Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
OKAHUMPKA, Fla., November 3, 2016 – Vac-Tron Equipment is excited to introduce a whole new line to their 
vacuum excavation equipment. It’s the new CV (Competitive Vac) Series. This series offers the performance you have come to expect from Vac-Tron Equipment while keeping the cost of operation to a minimum.
Standard equipment:
CV GT models: Powered by 27 HP Kohler EFI gas engine, 580 cfm @ 15 Hg, Wet/dry filtration with cyclonic separation, 500 or 800-gallon debris tank, 7 Series Claw Door, Hydraulic rear door with auto engage safety latch, 200 – 300-gallon water capacities, 3500 psi @ 4 gpm, Water knife and clean-up wand, 30’ x 3” vacuum hose.
CV SGT High CFM models: Powered by a 37 HP Kohler gas engine, 1000 cfm @ 15 Hg, Wet/dry filtration with cyclonic separation, 500 or 800-gallon debris tank, 7 Series Claw Door, Hydraulic rear door with auto engage safety latch, 200 – 300-gallon water capacities, 3500 psi @ 4 gpm, Water knife and clean-up wand, 30’ x 4” vacuum hose.
Optional reverse pressure is also available.
For more information about our CV Series, contact Vac-Tron Equipment at 888-822-8766 or visit us at www.vactron.com.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless products, trenchless projects
Swiftly-Assembled Machine to bore Emergency Water Supply Tunnel
After an Onsite First Time Assembly (OFTA) lasting just 2.5 months, Atlanta Georgia, USA’s newest TBM, dubbed “Driller Mike”, made its initial startup on October 13, 2016 and ramped up to full production two weeks later. Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed and city officials gathered with local and national media to celebrate the occasion. The 3.8 m (12.5 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM is now boring the 8.0 km (5.0 mi) Bellwood Tunnel after being walked forward 100 ft into a starter tunnel. The Bellwood Tunnel path will travel from an inactive quarry and run below a water treatment plant and reservoir before ending next to the Chattahoochee River.
The project was green-lighted by the City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management due to the city’s 
current emergency water supply shortage. The PC/Russell JV, the project’s construction manager at risk, sub-contracted with the Atkinson/Technique JV to operate the TBM and will oversee construction of various intake and pumping shafts as well as final lining operations. The project is of utmost importance for the City of Atlanta, explained Bob Huie, Sr. Project Manager for the PC/Russell JV. “Right now, the downtown area’s emergency water supply is approximately three days. With the tunnel the supply will increase to between 30 and 90 days. To be a part of the city’s emergency water supply solution is huge. This tunnel will protect the city for a very long time.”
With the tunnel on the fast track, swift TBM assembly was key. The OFTA process involved coordination by multiple
crews at the large quarry site. “The OFTA went very well. The overall assembly process was well organized and supervised by the Atkinson/Technique JV and Robbins. We had a good team of folks to put it all together,” said Huie. He continued: “This is a unique job where there’s a lot of people with a variety of backgrounds, but everyone came together to make the OFTA happen.”
The Robbins TBM is now excavating in granite, with at least 300 m (1,000 ft) of zones in three separate areas that will require continuous probing. In a section directly below an existing reservoir, monitoring will be particularly crucial to ensure no water inflows occur. The Robbins machine will also be required to negotiate several curves: “We have one curve in the first 300 m (1,000 ft) and the main 370 m (1,200 ft) radius curve is 1,800 m (6,000 ft) in. We plan to do short TBM strokes in this section—about 20 cm (8 inches) to 30 cm (1 ft) shorter than normal to get through the curves,” said Larry Weslowski, Tunneling Superintendent for the PC/Russell JV.
Excavation is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2018. After final lining, the tunnel will be filled with 
water and the quarry site will become Atlanta’s largest reservoir and park, totaling hundreds of acres. While the park site is a bonus for residents, the water storage capacity it will provide is critical. Nearly 1.2 million customers, including 200,000 passengers who pass through the world’s busiest airport every day, count on the water supply each time they turn on the tap. “If the city were to lose water supply for a day, the estimated economic impact would be at least USD $100 million per day. If you consider that this is a USD $300 million project, that seems a pretty good investment in comparison to what could happen,” said Huie.
Image 1: The Robbins Main Beam TBM, dubbed “Driller Mike”, was launched on Atlanta, Georgia, USA’s Bellwood Tunnel in October 2016.
Image 2: Robbins Field Service stand proudly in front of the completed Main Beam TBM after an Onsite First Time Assembly lasting just 2.5 months.
Image 3: The 3.8 m (12.5 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM will bore the 8.0 km (5.0 mi) Bellwood Tunnel through granite rock with potential zones of water inflows.
Image 4: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (left) and Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens (right) attend the TBM’s launch ceremony to kick off the Bellwood Tunnel excavation.
