Our family business' first trip to the then Soviet Union was an interesting experience. Our objective was to sell the Soviets (as they were called then) our offshore pile driving equipment for their offshore oil production work. Their idea was to get us to sell their diesel pile driving equipment and other Soviet technology in … Continue reading Who’s this idiot? That’s me!
Author: Don Warrington
Vulcan #2 Hammer: Specifications and Information
The #2 was one of the earliest "Warrington-Vulcan" single-acting hammers to be produced. The first one was S/N 6, made for the Marquette, Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad Company. The general arrangement for the hammer is above. The first extant layout of the Vulcan #2 Hammer, dated 9 February 1887. It's probably the first extant layout … Continue reading Vulcan #2 Hammer: Specifications and Information
The Information Vulcan Requested for Driving Accessory Purchases
Below is a sheet showing the recommendations Vulcan made to its distributors in gathering information for driving accessories. Driving accessory orders were (and are) generally custom orders; knowing this type of information made it easier for Vulcan and its distributors to fulfil their customers' requirements. This sheet dates from the mid-1960's, after the executive office … Continue reading The Information Vulcan Requested for Driving Accessory Purchases
He is Prepared to Sign Anything
One of the most complicated transactions I have ever been involved in during my years at Vulcan was the purchase of the patent rights for a Russian concrete pile cutter (shown at left.) The patent had around a dozen inventors and two research institutes, spread out from Moscow to Vladivostok. The sheer logistics of getting … Continue reading He is Prepared to Sign Anything
Partying Like It’s 1987: Running WEAP87 and SPILE (and other programs) on DOSBox
It’s been a long time since many computers ran DOS or even Windows 3.1. Given the changes in hardware, it would be difficult to get most any recent PC to run one or both. Yet every time we have a major software upgrade, we lose some of the capabilities we had in the past. It’s … Continue reading Partying Like It’s 1987: Running WEAP87 and SPILE (and other programs) on DOSBox
What We Need is a Light Trailer
In 1967 Vulcan opened a fabricating facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Across the street from our new plant was “U and Me Transfer and Storage,” (see photo above) which we hired to move a lot of our machinery. We sent one of our supervisors to Florida to help set the shop up. The shop … Continue reading What We Need is a Light Trailer
Vulcan Hammers and the Gates Formula
For many years, Vulcan included Engineering News Formula charts and data in its literature. Vulcan dropped the EN formula out of its literature in the 1970's, for two reasons: the wave equation was in the ascendancy, and endorsement of the EN formula was an implied endorsement of the "bearing power" of the piles they drove, … Continue reading Vulcan Hammers and the Gates Formula
Visit to Zagorsk
In 1988, during Vulcan's first trip to the then Soviet Union, my brother Pem and I were given the chance to visit the Monastery of Trinity-St. Sergius, which was the administrative centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is located in the town of Sergeiev Posad, which was called Zagorsk during Soviet times. The trip … Continue reading Visit to Zagorsk
Anchored Sheet Pile Wall Analysis Using Fixed End Method Without Estimation of Point of Contraflexure
The monograph Anchored Sheet Pile Wall Analysis Using Fixed End Method Without Estimation of Point of Contraflexure, which appeared on this site very early in its existence (October 2007) has been very popular. The online routine described in the report, which you can use, is no longer available. The abstract for the paper is found here: … Continue reading Anchored Sheet Pile Wall Analysis Using Fixed End Method Without Estimation of Point of Contraflexure
Vulcan #1 Hammer in Ohio
Below are three photos taken of a Vulcan #1 hammer in Mentor, Ohio. It's in fixed leaders with a moonbeam-style spotter. The hammer was made in Chicago, which means that it's probably older than sixty years. Thanks to Ken Foster for sharing these great photos.
vulcanhammer.info 