Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
PELLA, Iowa, February 28, 2017 – Vermeer has bolstered its industry-leading line of HDD tooling and accessories with the addition of the Silver Series drill rod. Building on the tradition of the acclaimed Firestick® drill rod, Silver Series drill rod gives contractors a quality aftermarket drill rod at an economic price.
“There are many similarities between Firestick drill rod and Silver Series drill rod, including the threading and column wall thickness, but there are differences that help us keep a lower price,” said Dave Van Wyk, senior director of Lifecycle at Vermeer. “Firestick drill rod is the industry gold standard, as it offers unmatched quality and steering performance meant for the biggest and toughest jobs. Silver Series drill rod is a close second in terms of performance, giving operators a solid, cost-effective option.”
Like other lower tier options on the market, Silver Series drill rod is composed of S135 common grade steel. But unlike others, it is threaded in the same state-of-the-art facility and subject to the same rigorous quality inspection process as Firestick drill rod.
In addition, Firestick drill rod and Silver Series drill rod have the same column wall thickness, which is thinner than some competitive drill rod options. Van Wyk said this is why Vermeer drill rod provides superior longevity and steering performance.
“Thicker column walls, while cheaper to manufacture, require more force to steer. That can put unbalanced stress on the connections and lead to premature thread wear and even joint failure,” said Van Wyk. “The Silver Series drill rod has the same wall thickness-to-connection strength ratio proven on Firestick drill rod.”
Silver Series drill rod is now available in four sizes: 1.66″ (4.2 cm), 1.9″ (4.8 cm), 2.06″ (5.2 cm), and 2.375″ (6 cm) for use on the D7x11 through the D24x40 S3 Navigator® HDD models, including all current and legacy models in between.
ABOUT VERMEER
Vermeer Corporation delivers a real impact in a progressing world through the manufacture of high-quality underground construction, surface mining, tree care, environmental and agricultural equipment. With a reputation for durability and reliability, that equipment is backed by localized customer service and support provided by independent dealers around the world. To learn more about Vermeer Corporation, products, the dealer network and financing options, visit vermeer.com,
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products
Congratulations to Benjamin Media on 25 years serving the trenchless and construction industry!
BMI currently publishes eight trade magazines: Compact Equipment, NASTT’s Trenchless Today, North American Oil and Gas Pipelines, Solar Builder, TBM: Tunnel Business Magazine, Trenchless Technology, Water Finance & Management and Utility Contractor. BMI is committed to online and interactive media by enhancing its print media with innovative and informative online content and mobile apps. In addition, BMI manages conferences and exhibitions across the United States — from the Trenchless Road Shows to NASTT’s No-Dig — and complements these shows with online webinar programs.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
GSSI, the world’s leading manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, will be showcasing its latest GPR technology at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017, to be held March 7-11, 2017, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Booth # S-62452. Technology to be featured includes the PaveScan® RDM asphalt density assessment tool, StructureScan™ Mini XT, and the UtilityScan® Pro utility detection tool.
The PaveScan RDM on display is an easy and affordable asphalt density assessment tool, ideal for uncovering problems that occur during the paving process, including poor uniformity and significant variations in density. PaveScan RDM helps avoid such premature failures as road raveling, cracking, and deterioration along joints. Seamlessly integrating with GPS systems, PaveScan RDM features a flexible, modular design that facilitates easy and efficient operation and data collection. It is available as a small, portable single sensor cart-based system or a three-sensor configuration using an extended cart or vehicle configuration. The system includes a cart, one to three sensors, a customized Panasonic ToughBook, Garmin Glo GPS, a concentrator box, and a variety of system accessories.
Also on display is the StructureScan Mini XT – the newest generation of GSSI’s popular all-in-one concrete inspection GPR system. Rugged, compact, and flexible, StructureScan Mini XT is a good choice for locating rebar, conduits, post-tension cables, and voids. The Mini XT can help identify structural elements, including pan deck and concrete cover, and can also provide real time determination of concrete slab thickness. The integrated concrete inspection tool comes with an antenna, positioning system, and control unit combination. Also on display with the StructureScan Mini XT is the new LineTrac™ XT accessory, which helps locate specific power sources in concrete, including AC power present in conduits.
Drop by the booth to see the UtilityScan Pro, the latest addition to the company’s popular UtilityScan GPR product line. UtilityScan systems are the industry standard for efficiently identifying and marking the location and depth of subsurface utilities, including gas, sewer, and communication lines. Featuring the SIR 4000 control unit, the UtilityScan Pro delivers the configurability and flexibility to address a wide range of utility applications. This advanced GPR system is ideal for locating gas, communications, sewer lines, and other metallic and nonmetallic targets, including underground storage tanks and PVC pipes.
About GSSI
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the world leader in the development, manufacture, and sale of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, primarily for the concrete inspection, utility mapping and locating, road and bridge deck evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology markets. Our equipment is used all over the world to explore the subsurface of the earth and to inspect infrastructure systems non-destructively. GSSI created the first commercial GPR system nearly 45 years ago and continues to provide the widest range and highest quality GPR equipment available today.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless projects
The Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA) 2016 Project of the Year: Environment, Greater than $50 Million Category was awarded to project owner, Regional Municipality of Halton along with lead consultant, Dillon Consulting Limited, consultant, R.V. Anderson and contractors; Dibco Underground Ltd and Varcon Construction Corporation for the Boyne Trunk Sanitary Sewer project. The awards luncheon was held on January 26 during the 2017 OPWA Annual Conference.
