It covers jetting, underwater driving, and pre-excavation, with an explanation of when each is justified and what to watch for.

The chapter is written for people who specify, rent, buy, or operate piling equipment. If you have ever wondered why one hammer and rig combination outperforms another on the same site, this is where the book explains it.

In this chapter

• Overviewpage 74
  • Overview of the Driving System
  • Equipment Selection
  • Penetration Limitations
• Impact Hammerspage 75
  • External Combustion Hammers
  • Internal Combustion Hammers
  • Driving Accessories
• Vibratory Driverspage 103
  • Performance of Vibratory Systems
  • Types of Vibratory Hammers
  • Types of Pile Driven with Vibratory Hammers
  • Excavator Mounted Vibratory Hammers
• Rigspage 116
  • Cranes for Impact Hammers
  • Booms for Impact Hammers
  • Cranes for Vibratory Hammers
  • Power Systems
  • Leader Systems
• Specialized Operations and Equipmentpage 139
  • Jetting
  • Underwater Driving
  • Pre-Excavation