The force in piling and ground improvement equipment

For over a century BSP International Foundations has been at the forefront in the innovation and manufacture of piling hammers and related equipment. During its 104 year history the Ipswich-based company has pioneered the development of steam, air and diesel powered hammers culminating in the introduction of its first hydraulic powered hammer in the 1980s.

Since then further development and technical innovation has resulted in the current range of its medium-duty CX and heavy-duty CG hammers which offer contractors a choice of models with ram weights ranging from 1.5 tonnes up to 40 tonnes. These hydraulic hammers, which can be crane suspended or leader mounted, have made significant production contributions on civil engineering projects on both land and offshore in many countries around the world. 

Typical examples of recent high profile projects involving BSP equipment include foundation work for the largest paper recycling plant in Europe at Kings Lynn in Norfolk for Palm Paper. To drive the cast-in-place 9,000 concrete piles required, the contractor purchased two of the company’s CX110 piling hammers.

A larger CG210 heavy-duty hammer is currently working on the resurrection of the massive Able Seaton Port on the River Tees at Hartlepool in County Durham. Able UK bought the 10 hectare dry dock in 1996  and is using the CG210 to drive the 1000 steel piles to depths of up to 30m to close off the entrance and for the foundations of a 308 metre-long quay. 

BSP Rapid Impact Compactors (RIC)

For more than a decade the Rapid Impact Compactor (RIC), developed and manufactured by BSP has become the preferred method for an increasing number of ground improvement projects around the world. In particular, the RIC has been successfully used in the Middle East to compact large areas of infill sites including the world’s largest petrochemical refinery at Assalouyeh on Iran’s Gulf Coast and the huge Ras Laffan port extension in Qatar.

RIC-Middle East, a contracting company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has recently purchased four RIC9000 units from BSP which have been delivered to Qatar, to work on the Cultural Village Project (CVP) in the West Bay area of Doha, the capital city. This 99 hectare area (245 acres) is being developed by the government of Qatar and will ultimately provide 40 different types of low-rise buildings built to reflect a historical and cultural theme.

What makes this project unusual is the scale and scope of the RIC treatment undertaken by the four BSP units. RIC-Middle East was initially contracted to treat 578,000m² of the sand and gravel fill at ground level. This ground, originally reclaimed from the sea some years ago, provides the base on which the CVP is to be built. The next phase is to raise the ground level in a succession of 4m lifts up to 30m height using granular fill imported from quarries across Qatar.

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