Industry News, trenchless people
Robert H. Westphal
5/4/1944 – 3/31/2020
A memorial service celebrating the life of Robert H. “Bob” Westphal will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, at Faith Lutheran Church in Fond du Lac, WI.
Bob passed away on March 31, 2020. He is remembered for his many contributions to Michels Corporation, and to the pipeline and trenchless construction industries. An industry icon, Bob devoted 55 years of his life to Michels.
A memorial service remembering the life of Bob Westphal will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, at Faith Lutheran Church, 55 Prairie Road, in Fond du Lac, WI.
Friends and family are invited to attend the service. Based on current rules for public gatherings, masks will be required. Bob’s family will meet with guests immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to The Robert H. Westphal Memorial Scholarship Fund. To contribute, send checks to Michels Scholarship Fund, Attn: Nate Redig, P.O. Box 128 Brownsville, WI 53006. Enter Robert H. Westphal Memorial on the memo line.
Memorials may also be sent to Faith Lutheran Church and School, 55 Prairie Road, Fond du Lac, WI 54935 in memory of Bob.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
October 2020—Crosslink Technology Inc. has developed PIPE (Pressure Infused Protective Epoxy) Cure, a fast, easy, and cost-effective way to completely rehabilitate the inside of underground pipes, specifically laterals.
PIPE Cure provides a less destructive and less costly alternative to digging out underground pipes for repair, and it also provides unique advantages over the traditional CIPP (Cure in Place Pipe) restoration products.
While CIPP is a widely used trenchless technology, it can use unsaturated styrenated polyester resin, which may give concern to volumetric shrinkage, odor, adhesion/strength, and sensitivity to temperature.
Crosslink Technology Inc.’s PIPE Cure has been formulated to have:
- Excellent strength and adhesion (flexural modulus of over 500,000 psi and flexural strength of 7000 psi)
- Exceptionally low linear shrinkage (0.0001 inch/inch)
- No odor
- Ability to cure in underground temperatures as low as 10°C/ 50°F (without a heat source AND regardless of the ambient temperature when it was mixed)
- Excellent wetting out of fiber in the liner
- Better health and safety rating than styrene
With Crosslink Technology’s PIPE Cure, you will get a safe, easy, budget-friendly cure for your underground pipe repair problems.
About Crosslink Technology Inc.:
At Crosslink Technology Inc., we deliver innovative thermoset solutions which make a real difference to our customers’ business. We produce a wide range of Epoxy and Polyurethane applications and Custom-cast Electrical components which lower processing costs, improve product quality, and boost profitability.
Since 1981, we have dedicated ourselves to staying on the leading edge of technical innovation, creating solutions tailored to customer needs and processes.
Today our dedicated and knowledgeable workforce produces applications embraced by companies in the United States, Mexico, Australia, and the Far East.
For More Information:
Christa Foy
Product Manager
Crosslink Technology Inc.
6380 Viscount Rd.
Mississauga, ON L4V 1H3 Canada
Cell: (437) 244-7620
Industry News, trenchless projects
Resilient TBM completes Bahçe-Nurdaği Railway
On July 24, 2020, a jubilant ceremony marked a milestone for southern Turkey’s arduous Bahçe-Nurdaği High-Speed Railway Tunnel. The first TBM-driven portion of tunneling using an 8.0 m (26.2 ft) diameter Robbins Single Shield machine is now complete. The 8.9 km (5.5 mi) long TBM tunnel was no easy bore, as it was excavated through some of the hardest and most abrasive rock ever encountered in the country.
“We are proud of the TBM crew who acted rapidly and were well organized to overcome the challenging ground conditions with a unique Single Shield TBM for the completion of the first tube of the Bahçe-Nurdağı Railway Project,” said Deniz Sahin, TBM Chief for contractor Intekar Yapi A.Ş.
Ground conditions during tunneling ranged from abrasive, interbedded sandstone and mudstone with quartzite veins to highly weathered shale and dolomitic limestone. The TBM encountered rock measuring between 136 and 327 MPa (19,700 to 47,400 psi) UCS. Water ingress with fines was expected in fault lines and shear zones affected by the East Anatolian Fault. “The TBM became stuck in three different fault zones, which we got through by building bypass tunnels. In smaller fault zones, we encountered excessive material flow and the TBM had to be stopped, while ground had to be stabilized with chemical injections while we cleaned the cutterhead,” said Sahin. Water inflows of 10 liters per second on average were removed using a dewatering system.
The majority of tunneling, said Sahin, was in metasandstone with quartz, with an average of 220 MPa (31,900 psi) UCS and a Cerchar abrasion value of 3.87. In such regions, the TBM’s 19-inch back-loading disc cutters had to be changed frequently and there was high vibration. Despite the challenges, Sahin was impressed by the machine’s overall capacity: “The Robbins Single Shield TBM’s motor power, hydraulic power and cutterhead torque were quite strong. The secondary ventilation and air suction systems inside the TBM were powerful. The connections between the gantries, scaffolding systems, walkways and working areas were good.”
