Pile-Driving Equipment

Pile-Driving Equipment is designed to align and hold piles in correct position and to drive the
piles into the ground. Pile-driving equipment are used in the construction of bridges and
highways, as well as in industry and hydraulic engineering.

Equipment of this type can also be used for extracting piles from the ground. Pile-driving
equipment includes a weight-lifting device and a driver, which is usually mounted on a pile
driver or on a truck, tractor, railroad platform, excavator, or crane hoist.

Classification of Pile-driving equipment

Pile-driving equipment is classified according to the principle used in operating the driver as
striking, vibratory or jacking.

With striking equipment, a hammer is usually used as the driver. Such hammers can be diesel
hammers or single-acting or double-acting steam hammers. Single-acting steam hammers are
semiautomatic and deliver 30–45 blows per minute; the striking head weighs 3, 6, or 8 tons.
Hammers of this type are used to drive reinforced-concrete piles into the soil.

Double-acting hammers deliver 100–350 blows per minute; they are more efficient, have an
enclosed body, and can work underwater at depths up to 20 m.

Automatic diesel hammers deliver 50–60 blows per minute. Such hammers can be built from
rods or tubes. Hammers built from rods can be light, with a striking head weighing up to 250 kg,
or heavy, with the striking head weighing 2.5 tons.

Pile-driving equipment with vibratory action includes vibratory drivers and vibratory hammers.
Drivers with jacking action consist of a winch mounted on a self-propelled undercarriage. A
special type of jacking driver utilizes both a winch and a vibratory driver. There are several
machines and equipment which are employed for pile driving during construction. These
machines and tools will be explained in the following sections.
Fig.1: Pile Driving Equipment

Fig.2: Pile Driving Equipment

Parts of Pile Driving Equipment
 Piling rigs
 Piling winches
 Hanging leader
 Hammer guides
 Piling hammer
 Helmet, driving cap, dolly, and packing

Piling Rigs

It composed of a series of leaders, which are consist of tabular element or hard box, placed and
fixed on a crane base as it can be seen from Figure-3.Not only does the leaders support the
hammer and the pile but also guide them when the pile is forced into the ground.

Fig.3: Pile Driving Rig

The leader can be sloped forward and backward using screw or hydraulic adjustment and
attachment at the base of the equipment as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5. It is possible to
install a series of piles, without the need to move the equipment, through turning around base
machine and positioning leaders.
 Fig.4: Backward Raked Pile Driving Rig

Fig.5: Forward Raked Pile

Regarding pile installation in water, pile driving rig can be used to install piles in water by
placing it on pontoon or leader are fixed on braced frames that mounted on pontoon as shown in
Figure-6.
 Fig.6: Pile Driver Mounted on Pontoon

Moreover, it is considerably crucial to pay adequate attention to the position and alignment of the
leader since any disposition would lead to hammer eccentric blows eventually the pile will be
either damages or displace from its original position.

Furthermore, efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of driven pile machine and the
Delmag MDT 0802, which possess broad range of adjustments with great movement capacity, is
compelling example.

The machine on which Delmag MDY 0801 is fixed on is a wheeled hydraulic excavator that it’s
rams provided sideway, forward, and backward sloping leader, in addition to arrange the location
of the rig in relation to the equipment.

Finally, not only does the leader operation height can be changed thought leader telescoping but
also it could be folded onto the base while the machine it moved from and to the construction
site.
Fig.7: Delmag Pile Driving Rig

Fig.8: Pile Driver Rig

Piling Winches

The prime goal of piling winches is to lift the hammer and piles in addition to support tools that
responsible for leader raking and rotation. It functions with pile frames and different powering
sources such as hydraulic power, stream; diesel; or petrol engines, and occasionally electric
motors could be applied for powering winches.

There are different piling winches with different capacity for instance winches with double or
triple drums possess satisfactory controlling and pile driving speed whereas one drum winch
does not have that advantage. So, the former type would be favored provided that handing and
driving piles with great speed is required.

Hanging Leader

Hanging leaders are specifically designed to be hanged from the jib of a crane as shown in
Figure-9. A steel strut, which its length can be varied as per requirements of construction site,
provides a stiff connection from the leader foot to the machine bed frame.

Fig.9: Hanging Leader

Moreover, crane or excavator winch units are utilized to lift the hammer and piles using separate
drums. Regarding hammer application, either drop hammer with friction winch is considered or
it may be operated using stream or hydraulic power or compressed air which are provided by
different units.
Finally, it is substantially crucial to practice utmost precaution to hanging leader stiffness
particularly in the case of long sloped pile driving since intolerable deformation would lead to
eccentric hammer blow and possibly cause pile fracture.

Hammer Guides

When it is intended to remove hanging leaders or piling frames completely, rope suspended
leaders which are commonly guided by timber or steel formwork, would be considered.

In this technique, an independent crane needed to control the pile and establishing the guide and
hammer. It is necessary to set and secure the guide properly in order to avoid movements
specifically during raking pile installation. This is because serious fatigue stress would generate
if the thrust is not centered properly and the guide might deteriorate.

