Case Foundation Saves Full Week Using Dawson HPH6500 On State Place Project

Case Foundation Company, operating a Dawson HPH6500 double-acting, hydraulic impact hammer system, at State Place Condominiums in Chicago's south Loop area.

Every project has its own unique challenges. At State Place, a combination mid- and high-rise condominium in Chicago, Case Foundation Company faced one key hurdle: the existing site conditions. The solution: Dawson's HPH6500 hydraulic-impact hammer.

The problem was that the site contained existing structures with basements extending to 30 feet below grade. During demolition, those structures were crushed and used as backfill in the basement areas. Underlying the rubble fill was soft Chicago silty clay from 30 to 60 feet and then stiffer silty clay to limestone bedrock, which was approximately 80 feet below street grade.

"A large diesel hammer would have provided sufficient energy to drive high capacity piles; however, control problems would have been encountered - especially with the widely varying densities in the subsurface conditions," explained the project manager, Dhooli Raj. "We selected a hydraulic hammer for this project to give our operators control over the driving energy when going from the upper fills at 30 to 80 blows/foot to the soft clay at less than 5 blows/foot."

Case Foundation used a Dawson HPH6500 in their fixed lead system. The 6500 is a very fast-hitting, double-acting hydraulic hammer delivering 80-120 blows per minute. With a rated energy of 47,000 ft-lbs, it is capable of driving high capacity piles to rock. Moreover, the output energy is infinitely adjustable, allowing the hammer performance to be fine-tuned to match the pile type and the soil conditions.

"We were very pleased with the Dawson," Raj commented. "The hammer performs consistently and averaged about 100 bpm during our project." By using the HPH6500, Case Foundation was able to drive straight through and get the production they needed.

"The combination of the Dawson's reliability and Hammer & Steel's support saved us a lot of time," stated Raj. "Hammer & Steel provided startup assistance and timely technical support," she recalled. "We finished work a week ahead of schedule, primarily because of the hammer."

Call Hammer & Steel today for more information on the HPH6500.

Company Headquarters	Branch Offices
11916 Missouri Bottom Rd. St. Louis, MO 63042 Ph: 800.325.PILE (7453) Ph: 314.895.4600 Fx: 314.895.4070	Benicia, California Ph: 877.224.3356 Boston, Massachusetts Ph: 508-888-3314	Green Cove Spring, Florida Ph: 904.284.6800 Houston, Texas Ph: 281.852.1136	Kansas City, Kansas Ph: 913.681.9295 Vancouver, Washington Ph: 425.296.4518	Minneapolis, Minnesota Ph: 952.469.6060