Pipe Jacking Trenchless Technology

In terms of creative technology and innovation, pipe jacking must rate as one of the best when it comes to drilling or boring tunnels or pathways underground to facilitate the installation of telecommunications and other utility services. Tunnels with a range of diameters can be bored out quickly and efficiently with revolutionary cutting heads integrated with a high-pressure water Jets. There is also an integrated slurry removal system that pumps the excavated soil through pipes to the ground surface where it is loaded onto lorries and taken to landfill sites for disposal. This whole process requires only two pits, an entrance to launch the pipe jacking activity and an exit pit to receive the pipe jacking at the tunnel end.

Pipes are laid automatically in sequence directly behind the cutting head by the pipe jacking process until the tunnel is complete and all the pipes are in-place. The methodology is faultless and relatively economical compared to other tunnelling methods. This revolutionary method of pipe laying is becoming so popular that governments all over the world are embracing the concept and commissioning pipe jacking companies to install underground pathways for utility services. The many advantages of pipe jacking include its environmental friendly processes, its relative financial cheapness due to the speed of the installation ,the reduction in manpower required, and the technical precision of the process.

The greatest advantage is the fact that pipe jacking can be carried out without interfering with existing utility lines underground thanks to the deployment of a wireless electronic sonic device attached to the cutting head that sends signals to the ground surface directly above. These are transformed into technical data that allows the machine operator to make adjustments accordingly. This dispenses with the risk of the pipe jacking process cutting through existing underground utilities pipes or pathways. The safety of the whole procedure is one of the major factors that makes it such a popular choice of tunnelling and pipe laying. The cutting head operator takes constant instructions from the electronic signal converter at the cutting head to steer safely through the substrata and avoid any possible obstruction. The whole process is not labour-intensive and therefore requires few operatives so cutting down the costs of the project for the client.

Pipe jacking is also unobtrusive and the small work surface area at both the shaft entrance and exit is minimal in comparison to what open trench digging would involve. Life goes on as usual for both pedestrians and traffic at ground level with no traffic diversions required and no inconvenience caused to pedestrians. The site traffic is minimal and the pit heads create only a blip and not a blot on the landscape. This proves a very attractive option for prospective clients who have a host of criteria to consider when commissioning tunnelling projects. The pipe jacking option fulfils all the criteria and that is why it is proving increasingly popular globally.