ABSTRACT

Our project, PIR-PANJAL TUNNEL, is being operated from three faces. This was
suggested to accelerate the progress of the work. The work consisted primarily of
three activities, i.e., Excavation, Primary support and Secondary support. The method
of construction of the tunnel is Drill & Blast using NATM (New Austrian Tunneling
Method) philosophy. This philosophy is new and is different from the Conventional
method. The main advantages of this method are that the tunnel is allowed to deform
up to a tolerable limit (depending upon the geological conditions). If the limit exceeds
then provision for extra support exists and the design of the structure can be changed
as per the geological conditions and the varying overburden pressure. NATM was
preferred to Conventional method because of the varying geology of the Himalayan
Region, which is a young fold mountain range.
As trainees we got familiar to different construction activities. Activities included
blasting of the rock mass, mucking, primary supports which includes wire mesh,
lattice girders ,shotcrete, rock bolts and fore poles, secondary support system which
comprises of construction of kicker (foundation beam), overt & invert(depends on
geology) lining. Before casting the lining a water proofing system is installed this
comprises of geo textile and PVC membrane. We were introduced to the Quality
Control department where we got familiar with tests like pull out test for the rock
bolts, tests related to the shotcrete, PVC membrane testing against leakage, tests on
cement, aggregates, concrete, admixtures.3-D Monitoring and surveying is carried out
to measure tunnel deflections and alignment of the tunnel respectively. Since the
progress is from three faces alignment check is a must.
In all we learned the responsibilities and challenges of a civil engineer.