electronic control line runs into the cab for the operator to
control the device. It’s a pretty slick set-up.”
The EML30’s specs lend credence to the notion that big
things can come in little packages. Weighing in at just under
18,000 pounds, excluding pile and excavator, the shipping
length of the lead unit is just 37 feet, while the height is
six-feet, nine-inches. Depending on the model of excavator
used, the system offers an approximate maximum reach of
20 feet and minimum reach of 15 feet. It provides 56,055 ft
lb of potential energy from a seven-foot drop. It can handle
piles of 30 to 35 feet in length and can accommodate deeper
requirements using spliced piles.
Design work on the EML30 began about two years ago
and the first unit was built this past spring. However, the
inspiration for the unit dates back nearly a decade. In 2008,
Berminghammer developed a small, crane-mounted semifixed
pile driving unit for the U.S. Army and manufactured
130 of the units. The first prototype EML utilized the lead
components of this army system and attached them to
an excavator.
“The new system is very different from the prototype
system. One of the major differences is that we have side
levelling now available, which means the excavator doesn’t
need to be perfectly level in order to drive a straight pile,”
Zanchetta said. “It also has a significantly more robust lead
with a deeper section.”
One of the biggest challenges with developing the new
system, according to Zanchetta, was trying to meet as many
customer needs as possible while still offering a compact
package. Some potential buyers wanted the lead to be capable
of everything while others were adamant that it needed to
have some kind of drilling application.
To address those disparate needs, Berminghammer separated
the two conflicting needs into two different models of
EML, the EML30 and the EML45. Berminghammer designed
the EML30 to essentially be a dedicated piling rig, although
it can take a very small drill. The EML45, which is being put
into production now, will have additional drilling capacity
and will be available for sale later this year. A 60-ton model is
also ready for production.
The early reviews for the EML30 have been largely positive.
It was first used this summer as part of road repairs to
Highway 11 near the town of Hearst, Ont. As part of the project,
three existing culverts underneath the highway had to be
removed and replaced.
BOT Construction (Ontario) Ltd., the first buyer of the
EML30, had to shore up the ground beneath the highway
where the culvert work was being done to allow traffic to
continue to use the roadway. The EML30 was used to drive a
combination wall, or combi-wall, featuring both H-piles and
sheet piles that interlocked and helped support the ground
and road above.
“As far as I know, no one had done an installation this
way before,” Zanchetta said. “The H-piles had to be driven
precisely. We needed to get them in place within a couple of
inches to make sure the sheets would spread nicely between
(the H-piles). It was a little different methodology…but it
worked out really well.
“The EML unit performed really well for us. One of the
advantages with it is you can go a lot deeper than you can
if you vibrate the piles in, especially in areas where you are
unsure if you might run into boulders and such underground.
We definitely ran into some boulders and the EML’s 8,000-
pound drop hammer pushed them out of the way, whereas if
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Not only does the EML30 help
simplify some of the logistical
challenges associated with
deep foundation projects, it’s
also pretty simple to operate.
14 Q4 2018 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
