Variant Design and Fabrication of an Earth Tunneling Machine

Abstract

Earth tunneling machine is an equipment used in drilling tunnels under the road surface for the laying of pipes or cables. The earth tunneling machine was produced locally using available materials through simple machining and joining processes. The machine comprised major components like the driving shaft/boring head, the pulling mechanism, the sand extraction system, the control unit, the machine base and housing which were locally produced and assembled. Using the machine to drill soil samples from Ekpene Ukim- Uruan; Mbiabong – Uyo; Ikot Obiodongo – Ibesikpo; and Anua Obio - Uyo, the strength of soil samples by the California Bearing Ratio (CBT) test at drilling depths was determined to be 0.444 MPa, 0.417 MPa, 0.420 MPa, and 0.458 MPa, respectively. The test result demonstrates the performance of a functional model earth tunneling machine, thus indicating the realization of the objective of the research work.