The extension of Munich’s U5 underground line from Laimer Platz to Pasing is one of the city’s most important infrastructure projects, with major challenges due to the size and depth of its foundation work.
Construction company Max Bögl is using the Liebherr LB 55 drilling rig with the Kelly drilling method to install 1,400 cast-in-place secant piles. Each pile measures up to 1,500 millimetres in diameter and reaches depths of up to 50 metres. The rig’s rotary drive provides 550 kilonewton-metres of torque to handle the demanding application.
“We decided in favour of the LB 55 due to its outstanding performance. It is flexible and can be assembled and disassembled quickly. It makes our daily work on the jobsite much easier, especially when installing bored piles with large dimensions. The new machine enables us to complete even demanding jobsites efficiently and reliably,” said Robert Geitner from the deep foundation fleet department at Max Bögl.
Robert said Liebherr’s responsive customer service, which quickly implements service requests and suggestions for improvement, is also highly valued by the company.
The LB 55 offers greater drilling power and depth than its predecessor, the LB 44. With an optional larger drilling axis, it can create piles with diameters of up to 3,000 millimetres for cased applications and 4,800 millimetres for uncased boreholes. The new model also achieves drilling depths of up to 120 metres with the Kelly method – 25 metres deeper than before.
Powered by a 565-kilowatt engine, 70 kilowatts more than the previous model, the LB 55 is designed for projects requiring large drilling dimensions.
Max Bögl and Liebherr share a long-standing partnership built on reliability, flexibility and innovation. These qualities are especially important on complex projects such as the U5 extension. The LB 55 meets high standards of performance, precision and sustainability through its range of drilling methods – Kelly, continuous flight auger and full displacement – and its compact transport weight and modern assistance systems that improve efficiency.