The TBM ultimately achieved up to 456 m (1,500 ft) per month, a result achieved with the help of a Robbins continuous conveyor system for muck removal. “The electric motor and gearbox capacity of the conveyor system was quite enough for a 10 km (6.2 mi) tunnel and we had no failure on them. The conveyor performed well even under excess material and the whole system was quite robust,” said Sahin.
The owner, Turkish State Railways Directorate (TCDD), is aiming to overhaul the railway connection in southeastern Turkey by providing a shorter, faster route in one of the country’s busiest railway corridors. The new rail line between the towns of Bahçe and Nurdağı includes two parallel 9.8 km (6.1 mi) tunnels being excavated by both NATM (850 m / 0.5 mi) and TBM (8.9 km / 5.5 mi).
Image 1: Contractor Intekar Yapi A.Ş celebrated the breakthrough of the Robbins Single Shield TBM on July 24, 2020 in southeastern Turkey.
Image 2: The Robbins TBM bored an 8.9 km (5.5 mi) long tunnel through some of the hardest rock in Turkey, measuring up to 327 MPa (47,400 psi) UCS.
Image 3: The new rail line between the towns of Bahçe and Nurdağı includes two parallel 9.8 km (6.1 mi) tunnels being excavated by both NATM (850 m / 0.5 mi) and TBM (8.9 km / 5.5 mi).
Image 4: The Robbins TBM excavated interbedded sandstone and mudstone with quartzite veins, highly weathered shale, and dolomitic limestone using back-loading 19-inch disc cutters.
Industry News, trenchless people
CEO, second-generation owner, Dan Liotti announces retirement
Greenfield, Indiana — August 25, 2020 — Midwest Mole Inc., a premiere specialty underground contractor providing boring, trenchless tunneling and directional drilling services throughout the Midwest and beyond, has announced that CEO and second-generation owner Dan Liotti is retiring.
Ownership of the family business founded in 1982 by Len Liotti will be transferred to an Employee Stock Ownership, in which the company’s employees own shares. “It’s 100% employee-owned,” states Jason Miller, president. An ESOP is a kind of employee benefit plan, similar to a profit-sharing plan, providing advantages for growth and employee retention without alteration of the management structure.
The change of ownership is expected to be a seamless transition for clients and vendors, as the company continues to focus on providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly trenchless solutions, working safely and creating a welcoming work environment.
Midwest Mole is considered a trenchless technology expert, tunneling under highways, railroads, buildings and airports on municipal and private sector projects, operating as either prime contractor or subcontractor. The majority of their work involves utilities or sewer, stormwater and water pipes.
To reflect these changes, Midwest Mole has refreshed its goals and mission statement and adopted new branding, which includes an updated logo and visual identity. The employee-owned company remains committed to long-standing industry relationships and delivering quality work in the demanding world of tunneling, building on their decades of experience to expand services geographically as part of their plan of growth for the future.
For more information, please contact David Howell at david@midwestmole.com.
trenchless people
In May of 2020 the trenchless community lost one of the pioneers of the horizontal directional drilling industry. Ron Halderman will be remembered as an innovator and visionary.
Ron graduated from the Colorado School of Mines and worked in the drilling industry for over 35 years.
“HDD was not created to fill a need. It was created to fill a desire to provide an alternative methodology. New innovations are sporadic and largely a surprise coming from innovative people. They will happen and the industry needs to be ready to use them. HDD was created by innovators. It still needs that attitude more than ever.” – Ron Halderman, P.E., Trenchless Technology HDD Guide Story, July 2014.
Ron had over three decades of design and project management experience in HDD projects, including design build and EPC delivery methods. He never stopped looking for a better way to serve his clients in the industry. A registered professional engineer, he held a degree in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and graduate studies from the University of Idaho.
Over the years Ron published many articles and presented numerous papers, including many “firsts” in this industry – first mile long drill, first drill under an airport runway, first mile-long drill in rock, as well as managed a number of award-winning projects across the globe. He held two HDD related patents entitled “Apparatus and Method for Recirculating Mud When Drilling under an Obstacle” and “Drilling Fluid Recovery when Drilling under an Obstacle or Water Body, with a third Patent Pending “Pulling Product Lines Underground Under Obstacles Including Water Bodies” He was the co-creator of thixotropic thermal grout (No-Set™) for high voltage electrical transmission systems (patent pending).
Ron was inducted into the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) Hall of Fame in 2015 for his contributions to the advancement of both the trenchless technology industry and the NASTT organization.
Ron served as Director of Special Projects for Mears Group. His integrity was highly regarded by his colleagues. He was also a beloved father, husband, son, and friend to many. His wife, Lynn, always present and supportive of his career can attest to his quirky humor, but also of his grounded stability and love for his family. Ron passed away May 29 in Billings, Montana after battling cancer.
Ron will be remembered in the industry for his passion and innovation.
Robert H. Westphal