Desiree Willis
Technical Writer
Email: willisd@robbinstbm.com
Direct: 253.872.4490
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products, trenchless projects
Highly Anticipated Photo Finish wraps up Tunneling at Massive Metro
On September 28, 2016, Bangalore’s last TBM for the city’s metro rail project broke through, marking the end of 
TBM tunneling on the Namma Metro phase 1. The Robbins-operated machine, known as “Krishna”, bored a 750 m (2,460 ft) drive through challenging conditions between Chickpet and Majestic stations. Cleanup and final commissioning of the tunnel will be completed in 2017, and is the last obstacle before owner Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) can open the Malleswaram-Majestic link. The TBM’s sister machine, “Kaveri”, completed a parallel tunnel in June 2016.
The success follows a gauntlet of challenges on the two tunnel sites. Due to severe delays on the original tunnel drives, Robbins was approached and asked to take over the operations of the remaining two competitor-manufactured TBMs in February 2015. After obtaining agreement from the project owner and the contractor, Robbins took over the responsibility for all aspects of the underground operations. “We provided a team of over 60 staff including TBM operators, TBM technicians, ring builders, a grouting team, and more. We were also responsible for running surface installations and equipment such as the grout batching plant, gantry cranes and power supply. Contractor Coastal Projects Ltd. (CPL) provided a team of people including surveyors, QC engineers, and loco operators who reported directly to our site management team,” explained Jim Clark, Projects Manager for Robbins India. 
The Robbins crew carried out tunneling operations while the Chickpet station was being constructed around them to mitigate delays incurred before they took over project operations. The project’s most difficult challenges included a low overburden and unconsolidated ground along the alignment, and the discovery of several uncharted wells directly on the alignment. Difficult ground frequently prevented proper pressurization during cutting tool replacement, requiring a grout solution to be pumped in to fill voids and left to cure. Initially the curing process took up to 36 hours, but with improved application methods this was reduced to a 12-hour curing time.
Another challenge involved the sensitive building structures along the tunnel path. Issues with surface vibration, explained Clark, required that cutterhead speed be limited to 1.8 RPM during the day shift and 1.2 RPM during the night shift. Despite the obstacles, the TBMs advanced at rates of up to 50mm (2 in)/min in highly weathered rock.
“This is an industry first, wherein a TBM manufacturer has utilized their in-house expertise and knowledge to take on this level of responsibility for a project,” said Clark, addressing the magnitude of the successful breakthroughs. “The fact that it was ‘a first’ and we were successful in bringing this high-profile project back on track is a great achievement for The Robbins Company.”
Now that tunneling is complete, the North and South runs of the Namma metro will be connected–a line that, once in service, will carry an estimated 40,000 passengers daily. It is anticipated that Phase One of the metro will be opened in its entirety in 2017.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
October 6, 2016 – LAKE MILLS, Wisc. – HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, a Charles Machine Works 
company, has introduced the powerful, new HammerHead HydroGuide® HG1200 winch optimally designed to be more efficient and easy to use in pipe-bursting, slip-lining or slitting applications. This new iteration of the popular HydroGuide line of winches features a patented, self-deploying hydraulic downrigger, improved performance and additional safety features.
While other winches on the market require manual assembly of heavy, bulky components, the HG1200 makes setup easy with its industry-changing hydraulic downrigger. With the touch of a button, users are able to automatically deploy the boom down hole and can fine-tune the depth up to 18 feet without having to jack up the machine. With the hydraulic boom, setup and teardown take just minutes, which saves valuable time on a job site.
A key feature of the new HG1200 winch is its precision controls. Not only can users adjust the boom to any depth, but they also have total control of the line speed and pressure. Pull force can be set anywhere between 0.5 to 12 tons, and the line speed can be set anywhere between 0 to 111 feet per minute.
“We know job conditions and specifications can vary greatly so we created a machine that can be infinitely adjusted within its parameters to fit each individual job exactly,” said Josh Hood, HammerHead product line manager. “This level of control is critical to the success of gasline slitting applications, which was a driving factor in the improvements we made from the previous version. We worked to create a winch with the necessary power and agility for a wide range of situations to ensure customer success.”
The HG1200 winch is powered by the Kubota D1105, a vertical, water-cooled, four-cycle diesel engine that complies with Tier 4 emission regulations. This lightweight, dependable engine increases the unit’s performance and fuel efficiency. The radial piston motor provides a smoother, more consistent pull.
The HG1200 has several configuration options available from the factory to meet specific customer needs:
- Optional Tracks – The optional track-mounted HG1200AT reaches difficult areas on your job site that the standard, wheel-mounted units cannot.
- Electrical Strike Identification system (ESID) – The optional ESID system is designed to provide additional safety on the job site when working near adjacent underground utilities.
- Hydraulic levelling jacks – The hydraulic option allows users to easily adjust downhole access, improving project efficiency.
The HammerHead HydroGuide HG1200 winch is available directly from HammerHead Trenchless Equipment or from authorized dealers worldwide. Authorized dealers can be found on the web at www.hammerheadtrenchless.com or by calling 800.331.6653. (International: + [1] 920.648.4848).
Photo 1: New HammerHead HydroGuide HG1200 winch.
Photo 2: Optional track-mounted HG1200AT.
Blog, Industry News, trenchless products
Electro Scan Inc. has completed data integration between its flagship sewer condition assessment solution and the 
Innovyze® InfoMaster for Sewer product.
