Installation of Driven Piles

This chapter is written from the contractor's side of the job, and it follows a piling project from the first look at the documents to the last day on site. It begins before the project starts, with specifications, pay schedules and who carries the risk, mobilization, prompt payment, negotiating as a pile subcontractor, estimating, and the effects of noise, neighbors, and vibration.

Planning and organization come next. You will read how to study a project, how to build an overall plan and an operating plan, and how to schedule, load, transport, unload, inspect, repair, and erect the equipment. Personnel management and labor relations cover crews, employment, training, working conditions, morale, and working with unions.

The safety section is one of the most detailed in the book. It covers site conditions, material storage and handling, wire rope, slings, chains, shackles, hooks, excavation, rig assembly, daily and monthly inspections, driving operations, marine work, electrical hazards, accident reporting, OSHA records, and insurance.

Practical field topics follow: electric welding, acetylene welding and cutting, moving around the site on unstable ground, cribbing, trestles, and ramps, and equipment operation. Special aspects of piling, pile points, splices and accessories, permafrost areas, and sheet pile installation each get their own section.

The chapter ends with project completion, moving off site, and storing equipment. It is the chapter most likely to save an estimator or superintendent from an expensive surprise, because it explains the things that decide whether a piling job makes money.

In this chapter

• Before the Project: Bidding, Specifications, and Estimatingpage 240
  • Specifications
  • Pay Schedules and Assigned Risk
  • Mobilization
  • Prompt Payment
  • Negotiating as a Pile Subcontractor
  • Estimating
  • Noise, Neighbors, Workers and OSHA
  • Considerations Due to Pile Driving Induced Vibrations
• Planning and Project Organizationpage 244
  • Study the Project
  • Overall Plan
  • Operating Plan
• Moving On and Setting Uppage 258
  • Scheduling
  • Loading from Storage
  • Transportation
  • Unloading
  • Inspection and Repair
  • Erection
  • Project Management
• Personnel Management and Labor Relationspage 262
  • Crews and Work Regulations
  • Employment
  • Payrolls
  • Training
  • Working Conditions
  • Morale
  • Working with Unions
• Safety and Accident Preventionpage 266
  • Starting the Project
  • Safety
  • Site Conditions
  • Material Storage
  • Material Handling
  • Wire Rope
  • Slings
  • Chains
  • Shackles and Hooks
  • Rope
  • Cutting and Welding
  • Excavation
  • Pile Driver Assembly
  • Erection
  • Daily Inspections
  • Monthly Project Inspections
  • Driver Operation
  • Driving Piles
  • Concreting and Cutting Off Pipe Piles
  • Small Tools
  • Caissons
  • Electrical
  • Vehicles
  • Marine Work
  • Reporting Accidents
  • OSHA Records
  • Loss or Damage Of Company Equipment
  • Insurance
• Welding and Cuttingpage 290
  • Electric Welding
  • Acetylene Welding and Cutting
  • Setting up the Apparatus
  • Flame Adjustment
  • Taking down the Apparatus
  • Care of Tip
  • Principles of Oxyacetylene Cutting
  • Cutting Steel
  • Cutting Cast Iron
• Moving Around the Sitepage 296
  • Rig Capabilities
  • Prioritizing Work Tasks and Establishing Sequence
  • Planning Rig Moves
  • Unstable Ground
  • Cribbing and Trestles
  • Clearing Obstacles
  • Ramps
• Equipment Operationpage 301
  • Condition of Equipment
  • Hammer Operation
  • Hydraulics
  • Pile Stakes
  • Mandrel Driven Piles (Shells)
  • Sequence of Driving
  • Driving
  • Prevention of Pile Damage during Driving
  • Moving Between Piles
  • Batter Piles
  • Complications
  • Extracting Piles
  • Shift Work
  • Servicing Rig
• Special Aspects of Pilingpage 319
  • Pipe Piles
  • H-piles
  • Monotube Piles
  • Step Taper Piles
  • Concreting Piles
  • Precast and Prestressed Concrete Piles
  • Concrete Cylinder Piles
  • Wood Piles
• Pile Points, Splices, and Accessoriespage 337
  • Introduction
  • H-Piles
  • Pile Piles
  • Timber Piles
  • Concrete Piles
  • Sheet Piling Points
  • Composite Pile Splices
  • Conclusion
• Permafrost Areaspage 348
  • Site Preparation
  • Method of Installation
• Sheet Pile Installationpage 349
  • Overview
  • Before Driving
  • Templates
  • Setting and Driving
  • Alignment of Sheet Piles
  • Driving and Extracting Equipment
  • Summary and Tips for Successful Sheet Pile Installation
  • Vibration and Noise Control
  • Pile Toe Modification
  • Pile Rentals and Returns
  • Welding and Splicing
  • Burning
  • Special Considerations for Timber Bulkheads
• Project Completion: Moving Off Sitepage 368
  • Planning
  • Completing Work Assignments
  • Storage on the Site
  • Loading Out
  • Repairs
  • Final Records and Reports
  • Transportation
  • Loading
• Storing Equipmentpage 375
  • Selecting a Site
  • General Considerations for Long Term Storage
  • Engines
  • Cranes
  • Pile Driving Equipment
  • Hydraulic Equipment
  • Electrical Equipment
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Marine Equipment
  • Reporting
  • Summary