Like the 505 and 506, the Vulcan 512 (and the 508 and 510 that followed) was introduced to meet the demand for hammers which were lighter for the rated striking energy they delivered, and thus compete with the diesel hammers. Also like the 506, the 512 was first introduced in 1984, with the smaller models … Continue reading Vulcan 508, 510 and 512: Specifications and Information
The 506 was Vulcan's answer to contractors who were looking for a lighter air hammer to compete with the diesel hammers. First introduced in 1984, it fulfilled that purpose, albeit without some changes along the way (heavier duty base and eventually Vari-Cycle II.) It was successful with both steel and concrete piles, although its higher … Continue reading Vulcan 505 and 506: Specifications and Information
Above is a chart from 1965 of knockout rings for Vulcan hammers from the #2 to the 020/200C series. The knockout ring is, in some way, a short version of the capblock follower/shield for softer cushion materials. It replaces the integral ring which has been standard on Vulcan hammers. (Some explanation of both is here.) … Continue reading Knockout Rings, Large and Small
The durability and longevity of Vulcan pile hammer is something that is seldom replicated in just about any other manufactured product. Since pile driving is self-destructive on the equipment, this is a remarkable achievement, but it should be tempered by the fact that it's possible to render a Vulcan hammer inoperable by the way it's … Continue reading Vulcan’s Blow Count Specifications
The best known setup for pile driving equipment is a crane and a set of full-length (of the pile and hammer) leaders, attached to the crane in a variety of ways. But another alternative is to use a "stub" leader, i.e., one that is very short, and a template to align, position and guide the … Continue reading Driving Piles with Stub Leaders and a Template
The photo above, dating from 1949, shows a worker tightening the bolts on the connecting links of a Vulcan extractor to the top of a prepared sheet piling in preparation to impact the sheeting upwards and take it out. This photo was used for many years in Vulcan literature, including Vulcan Bulletin 71B. (Note: don't … Continue reading Vulcan’s Most Famous Sheet Piling/Extractor Photo
Above is a parts diagram for the Vulcan DGH-900 hammer, from the late 1950's. It's similar to the DGH-100 hammer. More information about these hammers is here. The complete Field Service Manual for both DGH series hammers is in the vulcanhammer.info Guide to Pile Driving Equipment.
For those of you who still have column keys on your Vulcan hammer, these are diagrams for setting them, from 1963. The cylinder keys are shown above and the base keys are shown below. More on base column keys is here.
It's hard to imagine that much of our technology is underpinned by very old, basic standards that year after year simply "do their job" without much regard. One of those is tapered pipe threads. This is a brief overview of same, and specifically the "National Pipe Taper" or NPT threads. Much of this material comes … Continue reading An Overview of Tapered Pipe Threads, and Their Application at Vulcan
For the last of the “Pile Buck Ads,” a photo of the Vulcan 530 hammer is featured in offshore stub-type leaders. The 530, introduced in 1978 for driving pipe piles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, was and is used in a wide variety of pile driving projects. In this case it’s shown to be […] … Continue reading Pile Buck Ads 5: Vulcan 530 in Offshore Leaders — vulcanhammer.net
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