The head of D-Drill and Sawing’s North East branch had his orienteering and mountaineering skills put to the test as he completed the latest job as part of a new service on offer from the company.
D-Drill, which has offices right across the UK, has recently added pull-testing to its list of services where members of the team utilise specialist equipment to test the load bearing strength of fixtures and fittings.
It has proved to be particular popular with mobile phone mast installers which must ensure their bases and their fixtures can bear the weight of the structures that they will house.
D-Drill’s office in the North East of England, which covers contracts in Scotland, has seen the call for its pull-testing services grow over recent months and one particular installer of masts engaged the company on a job to the north east of Sterling, Scotland
This time, however, it wasn’t just the job itself that would provide a test – it was getting the equipment on-site that needed careful planning.
The client company had already set 12nr 32mm diameter Gewi bars into the rockface on the hill, setting them four metres into the ground using a specialised 100mm diameter rock drill attached to a JCB then setting in the bars with cementitious grout.
Andrew Bowen, the manager of D-Drill’s North East branch, would then carry out pull-testing after the grout was left for over seven days to ensure it reaches its curing strength, to check the bars could withstand the required Kilonewtons (kN) of force or applied load to ensure they were ready to accept the mast.
To do so, it would need a Hydrajaws Hand pump and cylinder heavy duty proof-tester (370Kn), transported to the location but, with no ordinary vehicle access, a tracked vehicle had to be utilised to transport the equipment – and Andrew – to the site.
Once there, Andrew applied the pull-tester to each Gewi bar. The Hydrajaws Hand pump applies pressure to the Cylinder positioned over the Gewi bars and is secured in place with washer and nuts pushing up a ram and then produces a reading on a digital gauge up to the required Kilonewtons as set by the client
Each individual test lasted around 30 minutes and the whole job was completed within a day – plus the time of getting to and from the location.
All 12 bars surpassed the required load bearing force, and, as D-Drill is an accredited tester through the Construction Fixings Association, it means the base and its fixtures are independently accredited and could be used immediately.
That meant the client could then place the phone mast onto the base via a helicopter!
Andrew explained: “We became accredited in 2022 to carry out pull-testing in this way and we’ve seen the demand for the service grow and grow.
“We had already carried out a job for this particular client and it’s always great when a customer returns. The fact that we can provide the service and offer independent accreditation means it removes a headache for the client.
“It wasn’t the easiest site to get to in this instance and we had to set up a vehicle track – similar to those that the army use – to be able to get ourselves up the hill and into the right spot.
“That was probably the most time-consuming part of the job!
“Once I was there, each bar needed to be tested and the 370 Kilonewtons they could withstand is basically the equivalent to 37 tonnes of force – so that is pretty substantial.
“Each one passed and it allowed the client to move to the next stage of installation which was to lower the mast onto the base via a helicopter. It is now in place and we’re really pleased to be able to add another in-demand service to the growing list of services we have to offer clients.”
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