Applications: Ground Engineering

The flexibility of Prolec's hardware has seen the benefits of its systems extend beyond general earthworks and into more specialised area of ground engineering. Prolec offer both off the shelf packages and customised solutions ensuring a broad spectrum of customers can benefit from the technology.

Machine control, when used in ground engineering, is almost exclusively 3D, where a digital terrain map is loaded into the cab of the drilling or piling rig. This DTM contains all of the information relating to pile position including X and Y, and in some cases Z for elevation. The system uses GNSS positioning equipment to ensure centimetre accuracies can be achieved. In addition to the GNSS sensing technology, Prolec's AS8 sensors can be mounted on the mast of the rig to provide an accurate measurement of pitch & roll, which is equivalent to the verticality or slope of the pile or bore hole. Measuring the verticality allows extremely tight vertical and slope tolerances to be held.

Using machine control in these applications offers the following key benefits:

• Reduced site setting out - Each position does not need to be marked, so there is no requirement for additional personnel to guide the operator to the next position. These factors alone increase productivity and safety significantly.
• Traceability - After each pile or drill position is completed it is recorded fully, including the co-ordinates of the position and a time and date stamp. Data can be extracted and this can be used in conjunction with any as built data.
• Prolec have produced systems that have been utilised on a variety of drilling and piling equipment, including Continuous Flight Auger (CFA), driven piles and Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC). The systems have proved exceptionally valuable in marine piling applications.