3 Reasons You Should Use a Martello Low Headroom Piling Rig

3 Reasons You Should Use a Martello Low Headroom Piling Rig

A mini or low headroom piling rig represents the perfect boring tool for complex construction projects taking place in areas with headroom restrictions. In this handy article, we’ve put together a few reasons why you may wish to harness the Martello Piling Technique.

What Is The Martello Technique?

The Martello Technique involves the drilling of a short pilot hole and the installation of lead casing in the ground. Soil can then be excavated via the casing with help from a segmental Kelly bar which is built up in sections allowing the rig to operate in very low headroom but nevertheless excavate to great depths. Once the bore has reached the desired depth, the auger and Kelly bars can be removed to make way for concrete.

This technique is usually applied to projects which cannot accommodate large rigs, including jobs intended to strengthen the foundations of bridges and existing buildings. Martello rigs are compact enough to be used on basement and excavation projects, while their drilling components are robust enough to bore through stubborn obstacles and are able to utilise polymer or bentonite as borehole support fluids.

What Are The Benefits Of The Martello Technique And Low Headroom Rigs?

There are many reasons why you may wish to use a Martello low headroom piling rig, including:

1. Low noise and vibration

Using the Martello Technique, you can achieve relatively low noise and vibration levels, thus ensuring the impact on the surrounding environment and residents is minimal.

2. You have the freedom to install piles in restricted spaces

With a low headroom piling rig, you can form high-capacity, large diameter piles in confined spaces with low headroom either before or during the pre-demolition stage of a project. As such, you will not need to pre-demolish existing structures and can install piles in areas that would usually require the help of a rig weighing over 30 tonnes.

In fact, with a Martello rig, you can bore piles of 1050mm diameter to depths of up to 40m in only 3.5m of headroom.

3. Effective for removing obstructions.

Martello rigs are versatile and can be used to undertake a variety of excavation projects. The high lateral load capacity of these rigs allows construction workers to form contiguous and secant piled walls to suit a variety of applications. Meanwhile, their bearing capabilities are as much as 8,500kN.

Find Out More With Franki Foundations

Are you looking to make the most of the Martello Technique? Need help with your latest construction project? Franki Foundation is here to help. Reach out to one of our friendly team members for further information.