Quiet hammer reduces pile noise in Bristol Wednesday, 20th February 2008
New state of the art film studios are being built in Bristol, and foundation specialist Roger Bullivant Ltd (RBL) has completed the groundworks without disturbing the neighbours.
RBL drove a total of 221 precast concrete foundation piles into the ground across the site towards the end of 2007, using a 'Quiet Hammer' piling rig. RBL's contract manager Peter Merry explains: "We chose the Quiet Hammer to ensure noise levels and vibrations were kept to an absolute minimum, for the benefit of those working in an office nearby."
Piles were driven up to a depth of 8m, through made ground and clay, and have been founded on sandstone. Each 300mm2 precast pile has been designed to carry a loading of 700kN.
Testing of the piles formed a vital part of RBL's contract. "The level of the underlying rock varied across the site, so it was crucial to carry out a series of tests to ensure the pile installations were correct and going down to the right level," adds Merry. "This included dynamic pile testing on 10 piles during their installation and a static load test carried out on a working pile once they were in the ground."
