| Hammer
The Hydrohammer combines a solid one-piece ram with a fully enclosed hammer housing. The ram is guided by upper and lower oil lubricated bearings. The top of the ram is a piston working in a cylinder with compressed nitrogen.
The operation cycle starts with the lifting phase of the ram. Valve P (see the image above left) in the pressure line is open and valve R in the return line closed. When the pre-set stroke is reached valve P closes and R opens, thus allowing the ram to start its downward stroke. The ram is accelerated by the pressurized nitrogen above the main piston, giving the ram an acceleration of up to 2G, depending on chosen energy setting. This reduces the actual stroke and increases the blow rate of the hammer. After impact the cycle repeats.
Pile Sleeve
The pile sleeve is mounted in the bottom of the hammer (the red part on the figure). During piling the hammer with sleeve is placed over the pile. The sleeve incorporates an anvil plate (no. 13 in the sketch above) of steel which is in direct contact with the pile by steel piling or Polypenco by concrete piling. The anvil is hit by the ram whereby the energy is transferred directly into the pile. With a standard pile sleeve the hammer can operate free riding on steel piles - i.e. not leader guided.
Power Pack
The power packs are designed for driving the IHC hammers. By minor modifications they can drive other hydraulic equipment as well - for instance ICE vibratory hammers. Control Unit with pendant The control panel and its pendant controls and monitors the functioning of the hammer and its hydraulics. Important data as blow energy, blow rate, operating pressure, engine rpm and error detecting are displayed directly on the control panel. The control function comprises an automatic shut-off in case of errors in the piling process. Printer By installing a printer, piling reports can be printed out. These reports can contain project data, pile data, date and time, starting and stopping times, blow rate per 25 cm, average blow energy per 25 cm, number of blows per minute, total number of blows delivered, total energy delivered and error messages. Noise Reduction A new feature of the IHC Hydrohammer is its ability to fit a noise reduction package. This consists of a shroud around the hammer housing, the pile sleeve and below the anvil/helmet. This accessory has been developed in co-operation with the Dutch Research Institute TNO/TPD. Noise levels can be reduced down to less than 80 dB(A) at 7 meters. | 
IHC HYDROHAMMERS - APPLICATIONS
