The pipe is coated with HDPE. There is a rib about 1 inch wide to the outside about 7 inch spacing. The 20 foot long joints are connected by a band similar to standard CMP. We didn't really notice the ribs but there was a bump at every band. Some places had grout left in the pipe and some of the joints had been misaligned, some by floating of the pipe while grouting. My carts where designed to keep as low as possible and would get high centered on the grout and misaligned band. We would need to lift them through these areas but it wasn't all that bad. The wheels on the carts are the small trailer tires, about 16 inches diameter. Overall the carts worked really well. One time use and charged to the contractor. They paid for them and wanted them after we got done to use installing the 10 inch drinking water pipe hanging off the top of the big pipe.
The contractor was to float the 10 inch hdpe into the tunnel. They needed water flowing to do that and the snow banks are about gone. They were really worried and concerned about how that would work. They had the hdpe fused into about 1000 foot long sections and strung out thru the forest. We finished our work on Wednesday. I called Monday morning to send the final results of the survey. The contractor told me that they had already floated the pipe in. He said it went right in, 4000 feet the first day. Its about the only thing on this whole project that happened better than expected.
I called Monday morning to send the final results of the survey.?ÿ The contractor told me that they had already floated the pipe in.?ÿ He said it went right in, 4000 feet the first day.?ÿ Its about the only thing on this whole project that happened better than expected.
Excellent summary.?ÿ Was 'everyone' happy with the as-built results?
What was the methodology on running the loop? Ie. marking off turning points and physically handing the gun to the tech?
I haven't heard anything.?ÿ I'm sure the data shows places that didn't meet the spec's.?ÿ They already knew, it was just a matter of how much. I delivered the results to the contractor that I work for.?ÿ Engineers want the data and will need to get it from the contractor unless they authorize me to give it to them.?ÿ I believe there is SOME "friction" between the parties.
The spreadsheet with the survey data and reduced results was almost 2500 lines.
We had two carts. The carts would roll under the instrument setup with the chair folded down. We didn't really do that other than to transfer tools. My tech never handled the level.
I would go in first or ahead and set up the instrument. Rod man hung a rod off one of the bolts in the top of the pipe for the back sight, always set the bottom nut even with the threaded rod if we ever needed to return. The pipe joints had painted numbers on the pipe. Then he would move towards me taking the intermediate shots on the pipe joints. When he got up to me we would do what became the switcheroo. We would trade our tools (toolboxes, rods, etc) across the instrument setup. Then you got down on your hands and knees (in the water) and crawled under the instrument setup (never once did the instrument set up get disturbed). We traded carts. Then the rod man would move away from me collecting the data. At about 150 feet he would setup on another bolt for the fore sight. We got about 300 feet out of each setup. Then I would tear down and move to the bench mark. We would switch tools again on the carts and trade places, flip the bench mark rod on the hanger made to bolt up the rod hanger. I would move forward and set up again. Repeat, repeat until done. We didn't close back or complete the loop but I have data on the ends from the previous survey before they started the construction where we did do a complete level loop through the original tunnel. The engineer accepted the 20 foot joint lengths to come up with the stationing. The worst part was crawling under the instrument in the water.
Well Done Leon!!!?ÿ Thanks for letting us know about this project.?ÿ I imagine others like me are wondering about the Flintstone carts, did you take any pictures of them??ÿ I would love to see more pictures!?ÿ Thanks, Jerry.
Here is in the shop, boat seat to back.
I had an SDcard go bad, lost a lot of stuff. I also have video. Saving for my presentation next February.
It wasn't an as-built, but about 35 years ago I was working on the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Chattanooga.?ÿ A "Return Sludge" line would not hold pressure and had to be "sealed".?ÿ It was either dig it up one joint at a time or figure out a way to seal it from the inside.?ÿ They called in a team (from Kansas City I believe) who went inside the pipe, this was 24 inch ductile iron, and placed a stainless steel and neoprene wedged band at every joint.?ÿ They rode (on their backs) on a sled kinda like a mechanic uses under a car.?ÿ That doesn't sound too bad until you consider it had bends and was several hundred feet long.?ÿ I am claustrophobic enough that I wouldn't have gone 10 feet.?ÿ If I can't see out I ain't going in.
Andy
Many years ago my housemate was in a caving club and I went on a few trips with them. I recall one where we went down a sinkhole to a short tunnel that got too narrow to continue.?ÿ To get back out you had to climb the crack to the surface, which was so narrow that by taking a deep breath you could wedge your chest in and dangle your feet around looking for a new toehold.
There was one where Greg (RIP) wanted to see if a narrow tunnel opened up a little further on, so someone sat down and put their feet on Greg's feet and tamped him into the hole.?ÿ It didn't widen up and it took 20 minutes to extract Greg. No one else in the group would have attempted that.
The goal for another trip was to be able to map a cave that had been expanded with tunnels for lead mining.?ÿ Future construction work needed to know what was below.?ÿ To connect things up, we needed to dig through a blockage left when mining was abandoned decades before.?ÿ
We went into a hole in the side of a quarry, with a tunnel that zigged and zagged.?ÿ Sometimes you walked, often stooped over, sometimes you crawled, and at one point you had to push your hard hat through first and then turn your body just so to get through the passage.?ÿ Our group was supposed to dig through the blockage and meet another party that had come down from the surface on a rope with climbing gear to dig from the other side.
I was told we would be in there for a few hours. It probably took two hours to get to the blockage. We dug at the sticky clay for hours but didn't get through, although we could hear pounding on the other side.?ÿ We finally gave up and went back out through all those twisty tunnels, another couple hours.?ÿ When I got out it was almost 12 hours after going in, all with exertion and 53 degree F dampness, and I was so near hypothermia and exhaustion I couldn't eat the hamburger they offered me until I warmed up.
I know I couldn't do it now, both because I'm more claustrophobic and generally less fit these decades later.
I was the backup to the crew that scanned the York Durham Sewage System (aka the "Big Pipe") after it collapsed and had to go through all the safety training, meetings, etc. to prep for it.?ÿ That was a pipe large enough you could stand in it.
In today's litigious and safety driven society, I cannot see 1/2 of these stories being allowed today.?ÿ And I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing.