Versatility of Drilling Rigs
January 15, 2010
Drilling rigs are machines that are used in commercial construction applications that provide alternative methodologies for driving foundational support beams into the earth to reinforce the area on which large structures will be assembled.
The supply of the wide range of drill rigs available to project managers is a result of the wide ranging challenges faced by architects, site managers, and geotechnical engineering firms. Geotechnical engineering firms conduct studies of the identified site and analyze the soil, rock, and environmental conditions of the site to determine the unique requirements of each proposed job site. Their recommendations are utilized to construct a project plan that adheres to the limitations of the site.
Certain soil types do not permit the use of diesel hammer pile driving equipment or vibratory extractor/driver machines. The use of drill rigs in these situations is ideal. High capacity drilled and grouted piles can extend to depths of 200 feet and can withstand weight loads as high as 200 tons.
These rigs also provide a welcomed substitute when piles are required close to an existing adjacent structure. Unlike diesel hammer machines or vibratory extractor/drivers, drill rigs do not displace the existing rock, soil, and debris that lay hidden in the earth. Displacement of the existing earth that supports adjacent structures could result in a situation where the existing structure’s foundation is compromised. This could prove to be disastrous and result in lawsuits and loss of life in the most serious cases.
Standard deep foundation solutions are often not recommended in areas that have been identified as be cavernous by geotechnical engineers. Existing caves, underground rivers, and sink holes are not necessarily dangerous; similar to the manner in which a bridge is a stable solution for spanning a delta. The danger lies in the chance of undermining the natural support structure that exists. The constant pounding and/or vibrations that are generated by diesel hammer pile driving equipment or vibratory extractor/drivers can adversely affect these situations. The ability of drill rigs to supply support to structures without significantly impacting the composition of the surrounding area makes them a welcomed solution.
When piles are required to abut adjacent structures for additional support there is no other option that is as effective as the solution provided by drill rigs. Architects often utilize existing structures to provide a heightened level of stability that cannot be attained on independent standing structures. The ability of a drill rig to place a micropile near an existing structure is unchallenged in its efficiency. Even in situations where traditional pile driving is permissible, the risks that exist (such as damage to an existing structure from a boom crane) far outweigh the advantages.
Pile Drivers and Renewable Energy
January 9, 2010
Pile drivers have been around for centuries and assisted the Romans in their creation of the Roman Empire. Since then its evolution has been astonishing. The ingenuity with which they are utilized seems to have no limits. From projects that are designed to contain the sea to their application on the world’s largest structure in Dubai (the Raj Dubai; which stands over a mile high); wherever difficult and unthinkable tasks are envisioned, it is highly likely that a pile driver (or many different pile drivers) will be found on the project site. Now pile drivers are beginning their next foray into the well-documented and storied existence: wind farm development.
The latest developments in the wind farm construction can be attributed to a bi-lateral movement that has two uniquely different groups agreeing to a common cause; renewable energy. Two very vocal proponents of the movement come from environmentalists that have been promoting “green” initiatives for years as a result of their benefits and low impact to the planet, while the other group is comprised of Americans tired of dependency on foreign oil for our energy needs.
During the end of the first decade of the new millennium, gasoline prices in the United States rose to an astonishing level which greatly impacted the consumer market in America. Although the countries that make up the members of the cartel of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (more commonly known as OPEC) provided reasons that they felt were sufficient to raise the price of crude oil to record high prices, the impact of the situation created massive unrest politically in the United States.
As the top consumer of fossil fuels in the world, the United States began to focus on renewable energy. The report Outlook on Renewable Energy in America was a comprehensive report published by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) in 2007 and laid the groundwork for “a new reality for renewable energy in America.” A short segment from the report states “America needs energy that is secure, reliable, improves public health, protects the environment, addresses climate change, creates jobs, and provides technological leadership.”
In President Obama’s inaugural address in 2009 he made it clear that the push for renewable energy was important to secure America’s future regarding our energy sources for future generations, which is also a large step in the direction of reducing the carbon footprint in America for the benefit of mitigating climate change.
Wind farms have been erected in the wide open areas of the United States. Large farms can be found in California, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and states in the Great Plains. A typical wind turbine can be nearly as tall as a football field. Wind turbines act in a manner similar to an alternator in a car by utilizing the power of nature to spin a magnet through a copper coil to generate electricity. This concept multiplied many thousands of times over results in an investment into a future for renewable energy for the United States.
Diesel Hammers for Building Skyscrapers
January 22, 2010
A visit to a typical construction site where a pile driver is present results in a sound very familiar to those in or out of the construction industry. Because diesel hammer pile driving equipment "hammers" in the pile, a repetitive and rhythmic bang will be heard until the process of driving piles is complete.
The common misconception about standard pile driving diesel hammers is that the machine operates like a hammer driving a wooden stake into the ground. Many often wonder how the pile remains intact and how its structural integrity is not compromised by the repetitive hammering in the head of the pile. A similar action with a wooden stake and a hammer produces splintering when the stake encounters a certain threshold of resistance. The truth is that although a heavy weight is stationed above the pile, the pile actually never experiences a direct blow from the weight. Instead, a process involving energy transfer actually occurs; which prevents the pile from physically contacting the piston on the machine responsible for its insertion into the ground.
In modern day diesel hammer pile drivers an engine "drives" the pile utilizing a process to prevent damage to the pile. The weight of the machine is a piston which functions in the same manner that a car's engine uses a piston; to pressurize air in a chamber. The piston is raised to its maximum predetermined height and then released. The result produces air that is in the chamber to become compressed. The air is then ignited and the burning of the air mixed with diesel fuel creates energy that is transferred to the pile, forcing it into the ground with each repetitive cycle.
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