All NO-DIG ‘Future ACEMOLE’ Achieves Revolution in Underground Lifeline Installation Costs

摘要

The microtunneling small diameter conduit driving method ‘Future ACEMOLE’, which dispenses withrnexcavation in the laying of conduits, has been developed and put into operation to provide a radical solution tornthe problem of the new costs borne by society in its attempt to reduce the various environmental burdensrngenerated by construction work, and the further problem of increases in construction costs themselves.rnThe most important point to be achieved in making conduit-laying work all NO-DIG was to bring costs down torna level equivalent to or lower than those of the excavation method. This goal was realized by the use of newrntechnologies to thoroughly increase the speed and reduce the size of equipment and to reduce the number ofrnworkforces required. The adoption of dynamic press-insertion technology applicable to all normal soil types (tornN value of 30) has meant the achievement of a transition from excavation and soil discharge driving methodsrnto microtunneling driving involving no soil discharge, and optimal use of simple equipment structure hasrnallowed robotization of driving operations. As a result, we have achieved driving speeds 2-3 times higher thanrnthose of conventional NO-DIG methods, and no personnel are required in the pit. Also pit space is reduced byrn60% and construction time is reduced by 80%. The combination of these technologies has halved the costs ofrnconventional NO-DIG methods, making the method cheaper than excavation, and established a new NO-DIGrnmethod provided with an operation system allowing anyone to simply and precisely operate the equipment. AllrnNO-DIG has been achieved which will render it unnecessary to compare costs with the excavation method inrnfuture lifeline construction. This is an epoch-making method which not only solves the problem of costs, butrnalso provides an extremely effective solution to environmental problems.