Pezzimenti Tunnelbore operates in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is the operational arm of Pezzimenti Laserbore – Australia’s premier microtunnelling manufacturing company. Both companies are owned and directed by Aurelio and his son Joseph Pezzimenti.
Aurelio Pezzimenti pioneered the development of microtunnelling using vacuum extraction in Australia in the late 1980s, and the capability to microtunnel in various ground conditions, in a wide variety of diameters and for ever longer distances has steadily developed over the years.
Pezzimenti Tunnelbore has the capability to microtunnel in ground conditions ranging from clay sands to basalt, in diameters from 325 to 3,000 mm and distances of up to 300 m.
The 2012 calendar year has been a very busy time for the company, which has completed major projects in and around Sydney and Newcastle including:
- Colebee: CLM Infrastructure. A boring distance of 600 m was completed, including a total of eight bores ranging from 440 to 580 mm diameter in shale clay ground.
- Ropes Ck Carrier: Lend Lease and Trazlbat. Boring totalled 470 m at a diameter of 430 mm for the installation of a 225 mm diameter sewer pipe
- Edmondson Park: Networks Alliance and Killards. A total of 260 m of 580 mm diameter bores were completed in shale ground. The longest bore was 170 m
- Appin: PSP and SWC Alliance. A total of 610 m, 530 mm diameter bores were microtunnelled in sandstone. The longest bores were 262 m completed in a single drive, and 320 m completed in two separate drives from either end using the intercept method
- Harrington Grove: a series of three bores 530 mm in diameter, with drive lengths of 229 m, 180 m and 190 m long in shale and sandstone.
The continued success of the system up to a distance of 260 m for a single drive length at great accuracy has been encouraging. Leading on from this success, a single drive length of over 300 m is expected soon.
Pezzimenti Tunnelbore can also freebore – allowing the ground to self-support or pipe jack steel, concrete and GRP. The system uses a microtunnelling head, which is guided by a laser to ensure accurate drilling at all times. A powerful vacuum is used to transport the cuttings back from the cutter face in diameters up to 1,200 mm. The use of augers as a means of transporting the cuttings back off the face has been trialled in larger diameter bores on key projects in Victoria and New South Wales in recent times.