United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology: UKSTT - Services
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Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Education & Teaching.
One of the constraints to the greater adoption of trenchless methods is the lack of awareness of them amongst the engineering community. This is partly due to the fact that very few students graduating from UK universities have any knowledge of the wide range of techniques currently available. Because of time constraints or lack of awareness by staff themselves, most university departments do not include trenchless methods in their curriculum. However, there are a few that do manage to find a few hours in the syllabus to give a broad overview of trenchless technology.
Universities that do have staff involved in trenchless technology or cover trenchless methods in their teaching programmes include Aberdeen, Bradford, Birmingham, City (London), East London, Liverpool John Moores, Napier (Edinburgh), Nottingham Trent, UMIST, Oxford, Portsmouth, and Swansea.
The UKSTT has helped to sponsor the development of the MSc programme in Pipeline Engineering at the University of East London (UEL). UKSTT members have been involved in teaching trenchless methods as part of this course.
The UKSTT can often provide guest lecturers to speak on various trenchless methods for other universities who are invited to contact Ian Vickridge (Vickridge@aol.com), the UKSTT Technical Secretary, if they would like to arrange such a lecture.
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Research & Development.
In the past, much of the research and development in trenchless methods has been conducted by manufacturers, contractors, and major clients, such as British Gas and the various Water companies.
A significant amount of research has been and is being carried out at a few UK universities such as Aberdeen, Bradford, Birmingham, and Oxford. An attempt is being made to co-ordinate this work through a trenchless technology research network (NETTWORK), which is sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and managed by Professor Chris Rogers at Birmingham University.
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Training.
The UKSTT, in conjunction with WTI Training Group, has been actively involved in developing training and assessment modules for a number of trenchless methods. These modules have been accredited by the City and Guilds Institute and thus formal certification of competence in trenchless methods is now possible. To date the following modules have been developed:
Further information on developments and initiatives in training and assessment can be obtained from the Chairman of the UKSTT Training Group, Brian Syms (bsc@briansyms.co.uk).
In addition to WTI Training, there are several independent consultants who are regularly involved in specialist training for trenchless technology - contact details can also be obtained from Brian Syms or from the Technical Secretary (Vickridge@aol.com).
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Design & Planning.
The design and planning of a project is crucial to its success. Accurate knowledge of the existing ground conditions; the number, location and state of repair of existing services; scheme requirements; available technologies and cost estimates are all vital factors in the successful execution of a trenchless scheme.
The various trenchless techniques available and the size or setup of the particular equipment to be used, need to be tailored to suit the existing ground and site conditions, and are dependant on high quality information. Where several options may be available, it is important that the best value scheme is ultimately adopted, taking into account the 'whole life' costs of the scheme.
Accurate design and meticulous planning can mean the difference between wholehearted success or the costly failure of a scheme.
Schematic courtesy of WRc
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Health & Safety Management.
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Quality Assurance & Testing.
Click here to view all UKSTT Members involved in Consultancy.
Companies that offer trenchless technology consultancy services are able to advise on suitable techniques for particular schemes, often utilising existing methods for new or unique applications.
Advice is available on suitable equipment to be used in particular ground conditions, site investigation survey requirements, planning consents, risk assessments etc, together with scheme design services.
Schemes are generally designed, planned, procured and supervised by consultancy companies on behalf of utilities clients, often in partnership with appropriately qualified and experienced contractors.