HydroLock Adapter: A Game Changer for a Pile Driver
Simple Hammer Add-On Cuts Thousands from Job Costs 

Editor: Debbie Reaney 

The only public port in Rhode Island, the Port of Davisville, is a gem in the state's economy. It is the economic engine of the Quonset Business Park that hosts more than 200 companies and 12,900 jobs. The southeastern pier of the 60-acre port, called Pier 1, was built by the Navy in the World War II era, and stretches for a quarter of a mile. It primarily supports auto shipping services and the growing offshore wind industry as it takes in over 300,000 cars per year and helps transfer construction crews and maintenance technicians to and from the offshore turbines. 

As part of the $234.5-million Port of Davisville Master Plan by Quonset Development Corporation (QDC), Pier 1 is getting major restorations. Its decomposing, creosote-treated timber piles on the outside perimeter points will be replaced with concrete and steel piles, creating a more modern and reliable resource for economic growth over Narragansett Bay and a safer docking experience for the 175 ships that dock in the port each year. Plus, three more berths available for cargo ships and offshore wind service vessels will be added for a total of five berths, which will support more movement of wind energy crews and help maintain the port's annual contribution of $373.4 million to business output. Expected to wrap up in June 2024, this reconstruction is one of many infrastructure upgrades in the Port Master Plan that will position Davisville as one of the top ten auto importers in America and, most importantly, a leader in the offshore wind industry. 

The contractor restoring the pier, JF Brennan Company out of Wisconsin, is focused on the outer perimeter points of the pier that absorb the force of docking ships, so the new steel fender piles will take all that force on their own. To install H beams for the pile driving template, the crew is utilizing an ICE® 44E Vibratory Driver/Extractor equipped with a Model 140C Sheeting Clamp and a Model 140C HydroLock adapter--a game changer for a pile driver working with multiple types of pile. In a sense, bolting a HydroLock Adapter to a combination clamp like the Model 140H gives it the turbo power that you would find in a caisson clamp with innate HydroLock abilities such as the Model 105H. A typical caisson clamp slides onto the pile and, once in position, locks itself to the beam so it cannot slide around. On the other hand, a sheeting clamp is bolted and unbolted from sheet pile, which is a much more time-consuming mechanism. The Hydrolock Adapter for the Model 140C Clamp eliminates the need to bolt and unbolt as it allows the clamp to easily slide off of one type of pile and slide onto a different type. While it typically takes crews an entire afternoon to unbolt and bolt pile from a sheeting clamp, the process involving the versatile HydroLock Adapter takes less than an hour. Depending on the length of a project, this can save contractors tens of thousands in crew costs alone. This add-on has recently grown in popularity--All Model 140C HydroLock Adapters available at International Construction Equipment, Inc have been consistently staying out on rent in recent months! 

Additionally, an ICE® 22D Vibratory Driver/Extractor equipped with a Model 55 Combination Clamp is being used to remove over 3,000 80-year-old timber piles from the seabed, all between 60' (ft) and 80' in length. Using an ICE® I-46V2 Diesel Impact Hammer, more than 300 24" (in)-diameter pipe piles of 100'-140' (ft) length are taking the place of the outer timber piles. The inner piles of the pier may also be replaced within the next several years, and a staggering 52,000 feet (about twice the height of Mount Everest) of piles is already being replaced so far. ICE® is elated to provide cost-effective and time-saving deep foundation solutions to JF Brennan as they help transform the Port of Davisville into a key hub for Rhode Island's clean energy initiative. 

Learn more about the ICE® 44E, ICE® 22D, ICE® I-46V2, Model 140 Hydrolock Adapter, Model 140C Clamp, Model 55 Clamp, and Model 105H Caisson Clamp. 

Media Contact-    
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA    
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations  

Vice President IT and IT Comm 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc    
Office - 704-821-8200    
Email - marketing@iceusa.com