Industry News, trenchless products
ECHO Utility Engineering and Surveying focuses on a specific aspect of Utility Engineering: Subsurface Utility Engineering.
Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) refers to a branch of engineering that involves managing certain risks associated with utility mapping at appropriate quality levels, utility coordination, utility relocation design and coordination, utility condition assessment, communication of utility data to concerned parties, utility relocation cost estimates, implementation of utility accommodation policies, and utility design.
ECHO purchased a Vac-Tron AIR 373 SDT vacuum excavator in 2017 and shared the benefits this unit has created for the company.
Project Descriptions
Locating existing subsurface utilities data.
Solution
Vac-Tron Low Profile AIR 373 SDT unit with customized accessories. This unit is powered by an 83 HP Yanmar diesel engine that delivers unmatched power and performance. Hand built in the USA from the ground up including the durable I-Beam trailer assembly. The low profile trailer keeps the components of the unit easily accessible while making the unit safe to tow and a much smoother ride. The AIR unit comes equipped with a hydraulic rear door, which opens fully so the operator can completely empty the contents. For operator safety, the door is controlled by push buttons located on the side of the unit. The AIR unit offers the patented filtration system with 0.5-micron filtration that is unmatched by competitors. It also comes standard with a reverse pressure system and a heavy-duty trailer with Dexter torsion axles.
Results
ECHO has been using the Vac-Tron AIR unit for over a year now. The main efficiency has been getting into tight places and safely onto curbs with the Low Profile unit. “It allows us to get to projects that we normally wouldn’t be able to do,” says President of ECHO UES, Jerry Comellas. “One of the projects we worked on was in a covered garage and if it wasn’t for this unit there is no way we could have accomplished the project because of the low clearances. This was a $48,000 project and is revenue that we wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.”
“Vac-Tron’s customer service has been outstanding, getting us setup quickly, as our business works really fast, and catering to some of the refinements we made on the unit made it a pleasure to work with Vac-Tron,” Jerry concluded.
Check out the full video interview with ECHO and the unit in action here. For more information on Vac-Tron Equipment and its full fleet of vacuum excavators, please visit them online at www.vactron.com or call 1-352-728-2222.
trenchless people, trenchless products
Earlier this month, Lithos Engineering, Global Underground Corp and Centennial Water and Sanitation District presented an educational morning for a group of industry professionals to learn more about the Mirabelle Project through Chatfield State Park, that included a 2,500 ft long horizontal directional drilled installation of a 16” FPVC pipe. The event was hosted the Rocky Mountain Chapter of NASTT.
Benny Siljenberg, Vice Chair of the Rocky Mountain Chapter and VP of Lithos Engineering, said, “Trenchless technology is an ever-evolving technology within the infrastructure industry and by providing these educational opportunities RMNASTT helps industry professionals become more comfortable with unfamiliar construction techniques. This knowledge will allow more options for planning future infrastructure improvements that ultimately result in a better society”.
It’s great to see our Regional Chapters working within our communities to educate, network and spread the trenchless good news story!
Industry News, trenchless products
Over 500 water, wastewater and reuse pipeline installations completed
Overview
Texas municipalities have long been known for their use of trenchless installation methods. Engineers and contractors have been taking advantage of the social and economic benefits of trenchless installation for many years. Until 2004, the primary pipe material used for trenchless applications in water, sewer and water reuse projects was high-density polyethylene (HDPE). With the introduction of Fusible PVC® pipe, owners, design engineers and contractors now have the alternative of a thermally butt-fused PVC pipe system with all of the advantages and familiarity of AWWA C900/C905 PVC pipe. With PVC pipe already widely used in many utility systems, Fusible PVC® pipe allows utilities to maintain material continuity when constructing trenchless installations or direct bury applications requiring a fused thermoplastic pipe system.
