A LB 28-320 rotary drilling rig for Yangon

A Liebherr LB 28-320 rotary drilling rig provides fast drilling for Yangon specialist foundations contractor Golden Tri Star Co. This forms the foundation for a new condominium that is being

A Liebherr LB 28-320 rotary drilling rig provides fast drilling for Yangon specialist foundations contractor Golden Tri Star Co. This forms the foundation for a new condominium that is being constructed on the west bank of Yangon’s Inya Lake. The leading Myanmar foundations specialist Golden Tri Star Co Ltd is using a Liebherr LB 28-320 rotary drilling rig to drill piles for a new condominium that is being constructed on the west bank of Yangon’s Inya Lake. The rig is owned by the contractor and was supplied by Octagon Automobile and Machinery Services Co, Liebherr’s distributor for Myanmar.

The project, Inya Lake View Residence, is one of a new generation of condominiums that is springing up as Myanmar emerges from its years of military rule. With a total of 26 storeys, and a two-level basement, the project is being built to a two-year schedule. Golden Tri Star has been the first Myanmar contractor to invest in Liebherr rotary drilling technology, and project manager Phyo Win Aung, who has worked with the machine on several contracts since it arrived in Myanmar, says that the speed and efficiency with which it works has given the company a competitive edge in the bidding for new projects.

The present contract is for four months, he says, and after that the rig is being moved directly to the Landmark development, one of the most high profile projects in Yangon that will see retail, residential and office space constructed around the heritage-listed Burma Railways building.

At Inya Lake View Residence, says Mr Phyo, the ground is extremely soft. The colonial British dug Inya Lake in the 1880’s as a reservoir, the site being chosen because it was marshy land fed by a number of streams. The lake, the largest in Yangon, is still a reservoir but is also a popular recreational area and is central to some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the city. A total of 206 piles, each of a diameter of 1.2 m, are being installed for the foundations, using the Liebherr LB 28-320. Golden Tri Star is also using a Liebherr R 906 excavator on the site.

The LB 28-320 has a high torque rating of 320 kNm and can drill down to 70 m. “We are using the Liebherr rig to bore down to a maximum depth of 59 metres,” says Mr Phyo. “The soil is mostly silty sand, with the ground water level at 12 m depth. We are taking no more than six hours to drill one pile hole with the Liebherr, which is considerably faster than the other machine we are using. In fact, the Liebherr is drilling the greater number of holes.”

After the pile holes are completed, the Liebherr R 906 excavator is used to tamp the pile casing into place. A total of 45 Golden Tri Star site personnel are working on the Inya Lake View Residence, and the contractor has two operators who are experienced in working with the Liebherr rig.