All In-Ground Articles

Italian drilling specialist Fraste has introduced a CAN-Bus data communication system using Danfoss Plus-1 technology for use on its Multidrill XL drilling rig, its best selling mid-size rig.

Tophammer drill rigs from Sandvik being used in a dewatering well project at the Dubai Waterfront construction site are achieving faster penetration rates in sand than conventional methods, according to the company.

The global financial climate has forced drilling equipment manufacturers to re-address the issue of enhancing machine productivity. Using electronic controls and improving operator comfort are some of the ways this can be achieved. Becca Wilkins reports.

The concept of sustainable construction is gaining popularity with equipment manufacturers and contractors alike. Becca Wilkins reports on how this ‘greener' approach is being accepted within the specialist ground engineering sector.

The latest foundation equipment and techniques are more environmentally friendly and technologically sophisticated allowing for increased productivity on challenging construction sites.

Sandvik has unveiled the DTi series tunnelling jumbos. Featuring advanced tunnel planning software, one of the first units in the new range is being used in a Finnish tunnelling project.

The acute water shortage currently affecting Australia means the Hinze Dam near Brisbane in South East Queensland, is undergoing its third upgrade.

New approach means more hole accuracy in the UAE

Bauer Lebanon Foundations has used a HBM 4 and a TR 17 vibrator during construction of the country’s 400 kV Ksara Substation for Siemens.

Tunnelling activity around the world continues to boom, with more and more high-profile projects getting underway. But while technology in the sector continues to improve all the time, a lack of skilled workers may put a brake on growth iC reports.

The first project for Bauer Vietnam was the construction of foundations for 11 apartment blocks some 10 km from the centre of the capital Ho Chi Minh.

A new series of button bits from Sandvik deliver great value in almost all rock conditions, especially those in which button breakage is a problem, according to the company. The RT300-series of bits for drifting and tunnelling are optimum cemented carbide buttons for drilling a wide range of rocks, with increased toughness but without compromising its very high resistance to wear.

An ambitious 16km railway tunnelling project near the town of Wiesing, in the Austrian Tyrol, took place earlier this year. Part of the Inn Valley Austrian Railways project involved the construction of a 30m deep rescue shaft, close to a rock face, with the use of an AB 2000 feeder and rock drilling unit from Wimmer.

Better efficiency is a key aim for any area of construction, but the drilling sector is showing this can be achieved at the same time as better environmental performance - particularly noise reduction. CE reports.

Centrum Pile, the UK-based manufacturer of continuously reinforced pre-cast concrete piles, has reached a major milestone at its factory in Nottinghamshire, UK.

The foundations sector is a specialist area but it is vital to the construction industry. The latest equipment and techniques allow for the construction of new and ever-more complicated projects to take place around the globe. Becca Wilkins reports.

Buoyant sales and increased turnover from equipment manufacturers and contractors alike, coupled to a growing need for alternative energy generation and infrastructure expansion, are helping push the development of cutting edge technologies in the foundations sector. Richard High looks at the latest developments and reports on some of the machines in action.

Advancing tunnels in the Himalayas by drill & blast

Contractor Matthias Strobel has used a Liebherr LRB 255 piling and drilling rig in a double rotary drilling application during construction of the Emmerauentunnel Luegde, Germany.

Caterpillar has acquired Lovat, a Canadian manufacturer of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for an undisclosed sum.