The South Halton Water and Wastewater Master Plan Update identified the need for a trunk sanitary sewer that could provide service for approved growth and future development within the Halton region. Dillon has been assisting Halton with contract administration and field services during construction starting in January of 2014 through July of 2016.
Congratulations to Halton Region Project Manager and NASTT Board Member, Brenda Kingsmill, and the rest of the crew on the success of such a large undertaking!
Blog, Industry News, trenchless projects
Rock Machine surmounts challenges on High-Cover Los Condores HEPP
Project officials and Robbins team members celebrate the impending launch of the Double Shield TBM on 10.4 km (6.4 mi) of tunnels for the Los Condores Hydroelectric Project.
Chile’s Los Condores HEPP is a high cover, hard rock challenge, with 500 m (1,640 ft) of rock above the tunnel and a high-altitude jobsite 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level. As of January 2017, a 4.56 m (15.0 ft) Robbins Double Shield TBM had completed boring its 900 m (2,950 ft) long access tunnel and was well on the way to boring the first section of headrace tunnel. The machine embarked on its journey on May 27, 2016, and has since excavated over 1,300 m (4,270 ft) of tunnel in total.
The journey to machine launch was an arduous one, requiring shipment of TBM components and vehicle transport on unpaved, mountainous roads. Contractor Ferrovial Agroman is responsible for the intake tunnel at the Los Condores Hydroelectric Project, and was well aware of the challenges associated with machine launch: “The location of the work is a big constraint due to its rugged terrain and geographical location in the Andes. With all this, we are anxious to perform work in an efficient manner,” said Pello Idigoras, Tunnel Production Manager for Ferrovial Agroman.
As of January 2017 the Robbins TBM had completed the 900 m (2,950 ft) long access tunnel and was boring its first section of headrace tunnel at rates of up to 25 rings per day.
The jobsite, located 360 km (224 mi) south of Santiago, Chile, is part of a new 150 MW power plant and intake tunnel. The Robbins Double Shield TBM is boring two sections of the intake tunnel, the first measuring 6 km (3.7 mi) and the second measuring 4.4 km (2.7 mi). A section between the two tunnels will be excavated by drill and blast to connect them, making the intake tunnel about 12 km (7.5 mi) in length. “This project brings an increase in energy production in the country, thus contributing to the overall improvement in the welfare of its citizens,” said Idigoras of the effect the completed hydropower project will have on surrounding areas.
The tunnel, located in the mountainous Maule Region of Chile, is being bored in two types of rock: sedimentary and volcanic. The rock has been tested at strengths up to 100 MPa (14,500 psi) UCS, with at least two fault zones—the first of which has already been traversed in rhyolite, andesite, tuff, and breccia. For Idigoras, the conditions are well-suited to Double Shield tunneling: “We have good quality medium to hard rock for Double Shield excavation overall,” he said. Despite that, some areas of challenging ground persist. To cope with the conditions, including steadily increasing water inflows at rates of up to 3,500 l/min (925 gal/min), the contractor is utilizing cementitious grouting and chemical grouting with polyurethane and foam. Such ground conditioning techniques were anticipated and the Robbins Double shield was designed to effectively apply these techniques.
The challenging launch of the Robbins TBM at the remote jobsite 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level.
As the TBM excavates, it is lining the tunnel with 250 mm (10 in) thick, 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long concrete segments in a 4+1 arrangement. The machine is currently progressing at a rate of up to 25 rings per 20 hours of boring. Crews are operating in two 10-hour shifts with one 4-hour shift dedicated to maintenance. Idigoras sees the TBM performance and completion of the access tunnel as huge project milestones, though much work remains to be done. “After many months working in engineering, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning, we are proud to see this result. It would be impossible to name all the people who participated in this project thus far but they, as a whole, have managed to get the TBM started digging and boring well.”
Blog, Industry News
You are invited to submit a paper for the ASTT’s 12th No-Dig Down Under Conference and Exhibition, which will be held on the Gold Coast from 12-15 September 2017.
Share your knowledge and experiences with Australasia’s Trenchless Technology leaders.
The Call for Papers closes on Wednesday 15 March 2017. All eligible abstracts will be reviewed by a program committee for inclusion in the final conference program.
Papers covering any of the following topics are welcome:
- horizontal directional drilling (HDD)
- pipe jacking
- microtunnelling
- pipe ramming
- design
- training
- new technology and equipment
- cured in place pipe (CIPP)
- grouting
- slip lining and spray lining
- spiral wound pipe
- training
- new technology and equipment
- utility location.
Submit your paper online today!
Abstracts should be:
- In English
- Relevant to the themes of the event
- Accompanied with a biography on the presenter
For more information visit the event website: www.nodigdownunder.com
PELLA, Iowa, February 28, 2017 – Vermeer has bolstered its industry-leading line of HDD tooling and accessories with the addition of the Silver Series drill rod. Building on the tradition of the acclaimed Firestick® drill rod, Silver Series drill rod gives contractors a quality aftermarket drill rod at an economic price.
