Groundforce is relaunching its Single Slide Rail, Double Slide Rail and Pile Chamber systems in response to growing demand across the UK for faster excavation support solutions.
The re-introduction strengthens Groundforce’s ability to deliver a comprehensive excavation support offering alongside traditional sheet and frame methods.
The Groundforce Slide Rail System comprises a series of rails and struts that are combined to create H-frames placed across the excavation at intervals, with proprietary panels inserted between the frames to form the trench walls.
The struts, which provide lateral support, can slide up and down the rails to create large clearances for the installation of long pipes and other components within the trench.
Although it lacks the ability to support irregular-shaped excavations that are best supported by sheets and frames, the slide rail is often the ideal solution for projects requiring square or rectangular excavations where clearance and time is a priority.
For example, in a typical tank excavation, 12 trench sheets can be replaced with just one 6m slide rail panel, significantly reducing the installation time and therefore, site operational costs associated with it.
This reduction in the number of components speeds up installation time and significantly reduces the manpower and machine time required, with installation accomplished with smaller, lighter equipment.
Groundforce offers the slide rail in two configurations: the Single Slide Rail and Double Slide Rail.
The Single Slide Rail is ideal for open trench excavations where greater control is needed but the full deep-shoring support of a sheet-and-frame solution is not required. It can be used to support excavations up to 3.8m deep and between 1.24m and 6.24m wide. In applications, this allows a maximum under-strut clearance of 2.40m.
The Double Slide Rail is designed for deeper open-trench excavations where ground pressures, trench depth or surrounding infrastructure require a high level of temporary works control. It employs dual sliding struts to manage higher soil pressures while retaining the ability to create optimum working space for large-diameter pipes.
The Double Slide Rail will support excavations as deep as 7.60m with a working width between 1.24m and 6.84m. Maximum under-strut clearance is 5.10m.
With the Single and Double Slide Rail, panels are installed as excavation progresses, reducing exposure time and ground movement. The system’s close-fitting tolerances help minimise trench width, reducing spoil volumes and reinstatement costs.
The systems can also very easily accommodate changes in trench width or pipe diameter.
“The UK market has traditionally used sheets and frames to support excavations,” said Stephen Cooper, Sales Director of Groundforce Shorco. “However, with projects that require greater under-strut clearance and faster installation, the Slide Rail systems can offer a highly effective solution.”
The Slide Rail can also be used in conjunction with the Pile Chamber system, which complements its capabilities by enabling trench sheets to be driven vertically into the ground. This makes it an ideal solution where utilities intersect or tie-in, and where the installation of side panels is not achievable, providing a safe and fully-supported working environment.
The Pile Chambers offered by Groundforce are both compatible with the Slide Rail or can be used independently. The maximum system capacity, in terms of working load, depends on the combination of the panel, post and strut used.
