In pile driving, a follower is a temporary extension that bridges the gap between the pile head and the hammer when the pile head is inaccessible, either due to being submerged underwater or positioned below the reach of the hammer. During construction, the piling frame and hammer are typically set up at the existing ground level, not at the base of the pile caps where the H-piles are designed to terminate.
If piles were driven directly from the ground level, a significant portion of the H-pile would be wasted and would need to be cut off later when constructing the pile caps. To avoid this wastage, pile followers are employed. They act as intermediaries, transferring the hammer’s impact to the pile head while allowing the pile to be driven to its intended depth. After the pile is driven, the follower can be easily removed, leaving the H-pile at the correct level for the pile cap construction, thus eliminating unnecessary material waste and optimizing resource utilization.