Underground Construction - March 2020 - 17

Experience
Superior
Performance

Martin Cherrington (L) and DIck Melsheimer at the HDD Hall of Fame
event during UCT in Fort Worth.

HDD Hall of Fame Inducts Cherrington,
Melsheimer as Inaugural Pioneers
Industry pioneers Dick Melsheimer and Martin Cherrington became
the first inductees into the HDD Hall of Fame on Jan. 29, in its inaugural
ceremony at the Underground Construction Technology International
Conference & Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas.
Their award was presented during the HDD Reunion Reception and
co-sponsored by Underground Construction magazine and UCT, along with
19 other Founding Sponsors whose support made the historic event possible.
"It's only fitting that these visionary men who invented horizontal directional drilling should be the first inductees into the HDD Hall of Fame," said
Underground Construction Editor-in-Chief Robert Carpenter. "In the coming
years, we look forward to honoring other industry leaders whose advancement of HDD helped modernize underground infrastructure construction."
In the 1960s, Melsheimer developed the concept, equipment and tools
for the "cut-and-bore" method, using horizontal earth boring to facilitate
the rapid installation of underground gas and electrical utilities. This was
the original horizontal directional drilling method using a pulling swivel and
product pipe connected to a backreamer, which would cut as it was pulled
back towards the boring machine.
Also in the 60s, Cherrington was inspired to further develop the concept
of guided drilling when he saw another company use a hand-held air drill
for a gas line installation. Cherrington's crews used air drills to check the
bore path - essentially early potholing that is performed today by vacuum
excavators - and achieved the first river crossing for Pacific Gas & Electric.
Both remained dedicated to ongoing improvement of HDD and contributed to numerous advancements in the decades since.
Founding Sponsors of the HDD Hall of Fame and HDD Reunion included:
Sharewell HDD
JT Miller
Brownline
Tulsa Rig Iron
Hard Rock Directional Drilling
Derrick Corporation
Mud Technology International
Century Products
Bell Trenchless Consulting
American Augers
Vermeer Corp.
Drilling Mud Direct
Prime Horizontal
INROCK Drilling Systems, Inc.
DCS Fluid Solutions
TT Technologies
Underground Construction
Railhead Underground Products
Magazine / UCT
LaValley Industries
Right Turn Supply

XTR Reamers
Inrock's XTR reamers provide a modular,
re-usable platform in sizes ranging from 28"
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For more information,
call 1 (877) 2 INROCK or visit www.inrock.com
UConOnline.com | MARCH 2020

17
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Underground Construction - March 2020

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