BRH-Garver Construction LP, a Houston based civil construction contractor pipe jacked 885-linear feet of 66-inch ID Permalok® casing filled with 48-inch carrier lines to convey treated water from the Canal Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for El Paso Water in El Paso, TX. The project risks and rewards existed in equal measure for all stakeholders.

The Canal WTP, also known as the Robertson Umbenhauer, was constructed 75-years ago and is situated between the Rio Grande River and a 100-year old BNSF rail yard. The new transmission lines culminate to tie in at San Antonio Avenue in downtown El Paso.

Northwest Boring Co. Inc. (NWB) of Woodinville, WA was subcontracted by Shoreline Construction for an emergency replacement of the City of Mill Creek’s failed 30-inch CMP stormwater pipeline that had been causing flooding in the suburban neighborhood, just north of Seattle.

The need for the stormwater system’s repair became apparent when a sinkhole appeared in December 2017, between the Sweetwater Ranch and Douglas Fir neighborhoods. Temporary repair work was conducted, but another sinkhole developed in the same location just one month later. After inspection, it was determined that a failed coupler and damage to the 36-inch corrugated metal stormwater pipe was the root cause.

We’re collecting project photos for the 2020 Akkerman Calendar!

Your photos should contain Akkerman equipment in good repair as the main subject, on a project that took place between October 1, 2018 and the present.

Submit your photos to landerson@akkerman.com by October 31, 2019 for consideration. If your image is selected, you will be notified and receive 10 copies of the calendar in mid-December.”

Thread wear and ballooning is what transpires over time and is caused by excessive side-loading and high torque. This reduces the thread’s engagement and this loss of face adds additional stress to the female end of the pilot tube.

Use the thread gauge tool to compare the threads to new pilot tubes, making thread wear more apparent.

If you look at a cut-away view of two mated pilot tubes where ballooning has occurred, you will notice that the thread teeth show rounding at each crest (see Figure 2). The rounding diminishes the rigidity of the connection, lessens the maximum rotational torque capacity and could fatigue the tube to failure.

Exciting changes are on the horizon for Akkerman. In mid-August we took delivery of a new Okuma VTR-350A Double Column Turning Center; the third of its kind to arrive on U.S. soil.

Machine installation has been ongoing since mid-August, representing the final but shortest phase of the process. Most of the work has been occurring behind the scenes since last fall, precisely six feet below the surface of the plant floor.

The necessity for this type of machining center had been considered for many years. A large volume of complex parts progress through the machining department, which can cause a bottleneck in production. This was balanced by implementing a second shift, but an opportunity for improvement still existed.

Follow this link to for our 2019 and 2020 Tradeshows and Conferences calendar.

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