Article published on ‘Macchine Edili’, September 2016.
DAT instruments dataloggers for a dam which is going to supply a small power station in Brezice, Slovenia
Brežice, East Slovenia close to Sava river, not far from Croatia. This region of ancient origin has seen the developing of a new field in order to build a dam. This structure has created a reservoir expansion for the river waters that are going to supply a small power station. Foundation works have been carried out with Casagrande C6 drilling equipment, which have built single fluid jet grouting piles that have created the dam cut-off.
DAT instruments contribution
In this contest, the cutoff is very important for the dam duration over time. Avoiding infiltrations of water under it, it is possible to avoid dangerous material exportations. Everything is based on a fundamental: piles homogeneity and verticality.
“The inclinometer on the mast –Daniele Dal Boni, DAT instruments installer technician, explains us – helps the operator on positioning the machine, it let save time and it assures that, during drill and jet, there will be no inclination changes. These changes are often due to an excess in feed force during drilling phase or during pile execution. In addition to that, step parameter programming, thanks to DAT instruments JET 4000 AME / J – MDJ datalogger, assures step repeatability and so pile interruptions, caused by a decreasing cement pressure or flow, can be avoid”.
It is possible to assure a correct pile execution and it is helpful in order to check consumption measuring the injected cement. Final reports underline work time of any single phase and any possible dead time. Thanks to DAT instruments datalogger and sensors, it is easy to justify the daily production going beyond the simple pile counting.
This system is very important not only for the operator or for the executing company but also for the Construction Supervision. The datalogger let you save time even during installation. Dal Boni continues: “On a classic drilling equipment such as a Casagrande C6, installation, tests and calibration take 10 working hours. After that, there is the instruction course for the operator that, usually, is carried out during the first day. Our technical support is assured till the moment the operator feels ready. After the technical training on the equipment, there is the training on data processing”.
And what about after sale support? No problem. In some occasions, during long lasting fields, the Construction Supervision asks for sensors and cables check-up, so DAT instruments technicians check them out and then issue the calibration certificate. After sales service is supported directly from DAT instruments headquarters via telephone, Skype and e-mail.
Evolving technology
JET 4000 AME / J – MDJ datalogger let display instantaneous and average values, graphics in function of depth and summary reports. Automatic start of the equipment when starting recording, automatic stop when reaching required depth, automatic management of step time of rod ascent, optional Automatic recognition of rod changing operation. Automatic recording stop. Via proper sensors it is possible to measure and record the following parameters: drill depth (JET DEPTH), feed force (JET FORCE), translation rod speed (JET DEPTH), boring rod rotation torque (JET TORQ), boring rod rotation speed (JET ROT), mast inclination on X and Y axes (JET INCL XY), cement pressure and flow, water pressure and flow, air pressure, rod rise step time, column legth, start and finish date and time and work duration.
A reliable and long-term technology (there are many DAT instruments datalogger all around the world that are even more than 10 years old), but continually evolving. “DAT instruments – says Amedeo Valoroso, CEO of the company – is always avant-garde and suggests updated solutions and instruments. Updates are available for not only new products but even for dataloggers already sold and working in fields. A good opportunity and a good advantage that let the companies, which have bought the datalogger even many years ago, to provide to their Construction Supervision complete and updated reports. In addition to that, it is possible to integrate other functions in an already bought instrument: DAT instruments supplies kits that let transform a datalogger for drilling into a datalogger for jet grouting or CFA”.
Following this continuous research, the Italian company has recently launched on the market a new software, called Easy DAT, which is going to substitute the JET S 104. The new software integrates all DAT instruments datalogger works and it is compatible with Windows 10.