Screw Anchor Drives and Torque Monitoring Equipment
Screw Anchor Drives or Screw Piling Drives are designed to drive screw piles, also known as ground screws, into the ground. They utilise the machines power and hydraulic flow to provide the energy to turn the screw pile and the machines weight to push the screw pile down. Very similar to the way you would drive a metal screw into timber just on a larger scale. The process of installating screw piles is known as Screw Piling.
Screw Anchor Drives are available to suit a wide variety of machines including mini excavators from 1.7 tonnes, Mini Loaders, Skid Steer Loaders and Excavators to 50 tonnes. Ranging in torque values from 10,000 to 500,000 Newton metres of torque.
Torque Monitoring Equipment measures a variety of factors required to ensure that the screw piles are put in with the correct force and inclination.
Pressure Differential Gauge
To suit anchor drives (6,000 to 500,000 Nm).
The Differential Pressure Gauge uses transduces located within the screw piling drive unit to calculate actual pressure received to the power head. The calculation is achieved by measuring the pressure from the feed line and subtracting the back pressure in the return line.
The differential pressure is then displayed in the operator’s cab. The operator can cross reference the displayed figure with the supplied torque chart to determine the theoretical output torque of the drive unit. Pressure Differential Gauges are approximately 70% accurate in measuring the torque of screw piling.
Torque Hub
To suit anchor drives (13,000 to 95,500Nm) with 75mm or 100mm Square shafts sizes.
The Torque Hub measures actual live torque generated by the screw piling drive unit by way of a load cell. This converts the mechanical force into digital values that the operator can read and record through the wireless 7” (178mm) display. The display is connected via WiFi for a more reliable connection.
The Torque Hub is over 99% accurate, it also shows the inclination of the pile and allows the operator to manually add pile depth. The data is stored internally and can be exported by the operator to produce screw piling reports for engineers.
Torque Spool
To suit anchor drives (110,000 to 500,000 Nm).
Utilising the same technology as the Torque Hub, the Torque Spool has the load cell located between two flanges. This allows the operator to change the unit between different size output shafts and different drive tools avoiding adaptors and the need for multiple units.
The Spool uses the same 7” (178mm) display as the Torque Hub which is also connected via WiFi for a more reliable connection. The Torque Spool is over 99% accurate, it also shows the inclination of the pile and allows the operator to manually add pile depth. The data is stored internally and can be exported by the operator to produce screw piling reports for engineers.
Swoosh Valves
The Swoosh Valve (named because of the noise it makes) are commonly known as Energy Control Relief Valve or ECV. These are required to protect the gearbox of your screw piling drive. As you come to the end of a screw pile installation you will need to stop the screw anchor drive from driving. The force that it took to put the screw pile into ground will cause the screw pile to twist. This twisting motion, when the screw anchor pile stops rotating, will want to return the screw pile to its natural position and the force that is produced will try and make the gearbox turn in reverse. This is detrimental to you screw anchor drive. The ECV will 'blow off' this pressure and thus relieves the gearbox from undue stress.
Choosing a Screw Anchor Drive
There are many different screw pile sizes, different soil types and different engineering requirements for screw piling. Before choosing the screw anchor drive consider these requirements
Size and type of screw piles.
How many Nm of torque is required for the screw piles you wish to install. This is not the downward force that is required to hold up the building. It is the amount of radial force it takes to put the screw pile into the particular soil type or the refusal amount of torque this is required by the engineer.
Size and type of machine required to produce the amount of torque required.
It is also recommended to choose a screw piling drive that has at least 20% more torque than the maximum torque requirement for the application. This will ensure that you are not running the screw piling drive at its maximum capacity continually and will increase the longevity of the screw piling unit.
We are here to discuss your needs
An Earthmoving Warehouse representative is always available to discuss your screw anchor drive, screw piling and torque monitoring needs.
Note that Screw Anchor Drives are made to order.
Please feel free to call 0459 927 346.
MM14K Screw Anchor Drive on a Yanmar Vio17 - 1.7T Mini Excavator