[ad_1]
In a setback to the efforts to rescue 40 men trapped inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, a plan to drill through the debris and install steel pipes using an auger machine has failed, officials told The Indian Express.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Bhupendra Singh, DGM, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited explained what they plan to do next.
“Under plan 2, we are first installing a 125 mm pipe for air, food, camera and communication. That pipe is already 12 metres in. Also, a state-of-the-art, American-made horizontal dry drilling equipment with auger is on its way (from Delhi) on two Hercules C-130 planes. The planes will make a total of three rounds to carry the equipment,” he told The Indian Express.
“We are almost certain this plan will work. If not, the final option will be using conventional drilling using the pipe roof umbrella method. Under that, we will build an entire tunnel and it will take five-six days as it goes just around 10 metres a day. However, we are sure it will not come to that and the second plan will work,” he said.
After large excavators could not clear the rubble in the first two days, rescuers had decided to use a “trenchless” technique – putting together passages made of 900 mm mild steel pipes right through the debris so the men could crawl out.
Most Read
However, the machine that was brought from Dehradun for this purpose could not drill through the rubble. It was then decided to bring in bigger equipment from Delhi.
The earlier auger machine, provided by Vardhman Engineering Works, was not able to cut through the debris at a high enough speed. A decision was then taken to remove that machine and bring a bigger one.
Adesh Jain, owner of Vardhman Engineering Works, said his machine is 35 HP (horsepower) and weighs 9 tonnes, while the new machine is 175 HP and considerably heavier. The platform to support both the machines is also different.
[ad_2]
Source link