Finally, it is required to prevent disproportionate bending stress development in guide and piles
because it leads to undesired results. For example, when heavy hammer is attached to the upper
end of a long pile which is driven at flat angle of rake, excessive bending stress may be
generated at support point in the guide. This problem might be tackled by providing suitable
support for the pile at proper position.
 Fig.10: Hammer Guided and Rope Suspended Leader for Delmag Diesel Pile Hammer

Piling Hammer

There are several factors that greatly influence the decision to choose suitable piling hammer.
For example, pile size and weight, the resistance of the ground which should be overcame in
order to obtain specified penetration, construction site space availability, noise limitation that
might be imposed at certain areas, and availability of cranes.

Previously, the combination of a dynamic equation result and extensive experiences were
employed to select piling hammer, but this has changed nowadays and drivability analysis
results, which is conducted using computer program based on Smith wave equation, is
considered for the piling hammer determination.

As for input data required for drivability analysis, piling hammer producer provided necessary
data about efficiency and energy feature of the piling hammer. It should be bore in mind that
piling hammer efficiency is not a constant and it is affected by number of factor for example
mechanical condition of the hammer and operation temperature.

It should be known that the mechanical condition is not influence the efficiency of piling drop
hammer. That is why dynamic pile analysis is carried out and its results would be used to assess
the influence of different factor on the piling hammer efficiency.

There are various types of piling hammer with different energy characteristic and each is suitable
for specific construction condition. Different common types of piling along with their
description, application, and advantages are provided in Table 1:

Table-1: Different types of hammer piling along with their description, application, advantages,
and disadvantages

Drop hammer, Figure 11

Pile hammer description Application Advantages Disadvantages

it is a forged steel with Applied to install Its application The height of
solid mass ranges from test piles removes the need to hammer dropping
1000 to 5000Kg, and it is employ steam boiler cannot be controlled
fitted with lifting eye and or air compressor to properly at project
lugs for sliding in the power the hammer, site, and it is
leaders so it is economical possible to use
choice substantial dropping
when driving
becomes tough and
hence the pile
damage is possible

Single acting steam or compressed air hammer, Figure 12

Description Application Advantages Disadvantages

Consist of massive weight Used for placing Drop height and Pile fracture is
ranges from 2500 to piles with frequency of each possible is the
20000Kg with a cylinder different weights drop can be specified hammer
shape, and the power in different types controlled by height is exceeded
source would lift the of soils and operator,
hammer to specified height suitable for pile
then the power is cut to installation in
drop the hammer and hit marine
pile helmet. Maximum environment
hammer height is 1.37m
and no higher 1.2m in case
of heavy pile
Double acting pile hammer, Figure 13

Description Application Advantages Disadvantages

Double acting pile hammer Applied to install It is specifically It is needs
is powered by steam or sheet piles and designed to impart maintenance and
compressed and its mass suitable for numerous blows at lubrication
rages from 90 to 2300Kg. providing rapid short time. 300
Vulcan hammer is an succession of blows per minute for
example of double acting blows. It can be lightweight hammer
hammer. The pile is guided used to demolish and 100 blow/
by timber frame. rocks for minute for
extracting piles heavyweight
hammer

Diesel pile hammer, Figure 14

Description Application Advantages Disadvantages
It is powered through self- It properly drives It is economical and It might damage
ignition of compressed fuel pile in soft soil self-contained. It precast concrete pile
and air mixture. There are condition provides sustained when strong layer
various types of such blow which more come up while
hammer with different efficient that driving through soft
weights ranges from 4500 ordinary blows ground It is not
to 15000Kg. Lastly, it is suitable for all
considerably reliable type ground condition.
of hammer and different
pile types such as sheet
pile, batter pile, and H-
beams.

Hydraulic operated hammer, Figure 15

Description Application Advantages Disadvantages
Hydraulic hammer is It suitable for It creates less noise
manufactured in different piling in land and and vibration
and large sizes ranges from in water to a compared with
moderate loading to heavy depth of 1000m diesel hammer and it
loading. Hydraulic fluid does not release
raises the pile and then fumes
releases it to fall freely on
the pile in addition to have
power activated down-
stroke. Not only can
hammer be operated
manually but also
automatically.
 Fig.11: Drop Hammer Operation

Fig.12: Single Acting Hammer Operation

Fig.13: Double Acting Hammer
 Fig.14: Diesel Pile Hammer

Fig.15: Hydraulic Operated Hammer

Helmet, Driving Cap, Dolly and Packing

Helmet is a cast steel that placed over the pile to hold the dolly that is placed between the pile
and the hammer to avoid pile head deterioration that may cause by pile driving hammer.
Dolly, which is square at the bottom and round at the top, is placed in a square recess at the top
of the helmet. There are different types of dollies for example Elm dollies, hardwood like oak;
greenheart and pyinkado, and their selection is dependent on the driving force.

As far as packing is concerned, it is placed between pile top and the helmet in order to protect the
former from the hammer blow. Different types of packing include paper sacking, thin timber
sheet, coconut mapping, and sawdust in bags.

Regarding driving cap, it is provided as a protection for steel bearing piles. It is necessary to
place the driving cap tightly otherwise the pile cap would suffer deterioration. That is why it is
fitted with a recess for hardwood or plastic dolly and with steel wedges to fix the cap tightly on
its position.

Lastly, serious pile head damage and hammer breakage cannot be avoided unless appropriate
material and suitable thickness is selected for dollies and packing.

Fig.16: Placed Helmet, Driving Cap, Dolly and Packing

Fig.17: Installed Helmet, Dolly and Packing