A growing list of Texas municipalities and utilities have achieved significant savings by utilizing Fusible PVC® pipe systems while realizing the benefits of a leak-free, fully-restrained, fused PVC pipe system that is easy to maintain. Many municipalities that
have installed Fusible PVC® pipe have become repeat customers and have incorporated the technology into their standard specifications. Whether drilling in clay and sand along the Gulf Coast, or rock formations in North Texas, Fusible PVC® pipe has
demonstrated its ability to handle installation challenges.Over 500 water, wastewater and reuse pipeline installations completed Fusible PVC® pipe offers many advantages that lower overall project and maintenance costs, including:
- Inside diameter (ID) matches the ID of bell-and-spigot PVC pipe, so there is no need to upsize to maintain hydraulics
- Tensile strength of 7,000 psi is 2.5 times higher than the other thermoplastic pipe option
- Superior strength to weight ratio for equivalent ID and pressure class
- Hydrostatic design basis with 2.0 factor of safety
- Standard ductile iron pipe size outside diameter allows seamless connection compatibility with standard ductile iron fittings
Underground Solutions, Inc. provides infrastructure technologies for water, wastewater
and power cable conduit applications. Underground Solutions’ Fusible PVC® pipe
products, including Fusible C-900® pipe, Fusible C-905® pipe and FPVC® pipe, utilize
patented technology to produce a fused monolithic, fully-restrained, gasket-free, leakfree piping system ideal for trenchless (horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting and sliplining) or conventional “open-cut” installations and are available in 4-inch to 36-inch diameters. The combination of standard fittings and lower weight with higher flow for a given pressure class versus other thermoplastic pipes ensures that Fusible PVC® pipe brings greater economy to most pipeline projects.
Photo: Single HDD pull of 5,545 LF of 18-inch Fusible C-905® pipe in Corpus Christi
Industry News, trenchless people, trenchless products
May 7, 2018 – LAKE MILLS, Wisc. – The launch of the newly redesigned HammerHeadTrenchless.com website now gives customers in a wide range of industries even faster, easier access to in-depth information and resources regarding trenchless methods, products and consumables.
Jason Haas, Marketing & e-Commerce Manager at HammerHead Trenchless, a Charles Machine Works Company, said the website redesign was driven by the company’s commitment to providing unsurpassed customer support.
“The focus of our business is always on keeping our customers as productive as possible,” Haas said. “Improving user experience of our website is simply an extension of our dedication to their productivity.”
Haas said the guiding principle of the redesign was twofold: “We set out to create a site with easy-to-navigate, comprehensive content about trenchless methods and the broad suite of solutions we offer, keeping it as efficient as possible.”
Users of the new site navigate to HammerHead products and educational materials by the trenchless method and the industry served. The site’s responsive design has been optimized for desktop, mobile and tablet devices, so it can be conveniently accessed from any platform, anywhere.
Improved navigation and modern design are not the only changes, however. Additional new features include:
- A dealer Locator tool to quickly find sales, service and contact information
- Enhanced product pages, including updated descriptions, specifications and media galleries
- Links to purchase product on the HammerHeadShop.com e-commerce site
- Industry-specific content that helps users find trenchless solutions matching their unique needs
- Access to the HammerHead resource library containing user manuals, product literature and more
Explore all the new features of the site at www.HammerHeadTrenchless.com.
Industry News, trenchless products
THOMPSON, CONNECTICUT USA:
Numa, the world’s leading drilling technology provider, announces the release of two new videos spotlighting the company’s capabilities and its industry leading Super Jaws® Overburden Bits. The videos are available on the Numa YouTube site.
The new corporate video highlights the many benefits Numa provides the DTH drilling industry. For over 30 years, Numa has demonstrated its leadership by designing innovative products, diversifying across multiple industry segments, and focusing on serving a global marketplace. The company has hundreds of years of combined rock drilling expertise encompassing all aspects of design, manufacturing, sales, and service. Numa’s expertise and commitment to drillers has led to the development of over 110 rock drilling products and 13 patents to better serve customers. Products are in use in 105+ countries with customers drilling vertical, horizontal, and reverse circulation holes from 3½ to 50½ inches (89 – 1283 mm) in all types of hard rock, overburden, or loose strata formations.
The product video details how Numa’s Super Jaws Overburden Bits are the best method for simultaneously drilling and casing 5½” to 42” (139 – 1067 mm) holes in unconsolidated ground conditions of overburden, boulders, or bedrock. The unique design utilizes wings that extend out to drill a full diameter hole. Upon completion, the wings retract back into the bit body and all tooling is brought back to the surface while leaving the casing in place. There is no reverse rotation required, nor any expensive rings, saving drillers time and money.
“We are excited to release two new videos that highlight Numa’s industry leading capabilities and technology”, said Numa Vice President, Dave Gorman. “The videos demonstrate a few of our key differentiators in the market including our deep experience as drilling experts, our dedication to customer service, and our technological innovation. All of which are crucial factors in maintaining our presence as market leaders and “go to” resources for drillers worldwide.”
