LRB 18 from Liebherr Proves Itself as Compact All-Rounder in Lucerne

In order to build residential and business premises in Lucerne a secant pile wall must be erected as a lining wall for the foundation pit and piles must be installed for the foundation. This has to be carried out in an extremely tight space. The Swiss company Birchmeier Spezialtiefbau AG decided to use the Liebherr piling and drilling rig, type LRB 18, to carry out the work. The machine is a real all-rounder and can be deployed for all piling, drilling and vibration applications. It convinces with its compact design and its low operating weight of only 50 t, which results in low ground pressure.

The LRB is fitted with a double rotary drive type DBA 80. Due to the extremely high groundwater level on the jobsite the double rotary drilling method is perfect for installing the piles, which have a diameter of 510 mm and a depth of 16 m. Despite the difficult conditions the Liebherr machine achieves several piles per day. The piling and drilling rig is being used in combination with a Liebherr concrete pump type THS 80 D. Furthermore, the construction company has already planned the newly designed vibrator type LV 20

The LRB 18 is fitted with a new cabin concept, which especially focuses on increased operator comfort. This is achieved through a modern air-conditioning system, an optimized view from the cabin, as well as an orthopaedic operator’s seat with automatic adjustment. The compact LRB 18 can be easily transported in one piece with mounted counterweight. This ensures quick set-up on site as well as flexibility in transferring the machine between different jobsites. Daniel Kunz, Director and co-owner of Birchmeier Spezialtiefbau AG emphasises the advantage of the compatibility with other Liebherr machines, “Since we already have a LRB 125 from Liebherr we can interchange the attachments quickly and so remain flexible.”