Microtunneling

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As the name implies, microtunneling or microtunnelling is a digging
technique used to construct small tunnels. These small diameter tunnels
make it impossible to have an operator in the machine itself. Instead,
the microtunnel boring machine (MTBM) must be operated remotely.
Microtunnel boring machines are very similar to tunnel boring
machines (TBM) but on a smaller scale. These machines generally vary from
0.61 to 1.5 meters (2 ft 0 in to 4 ft 11 in) but smaller and larger machines have
existed. Usually the operator controls the machine from a control room on the
surface of the ground. The Microtunneling machine and jacking frame are set
up in a shaft at the required depth. The operator is given constant feedback
about the machines location, orientation and hydraulic devices via a
computer console or CCTV camera. Most machines also have video cameras
set up to enable the operator to monitor activities in the jacking shaft and at
the separation plant. The operator controls the MTBM and the jacking frame
from the safety of the control room which is usually situated on the surface,
next to the jacking shaft.
In most microtunneling operations the machine is launched through an entry
eye and pipes are pushed behind the machine. This is a process often
called pipe jacking and is repeated until the Microtunneling machine reaches
the reception shaft. As the machine advances, more tunnel liner or pipe is
pushed from the starting shaft, through the entry eye. Thus, the speed of the
advancing machine is controlled by the speed at which the pipe is inserted
into the entry eye via the extension of the hydraulic rams in the jacking frame.
As the length of tunnel increases, the friction of the ground around the pipe
increases as well. Usually, two practices are used to minimize this friction.
First, over-cutting is used to give a slight gap between the inner edge of the
tunnel and the outer edge of the liner. Usually this is achieved by using a
cutter wheel with a diameter inch (12mm) to 4 inches (100mm) larger than
the outside diameter of the liner. Secondly, an economical and ecologically
friendly lubricant, often bentonite slurry, is injected into this gap. In addition to
lubrication, the pressure of the lubricant prevents the gap from collapsing.
While friction can be reduced, it can never be eliminated, and sometimes
hundreds of tons of force are required to push the machine and liner into the
ground. A large jacking frame containing hydraulic rams is required to
produce these forces. In most cases the entrance must be modified to support
this frame and the forces it generates.
In addition to the jacking frame, smaller jacks, called interjacks, may be
inserted between sections of tunnel liner. These push the two sections of liner
apart. Friction on the liner sections between the interjack and the tunnel
entrance helps to prevent the liner from sliding out backwards. So while the
liner behind the interjack does not move, those sections in front of it receive
additional pushing force.
Trenchless construction[edit]
Trenchless construction includes such construction methods
as tunneling, microtunneling (MTM), horizontal directional drilling (HDD) also
known as directional boring, pipe ramming (PR), pipe jacking (PJ), moling,
horizontal auger boring (HAB) and other methods for the installation of
pipelines and cables below the ground with minimal excavation. Large
diameter tunnels such as those constructed by a tunnel boring
machine (TBM), and drilling and blasting techniques are larger versions of
subsurface construction. The difference between trenchless and other
subsurface construction techniques depends upon the size of the passage
under construction.
The method requires considering soil characteristics and the loads applied to
the surface. In cases where the soil is sandy, the water table is at shallow
depth, or heavy loads like that of urban traffic are expected, the depth of
excavation has to be such that the pressure of the load on the surface does
not affect the bore, otherwise there is danger of surface caving in.
Trenchless rehabilitation[edit]


Pipe replacement by pipe bursting
Trenchless rehabilitation includes such construction methods
as sliplining, thermoformed pipe, pipe bursting, shotcrete,gunite, cured-in-
place pipe (CIPP), grout-in-place pipe, mechanical spot repair, and other
methods for the repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of existing buried pipes
and structures without excavation, or at least with minimal
excavation. Mechanical spot repair is applied where damaged pipelines
require the re-instatement of structural integrity. Sliplining, CIPP, and
thermoformed pipe lining involve pulling or inverting a new liner into an
existing pipe, then applying heat and/or pressure to force the liner to expand
to fill the pipe. CIPP technologies combine a carrier (felt or fibreglass)
impregnated with heat, ultraviolet light, or ambient curable resin to form a
"pipe within a pipe". Pipe bursting fractures a pipe from the inside and forces
the fragments outwards while a new pipe is drawn in to replace the old.
[2]
The
other methods are primarily for fixing spot leaks. Trenchless rehabilitation
methods are generally more cost-effective than traditional exhume (dig) and
replace methods.
Trade associations[edit]
The trenchless technology industry is represented by several industry
associations in addition to standing committees within almost every water and
sewer related industry association. TheNational Association of Sewer Service
Companies (NASSCO) was established in 1976 and is the oldest such
association with a trenchless focus. The North American Society for
Trenchless Technology (NASTT) was established in 1990. The Indian Society
for Trenchless Technology or IndSTT is the apex organization to promote
Trenchless Technology in South Asia. It was established in 1995 with its head
office at New Delhi. The International Society for Trenchless Technology,
established in 1986, has 25 active national trenchless technology
societies associated with it. Several organizations bring out technical Journals
for sensitizing the readers about such techniques. No Dig India is the official
Journal of IndSTT.