Iraeta’s 6th 3,500kJ Pile Hammer Anvil Ring Successfully Offline

On October 25, 2022, an ultra-large anvil ring forging with a 7.6-meter diameter was shipped from Iraeta. This marks the sixth hundred-ton heavy-duty anvil ring manufactured by Iraeta since 2020, when it supplied the first such component for China’s first domestically developed 3,500kJ hydraulic pile hammer.

Large marine hydraulic pile hammers are critical for offshore wind and oil/gas platform construction. Due to the diameter mismatch between the hammer core and steel piles, an “adapter” called an anvil ring is essential for installation. Tapered in shape—smaller at the top, larger at the bottom—the anvil ring absorbs impacts from the hammer core and transfers energy to the pile, driving thousand-ton steel piles into the seabed to form a stable foundation for subsequent operations.

As a key component of marine hydraulic pile hammers, heavy-duty anvil rings are notoriously difficult to manufacture and have long lead times, with few domestic producers capable of production. In 2020, Iraeta collaborated with the Beijing Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering to leverage oveall rolling and near-net forming technologies, producing a 7.6-meter 3,500kJ anvil ring that set new domestic records for size and weight of similar components.

Anvil Ring for China’s First Domestically Developed 3,500kJ Hydraulic Pile Hammer

Compared with traditional open-die forging, overall rolling and near-net forming offer distinct advantages for ultra-large ring forgings with variable cross-sections: reduced forging allowance, improved material uniformity, higher production efficiency, and better material utilization. This approach shortens lead times for timely delivery, extends service life under harsh marine conditions, and lowers procurement costs—a triple-win for clients.

Today, Iraeta leads the large forging near-net forming sector, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and extensive mass-production expertise. The company’s processing capabilities reach up to 16 meters in ring diameter and 3 meters in height, setting benchmarks for heavy-duty ring forging manufacturing.