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Suction excavation is the process of excavating soil or debris at a construction site by using vacuum pressure. A high-pressure water or air, breaks the soil and debris apart, which is then easily removed out by the vacuum. The suction excavator generates the sucking pressure.
Suction excavation is considered one of the top excavation procedures to conduct the excavation processes safely and within proximity. It is rated high compared to hand and machine digging methods. The method works best when one requires to dig areas close to pipelines or any underground utilities.
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Working of Suction Excavation
The whole process of suction excavation is performed by employing a suction excavator or a vacuum tanker or a vacuum lorry. Depending on the ground condition, the earth that is to be excavated and sucked is loosened either using a compressed-air or a powerful water jet.
The use of air-jet for loosening the soil renames suction excavation as vacuum excavation, and the use of water jet names it as “hydro-excavation” or “hydro-vac.”
The use of a water jet helps to break the stiff soil. The slurry produced is removed by air vacuum. The vacuum is generated either through a fan system or using a positive displacement blower. The twin or triple air fan arrangement produces a large amount of air. Before the air is used for excavation, the air flows to the machine nozzle, chambers, storage tank, micro-mesh filter system, and then to the sucking process. (Figure-2)
The end of the tube is toothed to cut the earth during the process of excavation. In the case of vacuum excavation, the material is sucked to the holding tank by passing through a micromesh filter system to trap the dust particles. In the case of hydro-vac excavation, the debris is in the liquid slurry form that is extracted from a powerful vacuum system to a debris tank.
Application of Suction Excavation
The important applications of suction excavations are:
1. Deep Excavation
Suction excavation can be performed for large depths like cleaning of silos or storage tanks. It can be used to vacuum out the pipe sewage system that is constructed under the floors.
The excavation necessary to perform renovation or restoration of a building or structural foundations can be performed by the suction excavation method. It includes underpinning, enlargement of basements, etc.
2. Soil Improvement
Soil improvement techniques like removal of contaminated soil and gravel, removal of toxic liquid, or solid spills are easily performed by suction excavation. It is also used to improve the soil around the trees, eliminate the roots that create a mess around underground cables and pipelines. Suction excavation can test the slot before conducting any groundworks or drilling operations.
3. Water and Gas Utility Construction
The underground cables and the pipes can be appropriately exposed without causing any damage. It can be performed to localize the cable and the pipes.
4. Suction Excavation for Rail Areas
Suction is done for drainages near the rails and to suck the ingested sand from the rail areas.
Need for Suction Excavation
- Suction excavation eliminates the damage to the underground utilities during the excavation process. It is an advantage over mechanical digging and other excavation methods.
- The use of suction excavation is economical when there is the advantage of high precision, and less surface restoration works.
- Suction excavation reveals unknown underground utilities.
- The whole process saves from the risk of putting workers' lives in danger, money, and time of the project. It is one of the efficient and safest excavation methods in construction.
Suction Excavators and Normal Excavation Methods
Suction excavation owns several advantages over mini excavators and other hand digging techniques. Some of the essential benefits are:
- Suction excavation can be performed without any utility plans.
- Suction excavation does not cause damage to the buried utility or further issue if utility strike.
- The hole excavated by suction excavator is much smaller and are filled quickly, compared to the excavation made by regular digging or excavation techniques.
- The speed of the suction excavation process is much higher than the hand digging process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vacuum Excavation and Hydrovac? Suction excavation process in which high compressed air is used to excavate the soil and suck it out all in the dry condition is called as vacuum excavation. When suction excavation is performed using a water jet to dig the hole, and the slurry is sucked by vacuum, then the method is called as hydro-vac.
Why use Suction Excavation? Suction excavation eliminates the damage to the underground utilities during the excavation process. It is an advantage over mechanical digging and other excavation methods.
The use of suction excavation is economical when there is the advantage of high precision, and less surface restoration works.
Suction excavation reveals unknown underground utilities.Â
The whole process saves risk in the lives of workers, money, and time of the project. It is one of the efficient and safest excavation methods in construction.
How does suction excavation work? The whole process of suction excavation is performed employing a suction excavator or a vacuum tanker or a vacuum lorry. Depending on the ground condition, the earth that is to be excavated and sucked is loosened either using a compressed-air or a powerful water jet.
The use of a water jet helps to break the stiff soil. The slurry produced is removed by air vacuum. The vacuum is generated either through a fan system or using a positive displacement blower. The twin or triple air fan arrangement produces a large amount of air. Before the air is used for excavation, the air flows to the machine nozzle, chambers, storage tank, micro-mesh filter system, and then to the sucking process. (Figure-2)
The end of the tube is toothed to cut the earth during the process of excavation. In the case of vacuum excavation, the material is sucked to the holding tank by passing through a micromesh filter system to trap the dust particles. In the case of hydro-vac excavation, the debris is in the liquid slurry form that is extracted from a powerful vacuum system to a debris tank.
What are the applications of Suction Excavation? The important applications of suction excavations are:
1.Deep Excavation by Suction Excavation
Suction excavation can be performed for large depth applications like cleaning of silos or storage tanks. It can be used to vacuum out the pipe sewage system that is constructed under the floors.
The excavation necessary to perform renovation or restoration of a building or structural foundations can be performed by the suction excavation method. It includes underpinning, enlargement of basements, etc.
2.Suction Excavation for Soil Improvement
Soil improvement techniques like removal of contaminated soil and gravel, removing the toxic liquid, or solid spills are easily performed by suction excavation. It can improve the soil around the trees, eliminate the roots that create a mess around underground cables and pipelines. Suction excavation can test the slot before conducting any groundwork or drilling operations.
3.Suction Excavation for Water and Gas Utility Construction
The cables and the pipes underground can be appropriately exposed without causing any damage. It can be performed to localize the cable and the pipes.
4.Suction Excavation for Rail Areas
Suction is done for drainage near the rails and to suck the ingested sand from the rail areas.
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