In the construction industry, specifically within the demanding realm of underwater operations like riverway excavation, the challenge of maintaining both accuracy and efficiency can be a daunting task. Traditional methods rely heavily on manual processes that, while functional, bring about significant safety concerns and accuracy issues.
One such approach involves surveyors standing on the excavator's bucket, employing plumb bobs to measure water depth and evaluate the necessary excavation based on RTK data. Although this method has worked for years, it is far from ideal. In this blog, we will share how the FJD G31 3D Excavator Guidance System delivers precise excavation results in a challenging riverway transformation project.
Project Background
In the waterway excavation project in Southwest China, the river channel spans a total of about 40 kilometers across 4 sections, with excavation reaching nearly 8 meters below the water surface and a river bottom width of 80 meters. The ramps on both riversides further underscore the challenges of this project.Due to the underwater work involved, excavator operators could not see the underwater areas. They could only rely on intuition and experience to gauge the depth of their digging. This would cause discrepancies between actual excavation work and the design specifications outlined in the initial project plans.
Facing these challenges, the project team requested the installation of smart auxiliary kits on all excavators engaged in underwater tasks, aiming to provide operators with real-time precise coordinates and visual guidance.
"The underwater operations are unpredictable. If we don't have something smart to help, our workers will easily over-dig, under-dig, or even rework. That's why accuracy and efficiency are important to us," said the project head, in a conversation with the FJD team about the implementation program.
The FJD Solutions
After successfully testing the FJD G31 3D Excavator Guidance System, the project team decided to install the FJD systems on their three Hitachi 490/870/890 excavators. This decision brought great confidence to the operators, as they believed that these smart systems would make their underwater excavation go more smoothly."We sent two senior engineers for on-site assistance in 4 sections, helping their operators solve any problem using our G31 system," said Fanjun Zeng, Field Application Engineer (FAE) of FJD Digital Construction Product. "They were happy to see us there, as this gives them peace of mind in technical support."