Robotic grinding is used to clear obstructions where the manual removal is not viable within the interior of underground pipeline networks. These obstructions include but are not limited to hardened concrete, exposed or intruding connections, joining material, reo, broken or damaged pipes, roots, welds etc.
Robotic grinding is used in conjunction with trenchless rehabilitation. This method assists when pipelines are unable to be replaced using traditional excavation methods.
The two (2) common methods for robotic grinding are:-
- A tractor mounted robotic cutter used for main line works
- A push cutter commonly used in domestic systems where the cutter needs to traverse bends or vertical stacks.