Advance Rate

What Does Advance Rate Mean?

Advance rate is the speed at which a pipe jack or tunneling machine is able to move forward through the borehole. The progress of an operation depends on many factors, including the nature of the soil and the efficiency of the equipment.

The advance rate is an important metric in the planning and monitoring of a trenchless construction operation.

Trenchlesspedia Explains Advance Rate

The timetable for completion of any construction project can be easily upset by unforeseen circumstances. One of the ways that project managers in the trenchless construction industry gauge how well they are doing is by tracking the advance rate through the borehole. This is usually measured in millimeters per hour or meters per day.

Whether hard rock or soft soil, conditions underground can easily limit how far forward a tunnel progresses in a given time period. Equipment may break, water seepage may occur or any number of problems may arise.

Researchers continue to assess the factors affecting the advance rate in order to develop new ways to move things along more quickly. Advance rate monitoring is helpful whether in smaller pipe ramming jobs or projects requiring the use of huge tunnel boring machines.