First PDM³ field trial undertaken successfully.

The PDM³ underwent its first field trials on the 18th and 19th July. Callum Woodley, Project manager at the Swanson Dock West project in Melbourne Australia and his crew at Austral Piling, were very helpful and accommodating. Austral Piling run a 2nd generation PDM, and part of the project requirement is that every pile must be PDM monitored. Apart from testing the new PDM software, the new reflectors were trialed, and these worked extremely well. The new reflectors come on a roll, and a 1m length is applied along the pile axis. There is no longer any need to measure the distance to the pile, further saving time. The trials were a good opportunity to find and resolve some software issues. Julian Seidel will be returning to site in the next few weeks to trial the wifi and remote control system which will allow the PDM monitoring to be fully conducted from the crane cabin. The new gyroscopic isolation system for use on floating barges will also be tested in the next few weeks.

Thanks to all the crew at Austral Piling and the Keller Group for their enthusiastic support and assistance.