Introduction
Trenchless technology is an underground method of construction where underground pipes and cables are renewed and repaired. In this article, we will be looking at this method of underground construction and what it entails.

If you’re looking for an infrastructure company that uses this technology, then N. K Shah Infraprojects, based in Mumbai, is who you should be looking at.

Overview of Trenchless Technology
Trenchless technology can be described as a subsurface construction work where no continuous trenches or few trenches are required. Trenchless technology is an underground construction method where underground cables, ducts, and pipes are renewed, repaired, and installed by using techniques that either eliminate or minimise the requirement for excavation.

The Process of Trenchless Technology
Trenchless technologies involve methods of installing new pipes where there are minimum environmental and surface disruptions. Construction, in this case, can be carried out right below a busy highway without the need to close the roads to the public. Traffic congestion is also reduced significantly, so there is less noise and air pollution.

Trenchless projects can be controlled from the surface, making it a lot less hazardous to the workers who are involved in these projects. This works great in densely populated urban areas because open-cut excavations are not practical at all and the social costs are significant.

Open-cut excavations also tend to increase the chances of pavement failures, and this in result can damage adjacent structures as well. Trenches construction, on the other hand, can lend itself to various infrastructure applications like communications, power, pipelines, sewer, water, and gas.

Different Methods of Trenchless Technology
Trenchless technology consists of the equipment, materials, and methods that are used to install, rehabilitate, and replace pipes with little or no excavation whatsoever of the ground above these sites. It also makes it possible to install utilities under canals, highways, rivers and other such obstacles without any disruption of the flow and the damage to the environment as well is either entirely eliminated or significantly reduced.

We have here a few different types of trenchless technologies.

Horizontal Auger Boring
Horizontal auger boring is a method where a rotating helical shaft is used to extract soil while advancing along a line that is more or less level. The auger’s spiral edges are like a large screw, and the spoil left behind is removed as the operation continues to progress. Once the boring reaches the endpoint, only the casing is left once the auger is removed.

Horizontal Directional Boring
This is also called horizontal directional drilling (HDD), and here underground utilities like cables, conduits, or pipes are installed in a relatively shallow radius or arc that runs along an underground path that is prescribed with the use of a surface-launched drilled rig.

It offers environmental advantages that are pretty significant when compared to the traditional cut and cover installations of pipelines and utilities. This technique is used when conventional excavation or trenching is not possible or even in cases where minimal surface disturbance is needed.

Directional Drilling
Directional drilling is a method that works best for non-vertical wells that need drilling. There are four main groups that come under this which horizontally intersect a vertical well target so that coal bed methane can be extracted
- surface in seam (SIS)
- directional boring
- utility installation directional drilling (horizontal directional drilling)
- oilfield directional drilling

Pilot Tube Microtunneling
Here a guided boring process is used to hack hollow steel rods through the ground so that a hole for a new pipe can be piloted. The new pipe then gets jacked directly behind the pilot tubes. This avoids trenches that are long and open so that there is a minimal intrusion of the surface above ground.

Conclusion
As mentioned, if you’re looking for an infrastructure company that is involved in underground construction using this method, then N. K Shah Infraprojects are experts that can offer you excellent service.