Importance

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Abstract

Support members for heliostats (or other components installed in a field) can be hollow and thin-walled, for example, to reduce construction and/or material costs. However, such support members may be relatively fragile and susceptible to buckling or other damage when driven into relatively rocky and/or hard-packed soil using pile-driving. To avoid damaging the support members, the soil may be pre-conditioned to loosen the soil prior to insertion of the support member therein. An auger can drill a hole in the soil and then be reversed such that soil remains in and/or is subsequently re-introduced into the hole after removal of the auger, thereby leaving a substantially loosened column of soil in the hole. Vibration hammering can cause temporary liquefaction of the soil around the support member to insert the support member into the column of soil while reducing the potential for damage to the support member.

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First Claim