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IN THE LAST 25 years the emergence of microtunnelling and modern pipe jacking methods has created a sea-change in the way pipelines and utility tunnels are designed and constructed. These techniques have replaced more traditional ways of tunnelling in diameters from 1 200 mm to 3 000 mm (48" to 120"), but also allowed for smaller non-man entry diameters of pipes from 300 mm to 1 200 mm (12" to 48"), previously constructed by trenching, to be installed by remote control microtunnelling.
Jacked-pipe approaches have opened up a huge range of infrastructure applications not only for pipelines but for underground structures. The market for these new tools has expanded rapidly involving extensive equipment innovation and development. Today virtually any ground conditions from the hardest rock to the most unstable soil below the water table can be handled safely and...