The hydromill trench cutter is a specialized type of construction equipment designed to dig the narrow but deep trenches used in the casting of slurry walls. Typically, it is a cutter attachment mounted on a crawler crane base machine, with different types of hose handling systems. The machine excavates by cutting the soil using two cutting wheels, while a powerful pump extracts the loose material mixed with some of the slurry, typically bentonite.

Machine components

The hydromill, also known as hydraulic cutter, basically consists of: Usually, there are two sets of hoses, one for hydraulic oil, and another for extraction of slurry and entrained spoil from the diaphragm wall excavation.

Cutter wheels

Hydraulic cutter assemblies have a standard length of 2.8 m, with various widths, varying from 60 cm up to 250 cm. Cutting wheel teeth depend mainly on the type of soil intended to be excavated.

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