TEI Rock Drills
Leaders in Drilling Attachments and Limited Access
2010 Titan, Hollow Bar School another success.
Each year in June TEI takes three days to hold a school for the installation of the popular hollow bars. This year was no exception as 22 people headed to Montrose, Colorado to teach and learn about this great foundation product.
All attendees were pampered as usual by the staff at the Holiday Inn in Montrose; this has always been our host hotel and we're always glad to come back. Karen Fox and her staff never disappoint our guests.
New this year we held the class work at TEI's warehouse. It was an unexpected bonus, during any presentation it was possible to stop the discussion and take the entire class outside to look at exhumed piles, a piece of equipment, an existing micropile or whatever the discussion required. Everyone in attendance agreed that this was better than holding the class work at the hotel. TEI will be looking to make this an even better arrangement in the future.
Everyone that wanted was able to try his hand at installing a hollow bar. Grouting was as usual the most difficult part of the operation but in the end we all had a good experience. The class also installed three micropiles that will be used in a lateral test during this fall's Open House.
Not all piles put in the ground during the school used grout. On Thursday morning we tested driving a pile used by Hilti for the installation of Solar Panels. Not to worry the TE550 hammer pounded it into the ground in less than 15 seconds. TEI is starting to work with the solar industry and we were very happy to have a few representatives' attend this year's school.
Courses were taught in load calculations, testing techniques, installation methods, and grouting. Instructors included Dan Mclean, Contech Systems, Bill Patterson, TEI Rock Drills, Jeff Tulley, Earth Contact Products and more. Terry Brunel, Mountain Highwall, and Kyle Vanderburg, Mays Construction, both local contractors gave case studies on some of their local projects. On Thursday afternoon the entire class was able to visit one of Terry's job sites to watch the installation of some Titan bars in real time.
Of course the most valuable item that attendees come away with is the camaraderie they get with their fellow contractors during the school. Many friendships and business relations are made at TEI, and we are proud to help our customers work together at being profitable with TEI equipment.
Click here to see pictures of this year's Hollow Bar Installation School.
TEI Awarded Patent on New Line of Drifters
The new series of drifters from TEI provides an internal dampening of the piston. This is a completely new way of thinking about how to deal with the problem of free oscillation of the hammer piston.
Rather than using an external dampening which, only absorbs the impact of the piston, and wastes energy, the TEI hammer changes the stroke of the piston. This method saves the drifter from self-exploding and huge parts orders.
The rear landing of the piston overlaps the cylinder bore to slow the shifting of the shuttle valve, which then will slow down the piston. This motion keeps the piston from reaching its power stroke when not engaged by the shank adapter or striker bar.
The internal oil passage from the forward oil compartment syncs with the trip point of the shuttle valve. This allows an internal dampening of the piston while the front of the piston is not engaged with the striker. A small amount of oil is transferred between the chambers to create internal dampening of the piston. This transfer compensates for the compression of the oil so that the high-pressure seals in the front of the piston are not destroyed by excessive pressure.
When the piston is engaged by the shank/striker it is moved backwards opening the fluid flow required to shift the shuttle valve, beginning the oscillation of the piston. In this position the piston reaches its power stroke for drilling.
The over lapping of the rear landing of the piston combined with the new internal bypass will make the drill much more user friendly. Because the piston cannot reach its power stroke without being engaged with the shank adapter the front seal life is also extended because of the limited compression of the oil while the piston is not engaged with the shank adapter.
Patent Claims; An internal hydraulic dampening system that automatically reduces the power oscillation of the piston when the shank adaptor is not in the power impact position.
So what does this mean to the drilling contractor?
- A more efficient percussion unit that does not waste energy/parts.
- Best drifter design on the market for "heavy handed" operators.
- Simple design, built for easy service and repair.
- Best method for installation of the hollow bar technology.