Nega-Shock improves vibratory piling safety
|
Earlier this week a device designed to minimise transfer of vibration from a suspended vibratory piling hammer to a crane had its first commercial use in Newcastle, known as a Nega-Shock, it is the product of 3 years of development by crane industry identities Pete Tighe (inventor of the Nega-Shock) and Darren Wright, who have patented the device worldwide and set up Nega-Shock Pty Ltd to manufacture and market it. |
|
The development was prompted by an incident involving a crane and a vibratory hammer some years ago, where a subsequent search around the world revealed other incidents but no universally accepted solution to the problem.
A further problem has been identified in this research, of the vibration causing problems with the display of the crane’s load computer and causing some operators to turn off the computer, either leaving the crane without overload protection or with a load cell used as a sub-optimal remedy for the problem.
The Nega-Shock device has been through several prototype stages to reach its current pre-production form. The aims set for the device, before it was released to the market, were:
• Substantially reduce the vibration spikes at start-up and shutdown
• Reduce vibration during steady state operation
• Be of robust construction so that they remain reliable and effective with prolonged use
• Be sufficiently compact and light that weight and height does not become an obstacle to their use
• Be simple to disassemble for inspection and repair where necessary
• Be designed in such a way that they are simple and cost-effective to manufacture, so that cost does not become an obstacle to their use.
Each successive prototype saw significant developments in one or more of these criteria, but it is only now that the developers have assured themselves that all criteria have been met, and the unit is ready for commercial use.
As part of the development, an engineer was engaged to undertake all design and calculations and an independent consultant engineer was used to test each prototype in a range of situations and evaluate the Nega-Shock’s ability to reduce vibration in each of those scenarios.
A pleasing result is that the highest vibration reduction (93%) was achieved in the most demanding real world application: a clear indicator that the device has been tuned for greatest effectiveness when it is required most.
Distribution arrangements have not been finalised. A more complete report on the Nega-Shock will appear in the July issue of Earthmover & Civil Contractor.
For more information visit: www.negashock.com
| Tweet |
Weekly Top Stories
- Auger Torque a hit at bauma 2013
- McConnell Dowell acquires Macmahon assets
- Capital works programs in the 2013-2014 budget