ABOUT NUMA
Numa provides the world’s leading drilling technology with over 100 DTH Hammer and Bit products serving 11 different industries. Our products are capable of drilling vertical, horizontal, and reverse circulation holes from 3½ to 50½ inches (89 – 1283 mm) in diameter in hard rock and unconsolidated formations. With customers located in 105+ countries, we have built our customer-centric reputation on providing the highest value in products, performance and personal service available in the rock drilling industry.
Industry News, trenchless products
Chicago’s Albany Park Diversion Tunnel to go online this spring
In Chicago, Illinois, USA Kenny Construction is nearing completion on the Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel. The project, owned by the Chicago Department of Transportation, will divert water from the Albany Park neighborhood, which has long been plagued by flooding. Plans for the tunnel began in 2013, after flood conditions became so severe that residents had to be evacuated from the area by boat. The tunnel is expected to be functional by April 2018.
A Robbins Main Beam Hard Rock TBM bored the tunnel and broke through at the end of August 2017, bringing the project one step closer to completion. The TBM, also known as “Keri,” has been owned by project contractor Kenny Construction since the 1990s and has been used on several projects prior. “The machine holed through into the inlet shaft,” said Clay Spellman, Project Manager for Kenny Construction. “We excavated the shaft as part of the project. The machine has since been disassembled and removed.”
For the Albany Park Project, Keri was rebuilt by Kenny Construction with size modifications designed by Robbins. Robbins took an existing cutterhead, repaired it, and then added segments, taking it from 5.2 m (17.2 ft) to 6.2 m (20.4 ft) in diameter. “Extensive modifications were also made underground to the machine to be able to install rock dowels and stand the ring steel under the roof shield,” added Spellman.
“Rebuilding TBMs has always been a core part of Robbins’ business. Most customers immediately recognize that a rebuilt machine with updated systems can offer exceptional value without increasing risk, and a rebuilt machine can usually be delivered faster,” said Robbins Engineering Manager Steve Smading. “While the financial and schedule advantages are obvious, the flexibility of used equipment may be less obvious. Boring diameters can be increased or decreased and machine configurations can even be changed. For example, a Single Shield can be reconfigured as a Double Shield or vice versa, and a Main Beam TBM can be reconfigured as a shielded machine. Soft ground machines can be configured for different geologies and can be set up as either Slurry or EPB.”
Over 50 percent of all Robbins Main Beams ever manufactured have been used on three or more projects. Incredibly, many Robbins TBMs that have been used on multiple projects are approaching over 50 km (31 mi) of use. Prior to its ownership by Kenny, Keri has successfully bored tunnels in the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, New York, and Chicago—totaling at least 19.5 km (12 mi) of tunnel.
Due to the project location in a residential neighborhood, there were restrictions in place as to when the machine could operate and the frequency at which blasting would be allowed per day. Despite these limitations, the TBM achieved a best day of 39.5 m (129.7 ft) and a best week (5 days) of 146.4 m (480.4 ft). The machine bored through dolomite with an average compressive strength of 64 MPa UCS (9,300 psi). “During boring we encountered approximately 30.4 m (100 ft) of fractured ground that had to be supported with rolled channels, straps, and 19 full circle steel rings,” said Spellman.
The drainage tunnel starts in Eugene Park and extends for approximately one mile under Foster Avenue to the North Shore Channel. When the Chicago River’s water levels reach flood stages—exceeding 2 m (7 ft)—the tunnel will divert a flow of 65 cubic meters (2,300 cubic ft) of water per second, avoiding Albany Park, then deposit it into the Channel. The tunnel will essentially be transferring the water where it would have ended up, without damaging the residential area or adversely affecting the river’s wildlife.
Image 1: The 6.2 m (20.4 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam TBM broke through in August 2017 on Chicago, USA’s Albany Park Diversion Tunnel, which will go online this April.
Image 2: The resilient machine was rebuilt by Kenny Construction with size modifications designed by Robbins.
ECHO Utility Engineering and Surveying focuses on a specific aspect of Utility Engineering: Subsurface Utility Engineering.
ECHO purchased a Vac-Tron AIR 373 SDT vacuum excavator in 2017 and shared the benefits this unit has created for the company.
