The last bridge pylon cofferdam linking the Zhenjiang and Lianyungang high speed rail has been completed. Located in Zhenjiang District, in a river bed next to the forbidding Mount Chuan, the soil was were near impenetrable. The soil hardness reached 220 Kpa, pile driving was arduous and slow. Even with water jetting the daily installation rate of the electric vibro’s was just a single sheet pile. This last cofferdam threatened to delay the completion of this much awaited transportation link.

The long pile driving time had worsened the verticality of the wall and wreaked havoc on the interlocks. This made a hard job even harder as the cofferdam progressed. Even with extended water jetting, the pile didn't reach design depth.

Yihong Sheet Pile company supplied the sheet piles and also contracted the installation work. This job required a fresh approach, one that they hoped to achieve by working with the ICE 1412C hydraulic vibratory hammer.

 The 1412C has 230t driving force, including clamp it weighs 14t. Its powerful excitation force not only penetrates the silty iron sand soil layers, but also ensured the verticality of the pile and reduced the deformation of the interlocks. In just 5 minutes, the 18-meter-long piles were driven to design depth; a great improvement on the previous construction speed.

ICE understood the urgency of the project and dispatched an experienced operator to the site to optimize the operation of the hammer and share our insights on sheet piling. The deployment of the 1412C relieved the intense time pressure on the project manager, and all involved were impressed.

Shanghai ICE has always supported our partners as much as possible to and strives to exceed customer expectations. Our support is not limited to providing quality and reliable construction equipment, timely and accurate after-sales service, but also includes piling simulation analysis, piling advice, equipment selection, and the introduction of new construction techniques.

We hope to be of service again in the new year!