changed but the very devices used to create the foundation have
changed dramatically.
Early forms of driven piles were limited to the available resources
at the time. This means that the size and length of the pile would
have been as big as the trees in that area. Wood has played a major
role in the pile driving industry since its inception ‘til today and
will continue to be a mainstay for certain applications. The advent
of steel manufacturing and concrete production opened the door
to these materials becoming widely used for the driven pile.
Not only has the type of pile changed but the size of the piles
has changed dramatically. The earliest piles being driven by human
effort combined with available resources would produce a practical
limitation on the size and length of a pile that could be driven
into the ground. Today, with mechanical advantage and manufacturing
capabilities, the size and length are almost unlimited. As
an example, the largest driven piles on record were steel pipe piles
measuring 97 feet in diameter by 110 feet long and weighing in at
600 metric tons each. The equipment used to drive these piles consisted
of 12 large vibro hammers mounted together and powered
by twelve 1,200-hp engines supplying a combined total of 14,400
hp. At full power, the machinery delivered nearly 4,000 gallons of
oil per minute, producing a massive 7,200 tons of drive force. This
setup includes over 20,000 feet of hydraulic lines (approximately
3.8 miles), and an advanced control system to keep all the components
in perfect synchronization. The total hammer weight is 700
metric tons with 4,200 tons of line pull ability. All of this technology
and equipment would seem like science fiction to our predecessors.
Needless to say, it took design acumen, experience, modern
material and machinery, and a lot of people to get these piles in
the ground.
Because of the unique quality that each material brings to
the driven pile process, PDCA will dedicate specific editions of
PileDriver magazine to highlight the material used in driven pile
projects. The next issue of PileDriver magazine will focus on the
steel industry. How many different types of steel piles are there?
The answer is many, too many to innumerate here. Take our word
for it – this will be an exciting issue for the magazine to delve
into the various types and content of the steel pile community.
Interestingly, a large number of the 2019 PDCA Project of the Year
Award entries were for steel pile jobs.
The history of steel can be traced back to its iron roots almost
as far back as the history of pile driving. Even though iron has
been around for about 4,000 years, we have to fast-forward to the
17th century when the urbanization in Europe demanded a more
versatile structural metal, and then to 1856 when Henry Bessemer
developed an effective way to use oxygen to reduce the carbon
content in iron. This lowered the carbon content, making the metal
more ductile and raised the melting temperature, making it more
versatile. The modern steel industry was born. This didn’t mean
that steel was immediately used for driving piles in foundation
work, but it did usher in a new material that would become a significant
part of the pile driving industry.
Coincidentally, pile driving started to play a major role in the
construction industry in the 1800s at the onset of the Industrial
Revolution. It was also during this period that human power was
replaced by machine power with the primary energy source at
the time being steam.
Over the course of the next 150 years, pile driving equipment
and techniques continued to improve. Additionally, the engineering
community also gained a better understanding during this
time about how a driven pile interacts with the subsurface to form
a foundation. Put all this together and you have the modern pile
driving industry. PDCA members – including contractors, associates,
and engineers – are involved in moving the pile driving
industry forward. New research is being completed on a global
scale, new equipment is being designed, and new techniques are
being tested.
Throughout the pile driving history the most important technicality
has always been to ensure that the piles were not in any way
compromised in the event that they encounter an opposing force.
Structural integrity, to say the least, is absolutely essential. This is
the essence of the PDCA slogan that “A Driven Pile is a Tested Pile!”
The next few issues of PileDriver magazine will be dedicated
to the material used in the pile driving industry – wood, steel and
concrete, one at a time. Articles and highlights will include stories
about the companies, people and material on jobs where pile driving
was used for the foundation. These articles will be compelling
and interesting, and you won’t want to miss any of them. Much
more will be said as we go forward.
It is important to look back and know our past. Pile driving has
a long and rich history, longer than any other process in the deep
foundation industry. We can and should learn from all that has
been done. Pile driving has earned its place in the deep foundation
industry. It is equally, if not more important to know where
we are going. Innovation, technology and people will all change
over time and the pile driving industry must necessarily change
to meet new demands. With the tremendous amount of interest
and support surrounding the industry, PDCA and the pile driving
industry will look to the future and can expect to be around for a
very long time. t
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Structural integrity, to say the least, is absolutely
essential. This is the essence of the PDCA
slogan that “A Driven Pile is a Tested Pile!”
12 | EDITION 4 2019 www.piledrivers.org
/www.piledrivers.org
