Abstract:
The European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC) and The Deep Foundations
Institute (DFI) have set up a Task Group to compile a Guide for Working Platforms. The first
edition of this Guide has been published in January 2020. The aim of the Guide is to provide
reliable methods for design, testing and verification of working platforms for construction
equipment, especially in the deep foundation industry where track loads can be excessive due
to the nature of its operations. The Guide has identified areas where knowledge is limited.
Actual track pressure and its distribution along the length of the tracks is still not well
researched. Current recommendation provided in EN 16228-1 are believed to be overly
simplified and may lead to conservative requirements for working platform thickness.
This paper presents results of a series of field tests where the actual track pressure of a large
drilling rig during operation was measured in real time together with the deformation of the
working platform. Embedded, distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) at different depths
throughout the platform allowed for a three-dimensional evaluation of the platform deformation
throughout the entire operation. Results will help to develop more reliable recommendations
for future safety requirements of working platforms for deep foundation equipment.