Location:
Austin, TX
Equipment:
StraightLine HDD® RockEye 3.0 Hammer System on Vermeer® 20×22, coupled with 400×200 compressor.
The Challenge:
Broadband Specialists, Inc. was awarded a job calling for the installation of 2-inch ducting for fiber cables in the Austin, Texas metropolitan area. Of the many bores required for the job, the typical bore was three hundred feet, through limestone, both solid as well as broken. Since the bores were located in residential areas, environmental issues were a concern with city planners. The crews had already attempted conventional rock tooling and also tested a hammer with limited success in striking a balance between an aggressive rock tool and satisfying the requirement of not disturbing the quality of life in this urban area. The environmental footprint of the job site demanded a better solution to get the fiber installed.
Another dimension of the urban setting that presented a big challenge centered on the presence of a multitude of existing utilities within the bore path. These included water, gas, telephone, sewer and electric cables. The Broadband Specialists’ crew clearly understood the close proximity of the bore path to existing utilities would place an enormous burden on their ability to steer. The bore’s running line was parallel to gas and water service lines, so they would need to be able to control depth and maintain the specified distance from the service lines. The city inspector required the crew to expose each location where the hammer path crossed a utility, to allow visual inspection during the drilling process.
The Outcome:
Having seen claims that the RockEye 3.0 Hammer System required a very small compressor to achieve high productivity in rock, a StraightLine HDD field representative was scheduled to conduct a demonstration.
Running the RockEye 3.0 Hammer System with a 400×200 compressor resulted in a 310 foot bore being drilled in just four hours. While impressive, what caught the attention of the BSI crew was the hammer’s precise steering control. The RockEye hammer steered into every pot-holed pit at the precise depth throughout the bore path.
After completing the job, the BSI foreman for the job remarked that, “The StraightLine hammer is advertised as the tool for pounding through rock. After seeing it in action, it’s doing exactly what they said it would do.”
For the Austin city inspectors overseeing the job site, the RockEye presented several obvious benefits beyond steering and penetration rates. Using a smaller compressor gave the RockEye a clear advantage in minimizing dust and noise pollution. In addition, the RockEye 3.0’s small footprint also scored points with inspectors and residents alike, by minimalizing easement impact.
Check Out StraightLine’s RockEye Hammer System
