44 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering Peter Donaldson reports on how this zero-emissions version of a diesel piling rig has been developed to give construction a more eco-friendly reputation Ground-breaker Drilling piles into the ground has been a crucial task in building for thousands of years. Whether they’re made from timber, reinforced concrete, steel or aluminium – and whether in column or sheet form – they help to stabilise the ground and make it more able to support heavy structures. Against that backdrop, Dutch construction equipment manufacturer Dieseko has recently introduced an electrified version of its 90 t Woltman 90DR pile-drilling and driving rig, replacing its diesel engine and fuel system with an electric powertrain to create the 90DRe. It completed its first zero-emissions job at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in February this year, in the hands of launch customer BAM Infra Netherlands. As the term suggests, pile drilling involves making a hole for the pile to go into, the pile often consisting of a framework of steel reinforcement that goes in first, followed by a pour of concrete or grout. In contrast, pile driving is the process of forcing a tubular or sheet pile directly into the ground using a hammer that works either by impact or vibrations. Like its diesel forebear, the 90DRe can be used for both, says Herman Legtenberg, director of technology and engineering at Dieseko Group. The most prominent component of a piling rig is the leader, the vertical steel column that supports and guides both the drilling/driving tools and the pile itself. The 90DRe’s leader can be 30, 33 or 36 m high. “We call it a leader-guided rig,” said Legtenberg. “On the leader we can put the rotary head, which is most commonly used on this machine, and we can also put an impact or vibratory hammer on it.” The leader can also be fitted with a quattro piler, he adds, a tool that uses four clamps and cylinders to apply static downward pressure onto sections of sheet piling to press them into the ground without the use of impact or vibration. The Woltman 90DRe rig has been developed to bring zero-emissions operation to this fundamental sector of the construction industry (Images courtesy of Dieseko)
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