Overdriving refers to when a pile is driven past the desired point into the ground resulting in deformation that can permanent and cause significant damage to existing pile structures and equipment. During the pile driving process, blow counts are recorded for every foot that is driven to ensure proper depths are reached according to geotechnical specifications and engineering requirements.
The rate of penetration refers to the length each blow drives the pile and is a crucial element of every piling project, especially solar array installation where precise accuracy is one of the hallmarks of these jobs to harness solar rays with the most efficiency.
By limiting penetration rates, operators can avoid overdriving and gain an understanding of the relative capacity achieved during driving. The maximum penetration rate defines the number of blows that can be delivered per unit length of pile penetration. Some factors that can affect limiting penetration rates are properties and the type of pile, geotechnical conditions, and driving methods.
The High-Cost Associated With Damage Due to Overdriving
Refusal occurs when the pile tip encounters difficult driving conditions, and having equipment that is tailored to your job’s specific soil conditions and engineering specifications, like an HMC SP50, helps operators avoid costly damage to materials and equipment while ensuring crew safety to keep their project on track.
Damaging piles also requires extracting the impacted system, which results in costly delays.
Penetration Limitations
Penetration limitations are influenced by a wide variety of factors, including soil conditions, pile material and sizing, and the hammer being used. One of the primary advantages of rigs like the HMC STR20 over other rigs like the Vermeer PD10 is the ability to quickly change heads to achieve three distinct functions. Dense soil, high-water pressure, and soil plug formation are all forms of penetration limitations and illustrate the importance of having a professional boring sample conducted to give operators a comprehensive understanding of soil composition at varying depths before they break ground.
Ways to Repair Equipment and Systems after Overdriving
Replacing damaged piles represents a significant strain on a project’s bottom line, and the ability to have repairs done on the job site with OEM parts helps protect schedules and budgets in the event of overdriving or damage to machinery or other mechanical systems. Working with professional service teams helps operators maintain warranties and get repairs performed by trained techs that can diagnose and restore drilling and pile driving rigs to like new conditions.
RPI Equipment’s decades of experience and expertise sets our sales team apart, and we strive to provide the highest level of customer service. We are always available to help operators discover our fully stocked fleet of professionally maintained pile-driving rigs, drilling rigs, vibratory hammers, clamshell buckets, and other heavy equipment that allow operators to complete projects of any scope.
RPI Equipment: A Trusted Partner
Our competitive in-house financing solutions enable firms to grow and scale their operations without significant upfront capital investments that may impact profit margins as their workload expands and equipment prices rise.
RPI’s highly trained and experienced in-house service teams are able to be deployed to job sites for next-day service with as little as 24-hour advance notice to keep projects on schedule and help avoid expensive downtime due to malfunction or mechanical breakdowns.
One of the primary advantages offered by our experienced service technicians is that they are trained and able to perform preventative maintenance, diagnose any new or ongoing issues, inspect all mechanical systems to ensure that all machinery is in top operational shape, and help develop daily, weekly, and monthly inspection checklists.
RPI Equipment’s service team offers comprehensive third-party soil analyses to manage the high costs of excessive oil, lubricant, or grease changes based on time schedules, not lab-driven or in-situ data or manufacturer recommendations.
RPI Equipment prides itself on updating and maintaining our entire fleet and ensuring that every rig is working correctly and ready to be deployed to your site to kick off new projects.
As advances in drill rig and pile driver technology evolve and develop new technology to keep pace with demands emerging within the industry. Drilling operators can gain access to the most advanced equipment available to get their jobs done on time without any issues caused by equipment malfunction or the need for expensive repairs, which can remove crews from the field and negatively impact both schedules and budgets.
RPI Equipment also frequently offers used CZM drill rigs and HMC pile drivers for sale with competitive prices as our fleet expands. We liquidate existing inventory to make space for new equipment giving operators access to rigs at considerable savings compared to purchasing a new CZM rig of HMC SideClamp® hammer.
As one of the leading voices in the industry, RPI Equipment remains dedicated to giving our partners the latest updates, news, and insights as the market continues to change and expand.
Call (856)-456-0081 or contact us online today to experience the RPI Equipment difference!
