Pile Driving
Pile driving is a process of driving thick steel pipes into the soil, usually below ground level, to create a foundation for buildings and structures, such as bridges. This is done so that the ground will be better able to support the weight of the building being constructed.
In the past, piles were driven to the ground by sheer force. However, these days, there are now different methods and pile driving equipment used to install the pile.
- Diesel Pile Hammer. A piston is set up, usually by a crane connected to it by a cable. This draws the air into a cylinder. The hammer, or ram, is raised, and then allowed to fall by gravity. When the weight is dropped, the air is compressed, which triggers the ignition of a store of diesel fuel. The resulting force transfers the energy to the pile head to bore down the pile. The weight then rises again, setting it up for another cycle.
- Hydraulic Hammer. These work similarly to the diesel pile hammer, but is more efficient, generate less noise, and more environmentally friendly.
- Hydraulic Press-In. This requires special equipment which use hydraulics to drive the piles to the ground.
- Vibratory Pile Drivers and Extractors. This requires a whole system of machines and weights which, when used together, drive the piles to the ground via vibration. The tremors these generate can also loosen the ground sufficiently enough to extract the driven piles. These are usually used in areas close to homes and office buildings since they aren’t as loud as the other equipment, as well in places where there is not enough space for the other equipment to maneuver in.
- Piling Rig. The piling rig is usually used to drill through the ground to set up the area where the pile will be installed.
Aside from the different pile driving equipment, there are also a variety of piles as well, including concrete, timber, and steel. Piles also have varying sizes, usually between three to twelve meters, due to the various uses they have.