R.C.

Piles Installation Procedure

Precast Reinforced Concrete Piles, also known as R.C. piles, remain among the most economical and efficient foundation system. R.C. piles are easy to mobilize and provide easy handling and prompt delivery to any construction sites. The installations of R.C. piles are fairly simple. The following are the installation procedures for R.C. piles. Step 1: A Licensed Surveyor will be chartered to set out the position of each pile and to establish two number of Temporary Benchmarks (TBM) on site for determine the cut-off levels of piles. The Temporary Benchmarks will be tied back to the existing benchmark. Step 2: Establish and locate all lines and level. Step 3: Piling shall be carried out by competent person. Operators and Site Agent/Foreman thoroughly experienced with piling operations shall carry out the piling work. Piles shall be driven accurately in the correct location true to the line both laterally and longitudinally as indicated on the drawings. Pile shall be guided by the leader and spirit level to check the verticality of the pile. No pile, which has been deflected from its course or has been wrongly aligned, shall be forcibly brought back to the correct alignment except with the written approval of the Engineer or Clerk of Work.

During driving, the pile head shall be protected with a mild steel helmet. 25 mm thick plywood covering the head of the pile shall be contained within the helmet to separate the helmet from the pile head. All piles shall be rigidly joined and secured with the approved method. The joints shall be driven to a tight fit with the pile hammer and spiked to the section of both piles. The penetration of driven piles is the actual length measured from the bottom tip to the cut-off level of the driven piles. The penetration of every pile shall be recorded. The piles shall be marked at every 1000 mm to enable easy determination of pile penetration. The following are the safety procedures for R.C. piling works. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. All underground service facilities have been surveyed and marked. Heavy machinery access inspection has been certified. Workers on-site have been briefed on all the essential safety precautions. Piling Frame Operators shall put on hearing Protectors. The vicinity of working area has been properly barricaded and warning signboards displayed. Before lifting the pile by the machine, the assistants are required to stand back from the pile being lifted. Safety area to stand is approximately one meter away from the operator's cabin. So that there will be no contact between the rig assistants and the pile being lifted. Before lifting the pile from the ground, the operator is to ascertain that nobody is doing work or standing nearby. When the pile driver is not in use, the hammer shall be blocked in the leads or lowered to the ground. Horns will be sounded twice to warn others of pile lifting is in commencement. When the pile is in the vertical position, the toe of the pile is rested on the ground. After the toe of pile is rested on the ground, the Rig Operator assistant will secure the pile to the leader using a wire rope. The assistant will also use a proper guide tool to hold the pile steady. This will prevent the swing of the pile when the rig on the move. The Rig Assistant will than move away from the piles before signaling to the Rig Operator to position the piles on the piling location.

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After the pile has been positioned on the intended pile location and rested on the ground, the assistant will approach the pile and rotate the pile using a guide tool to the required orientation. When driven with two or three hammer the secured wire rope around the pile during the vertical position will be removed. Piling works will restart as normal. The same procedures shall be adopted for lifting the second length of pile.

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All R.C. piles shall be in good condition before installation to ensure no cracking during driving. Pile rejection will induce compensating cost to contractor.