Sensitivity Analysis and Productivity Study of Directpipe Technology by Using Simulation

Many techniques of trenchless technologies have been evolved over time to install, maintain, and manage underground infrastructure system, but all of these fail to satisfy implementer due to complex implementation process, economy, and adaptability to different geological conditions. Directpipe technology is one of new technology that has been invented by German's Herrenknecht Inc. recently. It claims that the technology is economical, fast, and has a single step installation procedure. The objective of this paper is to analyze and evaluate that claim by using CYCLONE model simulation. The simulation is used to compare the Directpipe technology with traditional trenchless technology by incorporating real costs and duration into the model. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to find out a suitable combination of resources delivering utmost productivity. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.