Is it Time for a Rocket Engine for Pile Driving Hammers?
Development of pile driving hammers in the recent 160 years is considered. It is established that only the equipment used for raising the impact body (ram) on a certain height was being changed, whereas the driving itself is performed through the free fall on the pile, e.g. the very driving technology has remained unchanged since almost 8 000 years. In this connection, an interesting relationship is discovered – a new way of powering the ram comes around every 40 years! Another established tendency is a periodical increase in the mass of the impact body. Authors propose a new way of powering the ram that will lead to radical changes in the hammer design and driving technology. First and foremost, the impact body is additionally activated when striking a blow, and does not only rely on earth gravity.
