Welcome to vulcanhammer.info, the site about Vulcan Iron Works, which manufactured the durable air/steam line of pile driving equipment for more than a century. Many of its products are still in service today, providing reliable performance all over the world. There’s a lot here, use the search box below if you’re having trouble finding something. Also look at the end of an article, there are helpful links to more information with every post.
Vulcan 030 and 330 Hammer: Specifications and Information
The Vulcan 030 was an extension of the 020 with a longer, heavier ram. It was first designed and built in an onshore version with the same 37″ jaws as the 020. A general arrangement is below.
The onshore 030 found itself on many interesting projects, such as the replacement of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge between St. Petersburg and Bradenton, FL, after it was hit by a ship and fell into Tampa Bay.
Like the 020, the 030 went offshore, too. The first offshore 030 was built for H.B. Fowler in 1965; a general arrangement is shown below.
The original offshore Vulcan 030, built for H.B. Fowler in 1965 and J.H. Pomeroy in 1967. Note the column keys that hold the hammer together; they were replaced by cables, as keys were hard to maintain in the punishing offshore environment.
Equipped with cables and (after the first three) a 22″ ram point (the first three had a 21″ one,) the offshore 030 was used by contractors such as Northwestern, Dragados and Fluor.
Vulcan 030 driving piles wild in Southern Louisiana. Driving piles wild (without leaders) wasn’t Vulcan’s favourite way of seeing its hammers being used but, given the right pile, a skilful crane operator and a conscientious contractor, it can be made to work.
A Vulcan 030 secured for rail shipment. Rail shipment was common in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but the railroads’ concentration towards containerised and bulk freight from the 1980’s onward made the shipment of hammers impractical. The hammer had to be well secured to the car; rail car handling can be rough.
Like parent, like child, but the size is reversed: a Vulcan 030 single-acting offshore hammer and a Super-Vulcan 30C hammer, side by side, at the plant in Chattanooga. Note the constructional similarities.
A Vulcan 030 driving pipe piles in northern Italy for Pali Trevisani, the Italian contractor. The 030 here is in reality an offshore hammer adapted for onshore use. In typically European style, the hammer runs in front of the leaders in what Americans might call an outboard extension. These photos found their way onto the Vulcan Onshore Tips.
A Vulcan 030 driving pipe piles in northern Italy for Pali Trevisani, the Italian contractor. The 030 here is in reality an offshore hammer adapted for onshore use. In typically European style, the hammer runs in front of the leaders in what Americans might call an outboard extension. These photos found their way onto the Vulcan Onshore Tips.
In its later specification sheets Vulcan listed a Vulcan 330 hammer, but it is essentially the same as the 030, and was not built. General arrangements and specifications are below.
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