Increase of sectional area of Dortmund - Ems - channel

Münster, Germany At zone of sectional area increase of Dortmund – Ems channel (km 55 to km 59) Reinhold Meister is solving a more than pretentious job. According to Toni Jaksic (main responsible person from Meister for surveying on that site) in that zone the channel is designed completely new, it means that it is extended to a depth of 4,25m below water – level. A barge based Liebherr 974 hydraulic excavator is new-profiling 52.000 sqm of embankment. During this work, the barge has to move 300.000 m³ of dry and wet earth material, which are transported by ship to a special unloading area. To do profiling of embankment in one way, the barge based excavator is supported by land based excavators Liebherr 954.

To reach the employer´s high demands in performance and accuracy, both machine types of Meister were equipped with latest excavator depth monitoring systems, using the following high performance systems provided by the British manufacturer Prolec Ltd.:

The barge based excavator was equipped with the latest pcX 3D GPS system. This „flagship“ excavator monitor for mobile-, chain- and barge-excavators brings together -

RTK GPS Positioning

3D terrain models direct from user survey software

Fast real-time 3D animation

CAN 2.0B sensor technology

- in one seamlessly integrated, easily operated productivity tool. The GPS signals on that machine are provided by a Trimble two rover MS860 solution in connection with Sitenet 450.

The land based machines were equipped with a graphic monitoring system type Digmaster III. This is the most up-to-date real-time graphic display system available on the market, just so based on CANBUS sensor technology. It enables the operator to work on very complex profiles very fast and accurate. The monitoring system is highly versatile, allowing the operator to pan and zoom, in order to follow the bucket in detail or view the overall position of the machine. Onscreen data provides real-time information on radius, height and slew position, along with distance to a specified depth or position. Settings are selected using buttons on the display, with option to control digging to a fixed depth, slope or profile.

Back to jobsite: In the other bank lines, an interlocking steel sheeting (about 25.000 sqm) will be assembled. A part of this sheeting has to be installed under water using piling and drilling machines. Just so here as well, latest technology will give a more than helping hand. Using a special software version of a. m. pcX 3D together with GPS, this system is making the survey for the user. Using the “old way” locating the points under water is very difficult. Now a digital file of all points will be loaded in pcX 3D system and in a minute, the operator has an on-screen raster and the position of his machine inside this raster direct in “field of view” (Practice report on page 2)

All in combination the user now gets one of the most productive and powerful tool packages available on the market. A more than big advantage for Meister GmbH, to achieve higher demands needed for higher competition. Now complex ground works or sub-sea excavations can be carried out with no additional help, allowing accurate and autonomous excavation anywhere on the site, getting cm – accuracy on the whole jobsite and what is important as well: supplied by only one hand.

GPS based Drilling with Liebherr LRB 155

A practice report, showing the extreme advantage of using a Prolec pcX 3D on drilling and piling machines.

Working method without using pcX 3D GPS

Preparation work:

Before starting to drill, the customer has to measure the drilling axis. Doing this he is in need of one surveyor and one surveyors helper. The measurement is done in parts of 60 – 100m. In every part, dependant on curve of axis,  each 5 – 10m a pole will be located by surveying. The surveying of each part lasts about 2 hours. If the axis is on water, the expenditure for surveying will be extremly higher and the length of parts has surely to be reduced.

Setting and Drilling of tubes:

staff:                                                1 foreman

                                                2 machine operators

machines and material:            1 LRB 155 with driller, head swivelling worm and beginner.                                                1 Mobile excavator A 900

                                                6 tubes each 7,85m long

                                                1 distance measuring device

                                                1 Scaffold

Setting the tubes Mr. A has to stretch the stringline. By drilling on water, this only can happen from a boat. Doing this a long iron pole has to be placed at axis to fix the stringline there. Whether this has happened, the tubes have to be set up. During setup of tubes inside the water it is doubtful, if they will keep staying. To do this, Mr. A has to move again back inside the boat to measure the distances. Using a scaffold, the distance meter has to be setup on the water. At each tube, Mr. A has to go to the distance meter, to keep exact positioning of tube. Finally drilling will start. Mr. B is moving the LRB Drilling machine towards the first tube and inserts the swivelling worm. After this is done, Mr. A has to go back into the boat and has to adjust the tube. Then the stringline has to be removed because otherwise it will be destroyed by falling down fragments. Latest after 5m of drilling the leading clamp has to be opened as the first clutch has to be fitted. The remaining tube will be drilled and the swivelling worm will be emptied. Then Mr. A is moving inside the boat again to reinstall the stringline. During that time the driller can be moved again in position and swivelling worm can be inserted. Using the again stretched stringline, the new tube can be adjusted from boat. The clamp will be closed again and will be secured with a threaded pin from waterside. This procedure will be repeated until all tubes are drilled and new ones have to be set up. During the drilling time of second tube, the first one will be filled with gravel.

Working method by using pcX 3D GPS

Staff:                                                1 foreman

                                                1 machine operator

machines and material:            1 LRB 155 with driller, head swivelling worm and beginner.                                                1 Mobile excavator A 900

                                                2 tubes each 7,85m long

Preparation work:

The complete axis will be typed in on an office based PC. Using an USB – stick the resulting model is read inside the pcX computer based on the driller.  The time for calculating and in-typing of complete axis last not more than approx. 1 hour and has to be done only one time.

Setting and Drilling of tubes:

Using the onboard display, Mr. B is moving the LRB driller to one of the points shown on the display. Being moved down by the leading clamp, he is drilling the tube down. After 4,0 m of drilling the clamp is opened by Mr. A and he controlling the tube using a carpenter´s level. Doing this, he has to move inside the boat for one time. After the tube has been drilled down, the next is taken up and moved inside position. While doing this he can freely choose any undrilled whole shown on the display. He is not able to choose a wrong drilling point, because all those already done are shown on the LRB located display in a different colour. The second tube will be drilled likely the first one and in the same time the first one will be filled with gravel. After finishing drilling of second tubeI the swivelling worm will be turned inside first tube and the tube will be removed. Doing this the swivel is moving backwards to ensure, that the gravel will remain inside drilling whole. After tube has been removed, the leading clamp will be closed again and the machine will move to third whole.

Summary:

By using the GPS based pcX 3D system nearly no surveying work for preparation is needed anymore. Seeing drilling itself, extremely(!) less energy expended for adjustment of tubes is needed. As a result there is the possibility, that the foreman is operating the filling excavator itself and one machine operator is clearly saved on the barge, being free to save time while doing other works on the jobsite.

Using the old procedure of working will clearly reduce drilling efficiency, especially seeing the more harder conditions while drilling under water. 

Jurgen works for Prolec, Ltd and is based in Germany

Email Jürgen Reineke < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >