Working Platforms

Working platforms for piling rigs. Engineers always over design them, don’t they? They don’t need to be as thick as the Engineer’s design requires, do they?

No, and no, probably not in many cases.

The partial factors used in the commonly adopted BRE design approach for working platforms are not particularly onerous, so where are the inefficiencies?

The adopted failure mechanism is an issue for some, particularly in coarse soils, but that isa rather academic point.

The three key questions are –

-            What is the ultimate shear strength of the subgrade soil, has this been measured through loading an appropriately sized test plate to failure/yield?

-            What is the ultimate shear strength of the proposed working platform material, has this been measured?

-            What are the maximum applied loads from the piling rig, accounting for the design pile diameters and depths. Bear in mind that the manufacturer's rig loading sheet will often account for the largest and longest string of augers the rig can carry, and when installing piles at maximum extension. Some work might need to be done to establish an appropriate set of maximum pressures.

If you can answer all three questions above, and have used the data within the platform design, you can be satisfied that you have an efficient design.

Efficient working platform design requires an appreciation of all these factors, and more. At Suoloconsulting we have many years of experience designing working platforms in a range of ground conditions.

Come and speak to us at suoloconsulting@gmail.com

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