Austria-based Imeco, a leading distributor of European machines and equipment for infrastructure and civil engineering projects, is buoyed with the strong response it has received for its range of construction equipment at the last Big 5 show in Dubai and is looking to penetrate the buoyant markets of the Middle East.

“Some positive developments in the recent past has given the company a real boost,” says a company spokesman. “In a bid to offer the best machines and equipment to the market, the company has entered into agreements with a leader in telescopic equipment ABI, piling rigs expert Banut and foundation rig specialist Delmag, which will allow Imeco to offer a wider range of equipment and services in the Middle East,” he adds.
In addition, Imeco also offers diaphragm wall grabs and oscillators from Leffer along with anchor drills from Boart with Eurodrill rotaries and drifters.

Dewatering
In the Middle East, a dewatering system is often considered indispensable especially for the safe and proper execution of excavations which are more than 1.5 to 2.0 m – as in the case of trenches for sewer systems, micro-tunnelling shafts, foundations for buildings and bridges or underpasses.
“Electrical submersible pumps have often been found to be the most economical dewatering method in soils with very high permeability such as coarse sand or gravel,” says the spokesman. “Such pumps are installed in small pump sumps or in deep wells of 400 to 800 mm diameter made of closed bottom end, bridge-slot filters and riser pipes.
“Imeco offers a range of heavy-duty submersible pumps in capacities from 50 to 500 litre/sec and with a delivery head of up to 60 m, which are manufactured using high-grade steel alloys guaranteeing long life and little maintenance.
Suggesting a ideal dewatering system for the region he adds: “The vacuum wellpoint dewatering system is the most recommended especially for sandy and clayey soils and is therefore widely used all over the coastal areas in the Middle East. We use self-priming, trailer-mounted pumps with vacuum assistance, driven by diesel or electric motors with a discharge capacity of 120 to 600 cu m/h (discharge diameter 3 to 12 inches). In addition, Imeco also supplies high-pressure jetting pumps for installing the well-point filters as well as all required accessories such as filters and header pipes.
“Our heavy-duty submersible pumps with agitator in electric or hydraulic versions are available with a maximum discharge capacity of up to 1,100 cu m/h and is capable of discharging solids of up to 120 mm diameter. The pumps, which can be driven by any suitable power pack, can be used for small dredging projects (especially in connection with side-mounted hydraulic excavators) and where large quantities of liquids with or without solids have to be pumped.

Diaphragm walls
Imeco also offers a range of ground engineering equipment from Germany-based Leffer, which can help developers and contractors overcome one of the most acute problems faced in the region – parking – by constructing underground parking spaces with relative ease.
The mushrooming of high-rise buildings and apartment blocks in the region has put an enormous strain on existing parking slots increasingly forcing developers to opt for multi-storey underground car parking, says the spokesman.
The most economical and sometimes the only solution to creating manageable underground parking slots is by erecting diaphragm walls. Leffer is one of the world leaders in this field, offering mechanical and hydraulic grabs from 600 to 1,500 mm wall width in standard or heavy-duty versions and an open grab width up to 3,200 mm.
Leffer also provides measuring and control accessories to avoid deviation and rotation of the excavated panels. The company's product portfolio includes hammer grabs for circular piles, casing oscillators in short (for drill rigs) and long (for crane operation) versions as well as casing rotators.

Pile driving
Imeco offers a wide range of machines and equipment for driving and extracting sheet piles, H-piles and pipe piles using vibratory or impact driving techniques with hydraulic vibrators, hydraulic impact hammers and diesel impact hammers.
Mounting of pile drivers can be performed by the following methods, each having its advantages and limitations:
• Directly to the boom of a hydraulic excavator (Figure 1);
• To a fixed leader which is mounted to the boom of a hydraulic excavator (Figure 2);
• To the telescopic or fixed leader of a dedicated hydraulic piling rig (ABI or Banut) (Figure 3);
• To a hanging leader supported by a crawler crane (Figure 4); and
• Free suspended by the rope of a crawler crane (Figure 5).
Hydraulic excavator: Hydraulic add-on vibrators mounted directly to the boom of an excavator and operated by the hydraulic system of the base machine is the least expensive method for driving sheet piles and H-piles of 6 to 8 m length and offers great performance. However, the system requires a skilled operator.
Fixed leaders of up to 15 m mounted to the boom of a hydraulic excavator form an excellent base for guiding hydraulic vibrators and impact hammers as well as diesel hammers or auger drives, says the spokesman. The base machine should have an operating weight of 30 to 45 tonnes.
Hydraulic piling rig: Piling rigs with fixed or telescopic leaders are ideal for driving piles of up to 20 m length with hydraulic vibrators. The main advantages are excellent manoeuvrability, outstanding performance and unmatched piling precision with the least manpower, he claims.
Crawler cranes: Conventional piling rigs consisting of a crawler crane and hanging leader which guides vibrators or impact hammers offer versatile solutions for heavy-duty piling works, especially for combi walls, pipe piles and batter piles. Auger drives can be mounted too.
Rope-suspended pile drivers (vibrators and impact hammers) can drive everything, from small sheet piles to huge steel casings. If the crawler crane is already available the investment cost are reasonable and if there is no piling job the crane can still work a lifting device, he adds.
Imeco, which will return to the Big 5 show later this year, will also be participating at Project Qatar in Doha, Qatar, during May (1 to 4) and Rebuild Iraq in Amman, Jordan also in May (8 to 11).