8 minute read
PILING
GOOD
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VIBRATIONS
Eoghan Daly visits a flood relief project in Cork City, where a new compact radius Hyundai HX235A excavator equipped with a Movax piling attachment is hard at work
arlier this year, main contractor
EMcGinty & O’Shea completed the Douglas section of Cork City’s new flood defence network and was subsequently awarded the main works contract for the adjacent Togher section. Due to be completed in September next year, the project includes the installation of a 675m-long culvert, the construction of a flood defence wall, together with hard and soft landscaping works.
Founded in 1985, Cork-based McGinty & O’Shea is well known for delivering flood relief schemes, urban streetscape renewal projects, alongside sewerage and water infrastructure works. The Togher flood defence project includes a significant requirement to install sheet piles, which would normally be subbed out to a specialist contractor. However, McGinty & O’Shea decided to explore the option of performing this work in house. They duly acquired a 25-tonne
Above and below: A latest-spec Hyundai HX235A LCR has joined an incredibly reliable, 2013-built 235LCR-9 excavator on the McGinty & O’Shea fl eet.
compact radius Hyundai HX235A LCR excavator and equipped it with a Movax SG45V vibrating pile driver attachment.
NEW EXCAVATOR
When it came to choosing a new excavator for this task, a number of alternatives were looked at, including using a 30-tonne conventional swing machine. However, as an extremely reliable Hyundai 235LCR-9 had been on the fleet since 2013, together with a more recent Hyundai HX140W wheeled excavator, which has clocked up over 4800 hours mainly on hammer work, there was little doubt that it would be another Hyundai.
Company founder Fintan McGinty said, “We have used machines from a range of manufacturers over the years, which means we have a lot of experience of how they have performed over long-term service. More recently we have started to run Hyundai machines as part of the fleet and I have to say we are very impressed with how reliable they have been to date.
“Since getting the first Hyundai it has worked very well for us and we haven’t had to put a spanner to it. The standard of quality and performance of Hyundai machines is at the same level as any leading manufacturer, as we have seen how well they can cope with hard work on demanding projects.
“One of the big advantages of Hyundai is the Irish dealer, Whelan Plant Sales, who always puts the customer first with excellent service. If we need a part out of hours, or at weekends, to get a machine back working, they are always willing to help. This makes a real difference and is the benefit of dealing with a family-run business like Whelan.”
The new HX235A LCR was configured with the sheet pile-driving requirements of the Togher contract in mind, but keeping the excavator as versatile as possible, to undertake a variety of works after this job is finished. The base
The compact radius 25-tonner sits on long tracks, this example being confi gured with long working equipment.
machine comes equipped to a high level as standard, one addition being the installation of SVAB joysticks.
Usually found on an excavator equipped with a tilt-rotator, these multi-function joysticks make controlling the piling attachment easier. The Hyundai’s hydraulic system features a pair of 221 lit/min variable displacement tandem axis piston pumps, which provide more than enough power to drive the attachment.
McGinty & O’Shea specified the long version of the front-end equipment, a 5.68m boom and a 2.92m dipper, to provide the reach and boom lift height required to install piles. This working equipment also tucks in particularly well, to slew in confined spaces.
Narrow 600mm triple grouser track shoes were chosen, which bring this excavator’s overall transport width to a fraction under 3m. The total length of the undercarriage on this compact radius excavator is an impressive 4.46m, providing a firm stance when working with a heavy attachment.
PILING ATTACHMENT
The Movax SG45V vibrating pile-driver attachment was supplied by dealer Watson & Hillhouse and installed by their Irish-based technician, along with operator training.
The headstock of the 2.7-tonne Movax fits into a standard Oriel quick coupler on the end of the dipper arm. Below the headstock there is a hydraulic tilting mechanism to help the operator to level the attachment, particularly if the excavator is sitting on a side-slope. Below the tilting mechanism is a 360-degree rotation unit, which carries the business end of the attachment.
For added flexibility on site, the SG45V features two pile-driving positions, grasping the pile from either its side grip or its top grip. This example is configured with sheet pile pads on its interchangeable gripping jaws, which can be easily swapped to handle a variety of pile types.
Movax offers a variety of control systems for its piling attachments. McGinty & O’Shea opted for the entry-level MCS Lite
HX235A LCR BASIC SPECS
The excavator is powered by an electronically-controlled, ultra-low emissions six-cylinder Cummins engine rated at 145kW. More importantly, this HX-A series machine produces 881Nm of torque, which represents a whopping 30% increase over its HX predecessor.
It is matched to the latest in electroniccontrolled hydraulic pumps, the combination promising to deliver signifi cant fuel savings. The digitally-controlled hydraulic system also allows the operator to make a wide range of adjustments to hydraulic fl ow and the sensitivity of the control response.
This greater precision is a welcome aid to sheet pile alignment, which requires a delicate touch by the operator to guide the interlocking edges into place. However, it is not just about smoothness and precision, as the excavator delivers consistent hydraulic output to get the most from the piling attachment. To safeguard against track derailment, each track runs with three track guides, nine bottom and two top rollers. The hydraulic motors are said to deliver a powerful tracking action, with top speeds of 3.2kph and 5.6kph.
Far left, left, right and above: The 2.7-tonne Movax SG45V vibrating pile driver off ers a number of advanced features, but is said to be relatively easy to operate.
unit that, despite its name, offers comprehensive capabilities. The in-cab 3in screen is usually used to provide the operator with data on the attachment’s angles, together with vibration frequency and hydraulic pressure. It also provides basic diagnostic and service interval data, while navigation keys allow the operator to alter the attachment’s working parameters and access more attachment data.
A key feature of the SG45V is that it is designed to work in sensitive areas, or in unstable ground conditions. It delivers high frequency vibrations, while vibration transfer to the surrounding ground and structures is said to be extremely low. Its variable eccentric action results in resonance-free start up and shut down, and it is said to produce less noise than most vibratory pile drivers.
Below: The fi rm’s HX140W wheeled excavator, with over 4800 hours on its clock, follows the piling team, to break out the route for the culvert.
Below: McGinty & O’Shea’s top piling team: operator Paul Hartnett (right) and banksman Donal Buckley. SITE VISIT
The attributes of the Movax attachment and its short swing radius carrier were matched to the key aspect of this contract: constructing the 675m-long culvert in a tight inner-city environment. The culvert will run along the Togher Road, from the outfall close to the Community Centre and the adjacent bridge carrying the ring road. The road then passes through a busy urban area, with residential properties, a range of businesses, a church and a primary school, finishing further upstream in an industrial estate.
The task is to install a temporary sheetpiled wall, butting up against the carriageway of the Togher Road, to allow excavation of the culvert. The working approach is to take possession of a section of the north-bound lane and then excavate along the footprint of the wall. This trench is then backfilled with a suitable fill material to give the 6m-long sheet piles an easy start.
The Hyundai was working in an extremely narrow corridor with its operator Paul Hartnett assisted by banksman Donal Buckley. The excavator’s short rear end was ideally suited to working adjacent to a live road. Even with its long front end equipped with a heavy attachment and carrying a steel pile, the excavator seemed oblivious to the weight, even when working at full reach. Paul’s progress along this section was impressive, even more so as, although he has spent many years as an operator, he had never undertaken pile driving before.
He concluded by saying, “The Hyundai has plenty of reach for this kind of work and is still well balanced and compact. Everything is well laid out inside the modern Hyundai cab and it is a nice machine to operate. Most importantly, it is getting through the work very well. We are particularly impressed by its performance when using the very user-friendly Movax piling unit.”
