Sheet piling installation with Sennebogen

Dutch concrete structure and foundation work specialist Heibedrijf M. Kool used its 70 tonne capacity Sennebogen 673E telescopic crawler crane to install sheet piles for the construction of a new pumping station in the Westland region of the western Netherlands for Dutch general contractor Vobi. A key challenge was that the sheet piles needed to be installed underneath the path of a powerline, which limited the working height available.

To carry out the job Heibedrijf M. Kool used its 70 tonne capacity Sennebogen 673E crawler crane. According to Sennebogen the crane’s full-power boom, which can extend and retract steplessly even under full load, allowed Heibedrijf M. Kool to move the crane into the exact position required.

Safety was enhanced through the use of the crane’s Virtual Wall function which alerted the driver if the telescopic boom was to leave a predefined area and go too close to the power line. In addition, the screen in the cab informed the driver about the exact position of the boom.

For safety the sheet piles were installed in segments and welded together on site. To ensure that the necessary stability was guaranteed, four- and five-segment panels were placed alternately so that the weld seams of the interconnected walls were offset.

The crawler was also used for all lifting operations on the construction site, even in areas with slopes of between two to four degrees.

For the foundation work Heibedrijf M. Kool used the 673E’s optional second winch. This allows a 4,000 kg hydraulic vibrator to be lifted with the main winch, while at the same time the second winch can be used to lift the sheet piles. Both main winches have a pulling force of 50 kN (fourth position) and a rope speed of up to 115 m/min. The vibrator is finally used to drive the elements into the ground and support the future construction. Good stability with low ground pressure is provided by the 6 metre long and 700 mm wide crawler tracks, which can be telescoped to a maximum track width of 4,800 mm.