Electro Scan’s breakthrough technology evaluates 360-degrees of a pipe wall to accurately locate and measure defects in gallons per minute (GPM) or liters per second (l/s).
Recent studies indicate that 70-100% of defects are typically not found by legacy inspection techniques, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspection, smoke testing, dye flood testing, laser profiling, and acoustic sensors.
Recommended to assess and certify pre- and post-rehabilitated pipes, a new chapter was recently added on Electro Scanning Inspection to the industry’s leading training manual, Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Collection Systems, Seventh Edition, Volume One (2015), in accordance with ASTM F2550.
“We are delighted to integrate our game-changing pipe condition assessment solution with the leading business analytics solution for the wastewater industry,” states Chuck Hansen, Founder and CEO, Electro Scan Inc.
“The Innovyze® family of smart network modeling and asset management solutions continues to be the standard platform for existing and emerging diagnostic tools,” said Paul F. Boulos, Ph.D., BCEEM, Hon.D.WRE, Dist.D.NE, Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, President, COO and Chief Innovation Officer of Innovyze.
“We look forward to offering this new layer of condition assessment data to help our clients in their sewer rehabilitation decisions,” continues Boulos.
Electro Scan’s Critical Sewers® cloud application allows for up-to-the-minute monitoring of sewer evaluations, lining projects, point repairs, and new construction projects, while crews are still in the field.
Clients can easily identify pipe-specific problems before rehabilitation project acceptance.
Wirelessly transmitted to the Company’s award winning cloud application, defect flows are reported in minutes and incorporated into Innovyze® InfoMaster for Sewer product for display and analysis.
Since Electro Scan’s advanced low voltage conductivity technology does not rely on operator interpretation, third-party data analysis, or independent judgment, a key advantage is its ability to automatically provide specific location, size, and estimated flow for each defect and total pipe.
Customers wishing to utilize Electro Scan’s decision support data must be licensed users of Innovyze® InfoMaster for Sewer and Electro Scan’s Critical Sewers® cloud application, including associated integration module.
Once data is accessible, Electro Scan defect flows may be highlighted by location and severity by Innovyze® InfoMaster for Sewer, including the identification of defective joints, cracks, and leaking service connections, compared to CCTV inspection results.
Electro Scan and Innovyze® users can show pipe defects ranked by highest GPM and gallons per day per inch diameter mile (GPD/IDM), utilizing Innovyze’s 1D and 2D modeling and mapping features within Innovyze® InfoMaster for Sewer product.
Plans include the integration of Electro Scan’s 4-in-1 water leak detection probe with Innovyze® InfoMaster for Water to assess pressurized water mains.
About Innovyze
Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Innovyze® is a leading global provider of wet infrastructure business analytics software solutions designed to meet the technological needs of water/wastewater utilities, government agencies, and engineering organizations worldwide. Its clients include the majority of the largest UK, Australasian, East Asian and North American cities, foremost utilities on all five continents, and ENR top-rated design firms.
About Electro Scan
Headquartered in Sacramento, California, Electro Scan develops and markets advanced pipe condition assessment products, field services, and cloud applications that automatically locate, measure, and report defects in sewer, water, and gas pipelines.
Contact:
Carissa Boudwin
(916) 779-0660
info@electroscan.com
Blog, Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products
Agreement Names StraightLine the Exclusive Distributor and Manufacturer
of Armadrillco Down-Hole Products.
Hutchinson, Kansas – StraightLine HDD, Inc. announced the finalization of an exclusive
agreement with Texas-based Armadrillco, Inc. for distribution and manufacturing
of Armadrillco down-hole products. The agreement takes effect immediately.
“Armadrillco’s HDD tools are highly complementary to our tooling portfolio,” says
StraightLine HDD president, Joe Phillips. “Similar to our tooling, the Armadrillco
family of products is well-known to be some of the longest-lasting tools in the
industry. But it’s their innovative designs and patented technologies that provide
an entirely new level of tooling choice to the industry. Adding these complementary
tools to our product offering is a perfect fit to our pledge to deliver Ready-To-
Work HDD solutions.”
Initially, the agreement covers high-flow side-load transmitter housings and slantface
drill heads, along with a variety of dirt bits and rock tools. StraightLine plans
to expand the product offering over the next 12 months, beginning with a number
of side-load housings in early 2017.
Armadrillco founder/owner, Chuck Webb, says the distribution and manufacturing
agreement creates product depth that aligns innovative product design with operators’
need for tailored solutions. The agreement also marries Armadrillco’s
innovative tooling designs with StraightLine’s modern manufacturing technologies
and decades of field sales experience.
“This agreement opens up opportunities for both companies,” says Webb.
“StraightLine’s manufacturing expertise creates efficiencies in both production and
quality improvement. Just as relevant, the agreement’s distribution element creates
tremendous product breadth and opens up an entirely new level of exposure
for Armadrillco products.”
For more info, please contact:
Joe Phillips, President
jphillips@straightlinehdd.com
620.802.0201
vacuum excavation equipment. It’s the new CV (Competitive Vac) Series. This series offers the performance you have come to expect from Vac-Tron Equipment while keeping the cost of operation to a minimum.
