Digging is a common form of excavation used in construction and military applications. Trenches are often dug to install pipes, cables, or structural supports. Trenches can be dug by hand or with a motorized machine, but they are dangerous as the walls can collapse easily. Trenches were also used in warfare as shelter from bullets and shrapnel.
Digging is a form of excavation where a large hole is dug; the hole itself is usually quite deep but not very wide, and is often dug to be long. Excavation is common in construction, especially when installing underground pipes, cables, or structural supports. The practice of digging is also common in military applications to protect frontline troops from gunfire or other dangers. Large trenches can be detrimental to a landscape if not properly dug and backfilled after use, and digging trenches is dangerous work, as trench walls are prone to collapse if not properly supported on either side.
A ditcher can be used for excavation, or it can be done by hand with a shovel or pickaxe. Larger trenches are difficult to dig by hand, so a motorized machine has been specially designed to get the job done. Trench excavators are available in a wide range of sizes to accommodate digging trenches of different sizes. Smaller trenchers are small enough to be operated by one person who pushes the trencher across the area to be excavated. The larger trench excavators, common in construction environments, are massive machines that need to be driven. A large saw-like arm is lowered to the ground to dig the trench.
A trench differs from simply digging holes because a trench is generally not as wide as it is deep. It is also usually very long, rather than isolated in one area or built in a circular shape. The shape of a trench is exactly what makes it dangerous: the walls of the trench are long and unsupported, and because the hole is deep, the lack of support is also deep. Trenches collapse easily, creating a dangerous work environment for anyone inside the trench. On construction sites, metal supports are usually placed inside the trench to prevent it from collapsing.
In warfare, digging was often done to provide an obstacle between opposing forces. With the advent of firearms, trenches were used as shelter from bullets and shrapnel. In many cases, elaborate mazes of trenches were built, often by hand using shovels and other hand tools, to provide more strategic positioning against the enemy. Many times throughout history, trenches have been combined with underground tunnels to allow troops to move from site to site undetected. The practice of excavation has existed for thousands of years for military, agricultural and construction purposes.
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