M. Tucker and Sons provides expert trenchless solutions for a large suite of defects in sewer and stormwater assets available to organisations and councils all over Australia.
The family business prioritises the use of the safe, environmentally friendly and innovative technology and has established a strong reputation for reliability and excellence.
Tucker and Sons’ (MTS) trenchless capabilities span all the way from inspection right through to pipeline repair, with the company’s holistic approach to its work meaning each project is delivered with the utmost professionalism and quality, regardless of its size or prominence.
Relining and repairs
MTS provides a wide variety of pipe lining services and always chooses the right method to seal a pipe completely and effectively, no matter the complexity of the task. The company’s relining capabilities range from 150 to 1,500 mm and it has adopted a cured-in-place system that is pulled into place via a cable winch and cured with UV lights once the liner is under the required pressure.
Each liner is designed to suit its individual customer requirement and MTS uses a highly engineered fibreglass liner. The liner is produced in accordance with monitored quality guidelines and is certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2008.
As a result of the environmentally friendly and energy-efficient production processes, the requirements of the energy management system in accordance with ISO 14001:2005 are met. Liners can accommodate dimension changes; circular, oviform, box culvert profiles; and other custom applications as required, and MTS says the system is adaptable to almost any scenario with a low impact on the surrounding environment.
MTS’ robot milling equipment uses 240 V robotic crawlers with air operated cutting motors in pipe sizes ranging from 150 to 900 mm. This allows technicians to mill intrusions in pipes to prepare for repair or relining, or to reopen relined property connections ready for sealing with lateral sealing equipment.
The milling robots are designed to minimise the need for manned entry into the sewer to insert the robot. The milling robots can typically reopen a regular property connection in 20 minutes while cutting glass reinforced plastic (GRP) liners.
MTS also performs lateral connection sealing to rehabilitate sections of sewer mains, with or without mains relining. The company uses a TOP-HAT system that can also be used for selective or point repairs in the sewer main with UV GRP patches up to 500 mm long.
The rehabilitation method uses a remote-controlled rehabilitation robot, which drives into the sewer system from an existing manhole. The packer fitted with the pre-impregnated material is positioned into place robotically and guided accurately into place via two CCTV cameras mounted to the system; one camera monitors the main and the second camera monitors the branch, making this by far the lowest risk system for failure of inflation or blockage of the branch.
Additionally, MTS says the TOP-HAT-system is the fastest and safest rehabilitation method in the world. A damaged spot or house junction can be repaired from the inside in 12–15 minutes with the process able to be completed in most live flows so plugging and bypass is not usually needed.
MTS is also a certified installation partner of Quick Lock Australia’s trenchless repair system – a German-engineered, compression-based system manufactured from self-locking V4A stainless steel sleeves and seamless EDPM rubber gaskets. The system can repair many common defects found in pipes sized between DN 150 and DN 800 and requires minimal preparation, minimal labour and minimal risks.
Further capabilities
MTS uses high-pressure water systems for effective and effortless removal of debris and roots inside sewer and stormwater drains of any size. It uses two Cappellotto CC drain cleaner/non-destructive digging (NDD) units running on VOLVO FE320 cab chassis.
These units are current, high performance and reliable machines producing high efficiency services such as NDD, drain cleaning and vacuum loading. The Cappellotto unit will carry 5,000 L of jetting water and 6,000 L of debris, with a jetting pump capability 300 L/min at 2,500 PSI with 250 m of 1 inch (25 mm) sewer jetting hose.
The company has heavily invested in infrastructure to process accumulated drain cleaning debris that aids its environmental initiatives in reducing or diverting waste from landfill. MTS’ system is capable of separating up to 30 m3 of drain cleaning, NDD and drilling mud per hour and creates reusable sand and screenings to reintroduce back into the construction industry.
This article was featured in the September 2020 edition of Trenchless Australasia. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet or mobile device, click here.
For more information visit the M. Tucker and Sons website.
If you have news you would like featured in Trenchless Australasia contact Assistant Editor Sophie Venz at svenz@gs-press.com.au