December 2017 - Akkerman

December 2017

Akkerman Inc.

December 2017

Ahead of the Curve

Despite superstition, Friday, October 13 turned out to be a lucky day indeed for Midwest microtunneling contractor Super Excavators, Inc. and Superior Stones Canal CSO Improvement Project owner, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). The date marked the successful completion of Super Excavators, Inc. (SEI)/CRS Tunneling, Inc.’s (CRS) third curved microtunnel, the second that they’ve completed in Cleveland, OH on the Project Clean Lake initiative.

SEI has earned a reputation as a leading North American microtunneling contractor by their fearless ambition to tackle the most complex microtunneling projects, and in 2013 began a flourishing curved microtunneling service category.

The Superior Stones Canal CSO Improvement Project involves the construction of two force mains and a gravity sewer, a new wet weather pump station and upgrade to an existing pump station to increase capacity and reduce an annual estimate of 13-million gallons of raw sewage discharge into the Cuyahoga River.


Ramming Onward

Contractor pilot tube ingenuity has been consistent since we first introduced our guided boring systems in 2001. Occasionally an innovative pilot tube approach creates demand for a specialized service all its own. Such is the case with the guided pipe ramming method for The Tunneling Company (TTC), formerly Kamloops Augering & Boring, Ltd., who first incorporated this method into their standard service portfolio eight years ago.

Recently the Ministry of Transportation required the installation of two new culverts in the McDowell Creek for passage under Highway 16, two kilometers (1.2 mi) east of the village of Telkwa in the providence of British Columbia, Canada.

Belvedere Place Contracting Ltd. was the successful prime contractor on the Highway 16 Tyhee Passing Lane project. The full scope includes the construction of a 2.3 km (1.4 mi) eastbound passing lane added to Highway 16 near Tyhee Lake and a two kilometer (1.2 mi) extension of the existing pass lane. The project is part of a $37.7 million effort allocated for five new passing lanes on Highway 16 and 37 and 10-year transportation plan to improve travel safety and growth.

Belvedere subcontracted TTC to install a 2440mm (96-in.), 45m (147-ft.) main culvert and 1200mm (48-in.), 43m (141-ft.) overflow culvert for McDowell Creek flow under Highway 16. The two new culverts are approximately 2.4m (8-ft.) apart at a 4.5% grade. The overflow culvert was positioned slightly higher at 0.5m (1.6-ft.) at the invert.

Harry Dickinson, project coordinator and estimator at TTC described, “We originally planned on just open-ended pipe ramming but due to the culverts’ grade tolerances we could not risk any deviation so opted to guide the pipe string with pilot tubes.”


Piped Canopies in Sydney

Tunnelling Solutions (TS) of Melbourne is known throughout Australia as a full-service, specialized tunneling contractor with a team representing decades of technical tunneling experience.

One of TS’s ambitions of late was to expand their range of services to take on piped canopy projects. By combining guided boring pilot tube technology with an adjustable support and tension frame, they’ve developed an approach for consistent and repetitive success. In the past six months, they’ve packaged this service offering for use on three projects.

Guided Piped Canopy Method

The method of guided piped canopy installations, also called guided pipe roofing, is used for short tunnels, culverts or crossings for extra reinforcement in heavily traversed regions for stress distribution and to mitigate ground settlement. Connected lengths of steel casing, called canopy tubes, are installed to provide an arch or crown above a support structure, culvert or tunnel.

First, pilot tubes are successively installed on line and grade. To do this, the Guided Boring Machine (GBM) jacking frame is positioned on an adjustable platform to relocate the point of entry for each pilot tube pass. Next, the GBM jacking frame installs the steel casing canopy tubes into the precise position, using 6m (20-ft.) versus 1m (3.3-ft.) segment lengths to expedite installation. The casing is filled with concrete, void filling is inserted around the outside of the casing, and the support structure is fitted and finished below the arch.


Welcome Weston

Earlier this year, we welcomed Weston Alberts to our engineering team as Senior Project Engineer. Alberts’ primary focus is electrical design and control systems for all Akkerman equipment.


Akkerman Bentonite Injection System

Our newest lubrication solution for pipe jacking and microtunneling operations, the Akkerman Bentonite Injection System (ABIS) delivers automated bentonite injection at optimal tunnel intervals to reduce jacking forces and facilitate efficient and extended length pipe jacking. The ABIS package delivers totalized flow control at each valve location using touch screen functionality from the main system monitor.

This ABIS system is comprised of a Control Skid housing the flow meter and Monitor Touch Screen. It connects up to 10 Remote Station Control Boxes, each with three linked Automated Injection Ball Valve Assemblies for point flow distribution onto the pipe annulus. The Remote Station Control Boxes are also capable of controlling and monitoring Intermediate Jacking Stations (IJSs) functions. The standard ABIS configuration equips microtunneling and pipe jacking contractors with components for a 2,000-linear foot tunnel, and the flexibility to suit a variety of project conditions. The distance between Remote Station Control Boxes and Automated Injection Ball Valve Assemblies is determined by the contractor and individual project requirements.


Tradeshows and Conferences

The Underground Construction Technology (UCT) show kicks off the 2018 tradeshow schedule on January 30 through February 1 in New Orleans. We’ll provide attendees with information on guided boring applications and be available in Booth #708 for discussion.

As a premier pilot tube guided boring and microtunneling equipment supplier, we’re proud to once again take part in the 25th Annual Pilot Tube Microtunneling/Microtunneling Short Course and support it as the main event sponsor. The short course takes place at University of Colorado at Boulder February 5-8. 2018. Be sure to take advantage of our open invitation to attend our evening reception on Wednesday, February 7.

The No-Dig 2018 Show is being held in Palm Springs, CA on March 25-29, 2018. Attend our guided boring presentation and visit us in Booth #309!

Save the Date – September 18-20, 2018 – for our Equipment Training School and Akktoberfest 45th Anniversary Celebration! More details coming soon!

Events


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