Introduction: The scope of this project is to design, trial and produce a drill base that can be secured to the main without the need for conventional chain assembly and be fully compatible with the ALH System 1 drilling machine. It includes technical approval according to industry standards (G23) which allows for implementation, network-wide roll-out and commercialisation of the finished design and the production of Work Procedures & Operator Manuals to facilitate the latter.

Objectives:

The objective of this project is to deliver an innovative design solution which is robust, safe and easy to operate within the Key Hole environment. In detail,  the finished design will:

• allow a drill base to be fitted and securely clamped to the main from the road surface with long handled tooling, within a 600mm diameter keyhole excavation.
• hold the base to the main in a rigid manner, providing a gas tight seal during both the drilling operation and during deployment of various ‘live launch’ equipment, such as Acoustic CCTV and Internal Mainspray.
• provide a time saving of approx. 30 minutes per occasion for the Team when installing the drilling machine prior to launch of the acoustic camera or other live launch equipment.
• Have an ergonomic benefit in that the operation will be easier to carry out for the operative, allowing the use of the ALH System 1 Drilling machine with manual and motorised drive resulting in less physical exertion for the operative

Expected Benefits:

The project is deemed succesful , if a product is developed that :

• meets the requirements as set out in the project’s Objectives and

• obtains technological readiness as set out in the project’s Scope.