Microdrilling in the center of Eindhoven

At this moment we are realizing a drilling using Microtunneling in the busy centre of Eindhoven, it concerns a 24 meter microtunnel with an inner diameter of Ø1500 and an outer diameter of Ø1820 (concrete).

This drilling near the PSV soccer stadium crosses a bus lane, the main sewer and various cables and pipes. We realized the start shaft in the urban area by means of sheet piling and underwater concrete because we were below groundwater level. We are in a construction team with the Municipality of Eindhoven and construction company Remmits; the lines of communication are short and the cooperation is going well.

In Closed Front Boring, also called microtunneling or shield drilling, the pipeline is laid under a railroad, freeway, waterway, existing cable and pipeline strip or urban area. Because the drill is equipped with a watertight drilling shield, the drilling technique can be used within infrastructures that are below the groundwater level. The Closed Front Technique thereby ensures that no flushing can take place via the drill head through the pipe. A so-called cuff or water seal guarantees that no flushing takes place along the outside of the pipe.

This technique guarantees accurate positioning. This is because the position of the drill head is continuously monitored by means of a positioning system (laser), so that in case of deviations, adjustments can be made and the pipe is placed on the designed route.