In the heart of one of the world’s largest cities you can feel and hear the energy on the busy streets, when suddenly between the traffic jam of vehicles and the masses of people on the sidewalk, there is a Hitachi Tata 700 excavator. On the end of this massive 70 metric ton machine is an AQ-5 Antraquip rock grinder which is one of world’s most powerful drum cutters on the market (Antraquip’s 2nd largest model).
The challenge for this project was the excavation of dozens of narrow shafts that are spaced every couple of hundred meters, allowing the mini tunnel boring machine to excavate the face of the tunnels connecting the shafts to install sewer lines. All of this was performed in the busy streets of Mumbai India without any traffic interruption. The shaft dimensions had a 5m diameter with 10m depth excavating through rock ranging from 60-100MPa. The solution: The AQ-5 cutter mounted on the Hitachi 700 (equipped with long reach boom/stick) was used to grind the rock out and have the material removed with a clamshell bucket. This method proved highly effective and a much safer approach compared to other methods, essentially eliminating the need for workers to be in the shaft. The 200kW (270hp) Antraquip grinder was able to excavate the shafts efficiently in rock of up to 100MPa (14,500psi), which most drum cutters are not able to handle. The spur gear design of Antraquip cutters, as well as the robust PTO and drums, makes Antraquip the ideal partner for hard rock applications.
Call us today for more information, or to learn how one of our premier attachments can help you increase production on your next project!