Mastering Depths at BNSF Vader
The BNSF Vader Project in Castle Rock, Washington, provided an opportunity for Malcolm Drilling to showcase its unique skill set and vast capabilities. Tasked with installing 10-foot diameter drilled shafts up to 200 feet in depth, each with a 15-foot deep rock socket, into basalt with an unconfined compressive strength of up to 40,000 psi. The permanent casing had to be installed by one of Malcolm’s oscillator machines without vibration due to the close vicinity of an existing BNSF railroad bridge. Rock drilling was performed by the Liebherr LB44 rotary drilling machine using rock augers, buckets, and core barrels. Increasing the difficulty of the project, all of the work had to be completed from a work trestle. Despite all the challenges, the project was carried out professionally and on time.
