PILE DRIVING: HAMMERS AND DRIVING METHODS

THIS PAPER IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF PILE HAMMERS IN EXISTENCE TODAY, BUT SOME ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THOSE SPECIAL SYSTEMS THAT HAVE SEEN LIMITED USE DURING THE PASE DECADE AND MAY BE THE NUCLEI OF THE DRIVING SYSTEMS OF THE FUTURE. THE HEART OF ANY PILE-DRIVING SYSTEM IS THE PILE HAMMER. MODERN CONTRACTORS USE IMPACT TYPES RANGING FROM THE "ANCIENT" DROP HAMMER, THROUGH SINGLE-AND DOUBLE-ACTING HAMMERS, TO DIFFERENTIAL HAMMERS. STEAM AND AIR ARE STILL THE BASIC SOURCES OF POWER FOR HAMMERS, BUT LATELY DIESEL HAMMERS AND HIGH-PRESSURE HYDRAULICS HAVE GAINED ACCEPTANCE. BECAUSE A CONSTANT ENERGY SOURCE IS SERIOUSLY AFFECTED BY PILE CUSHIONS OF VARYING CHARACTERISTICS, "PERMANENT" CAP BLOCKS ARE NOW IN WIDESPREAD USE. LOW-FREQUENCY VIBRATORS ARE USED PRIMARILY FOR DRIVING NONBEARING PILES AND FOR EXTRACTING SHEET PILES. HIGH-FREQUENCY (RESONANT) VIBRATORS, THOUGH CURRENTLY EXPENSIVE TO PURCHASE AND OPERATE, HAVE MUCH WIDER FIELDS OF APPLICATION INCLUDING THE DRIVING OF DISPLACEMENT BEARING PILES. PILE-DRIVING SYSTEMS OF THE FUTURE WILL INCLUDE LARGER HAMMERS (250,00 FT-LB OR MORE) WITH SELF-CONTAINED POWER SOURCES, BOTH DIESEL AND STEAM, AND SIMPLE, LESS EXPENSIVE BUT MORE RELIABLE HIGH-FREQUENCY, HIGH-POWER VIBRATORS. /AUTHOR/

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Paper sponsored by Committee on Substructures, Retaining Walls and Foundations and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
  • Authors:
    • Gendron, George J
  • Conference:
  • Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Pagination: pp 16-22
  • Monograph Title: Pile foundations
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00215377
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: May 26 1971 12:00AM