RTG Rammtechnik improves safety for sheet piling

RTG Rammtechnik

With its patented sheet pile assistant integrated in the vibrator, RTG Rammtechnik is introducing a new era of safety for the construction of sheet pile walls.

Usually, a sheet pile is attached to the vibrator with a chain, pulled upwards and then threaded into the grip by moving the vibrator downwards. 

During the process, the chain is loosened, with the sheet piles standing freely on the ground, which creates the potential for the piles to tip over before being threaded in. 

Thanks to RTG Rammtechnik’s new assistance system, it is now possible to safely thread a sheet pile into the vibrator by fixing a single or double pile in place between the ground and the assistant, thereby preventing it from tipping over. 

“Two factors play a role here: first, the increased safety on construction sites, and second, the time saved by eliminating laborious manual threading,” said RTG product manager Jonas Guettel.

The system has already proven effective in practice through multiple applications. For example, construction of an underground garage in Berlin last year, where an RG 19T with integrated sheet pile assistant was used. 

The contractor was tasked with securing a slope, and then later the excavation pit, using double U profiles with a length of 12 metres. The fact that an RG without assistant was initially used for this project, before commissioning of an RG 19T with the new system, means that a direct comparison was possible: threading in the sheet piles took just a fraction of the time that was previously required. The sheet pile walls only required slight preparation.

For another project in Karlsruhe, Germany, the sheet pile assistant also saved time and money, when double U sheet piles, with a length of 18 metres, had to be positioned for a new building complex with multiple underground floors. 

“During this project, the RG was operated by a highly experienced operator who was visibly impressed by the massive amount of time saved,” Guettel said.

RELATED: CZM adds long reach option to its EK65 model

RTG Rammtechnik has also introduced its Operation Remote Control, a first in the field of telescopic leaders. 

Using the new tool, which is available for all RTG equipment, the operator can control all functions externally – from setup and drilling to impact driving. In the process, the B-Tronic is displayed on the attachable touchscreen. 

“Using remote control, the entire set-up process can be carried out by a single person in just about 15 minutes,” Guettel said. 

The remote control makes one-person operation possible, resulting in considerable safety improvements, particularly on cramped construction sites. The sheet pile assistant can also be operated by remote control.

Thanks to the new auxiliary winch for RG telescopic leaders, working at heights, for example during assembly, is now a thing of the past. The fact the auxiliary winch is hydraulically adjustable means that a range of positions can be achieved, including three working positions and one transport position. With the new auxiliary winch, the load capacity can be increased to 8 tonnes, eliminating the need for additional lifting equipment.

“In all our new developments, we are careful to ensure that they are not only effective in practice, but also intuitive to operate,” Guettel said.

“The feedback we have received so far from operators after the first applications – some of them relatively new and some of them highly experienced – demonstrates that our innovations offer real added value in terms of safety and efficiency for the construction of sheet pile walls.”