October 2007 Vol 1 Issue 21

September

The magazine for the tunnelling professional

Focus on Spain
Mapping the Guadarrama Tunnels

Scaling
Methods and trends

Green concrete
Building with recycled muck

www.world-tunnelling.com
CovIWT0710.indd 1

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BREAKTHROUGH
SOLUTIONS

Earth Pressure Balance

Slurry Pressure Balance
Hard Rock
Pipe - Jacking
Rolling Stock

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24/8/07 10:09:04

1
COMMENT
contacts
Editor
george.demetri@mining-journal.com
BA (Arch) BA(Hons), DipBldgCons (RICS)

Production editor
tim.peters@mining-journal.com
Sub editor
vickie.johnstone@mining-journal.com
Designer
hannah.talmage@mining-journal.com
Advertising production
sharon.evans@mining-journal.com
Advertising manager
richard.dolan@mining-journal.com
+44 (0)20 7216 6086
Advertising sales executive
jim.moore@mining-journal.com
+44 (0)20 7216 6053
ISSN 0026-5225
World Tunnelling is published ten times
annually by Mining Communications Ltd,
Albert House, 1 Singer Street, London,
EC2A 4BQ, UK
Mining Communications Ltd 2007
A member of BPA
Worldwide
A member of the Periodical
Publishers Association

advertisers
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Making green happen

T

UNNELLING is as environmentally sustainable

as we choose to make it. Take a look at the
recently-inaugurated Ltschberg Tunnel in
Switzerland at the intermediate point of Mitholz, a
huge effort on sustainable practices materialised. The
result was the production of recycled aggregates from
tunnel spoil to make economical and sustainable,
high-quality concrete and shotcrete.
Over 800,000 m3 of concrete was produced from
tunnel excavation
material. Indeed, so
successful was the
operation that the
entire site became
self-sufcient in
aggregate production.
What is interesting is
that everything was done
on site. No sooner had
the dust settled
from drilling
and blasting
then the
whole

WEB ADDRESS www.world-tunnelling.com

process of grading, crushing, production and quality
testing began in earnest.
An aerial view of the site shows there was ample
space for material processing something that might
not have been possible with an urban tunnel. Even so,
at Ltschberg, contractor Satco Consortium and
concrete-plant operator Mobilbaustoffe AG created
a custom-built, concrete-production plant in an
underground cavern. Clearly, this success story should
be of interest not only to detractors who see large-bore
tunnelling as irreconcilably non-sustainable, but also
to contractors, consultants and clients.
At Ltschberg, it helped to have a client and
contractor who appreciated sustainability issues,
making the project the success it is. So, those,
hopefully few, doubters who are still uncertain as to
what large-bore tunnelling can achieve should read
Herr Weiss abridged paper on pp 29-32. It makes
interesting reading.
George Demetri, Editor

CONTENTS

Regulars

FRONT COVER

1 Comment
3-8 Global news

A round-up of the latest news and technology

Four double-shield TBMs were used to bore

the twin-tube, 28.3 km-long Guadarrama
railway tunnel in Spain. Pictured is the
9.51 m-diameter Herrenknecht machine
www.herrenknecht.de

9 Events
33 Innovation

The latest equipment releases and upgrades

Features
11-15 Spain

21-23 Sandvik

16-17 Sweden

25-27 Scaling

1: Continental Conveyors projects

2: Mapping the Guadarrama Tunnels

Malms Citytunnel is under way

18-19 India

100 km of tunnels bring water to

drought-ridden Andhra Pradesh

20

20 Sprayed concrete
Putzmeister keeps costs down for
Austrian power station project

Drill and blast takes over from TBMs

in Stage 3 of Himalayan scheme

Outlining the main methods of

scaling, trends and todays rigs

29-32 Concrete
& shotcrete

Recycled muck can produce green

and economical building material

October 2007
01WT0710.indd 1

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Anzeige_englisch_Malm/Schweden_World Tunnelling_ET: 10.07_DU: 25.9.07_200x275mm_4c_260907oc_Fassung 02

sweden

5 0 .07 E

h e r r e n k n e c h t A G | u t i l i t y t u n n e l l i n g | T r a f f i c t u n n e l l i n g

MALM: DIRECT CO NNECTI ON TO THE RESUND.

In order to speed up the train traffic between Denmark and Sweden, the Malm City Tunnel is being built. Together with a new aboveground stretch, it provides a direct connection
between the Swedish citys main station and the resund Bridge.
Two identical EPB Shields from Herrenknecht are excavating two tunnels with a length
of 4,623 and 4,592, respectively. The two machines each have a diameter of 8.89 meters
and a driving power of 2,400 kilowatts. Enough power to cut through a layer of quartzous
limestone up to a depth of 25 meters and that at a remarkable speed. Thanks to top
daily performances of more than 30 meters, Anna (S-340) already completed its first
section of a length of 2.7 kilometers after nine months on 21 August 2007. And its sister
machine Katrin is only 150 meters away from its stage target. With continuously good
tunnelling performances, the EPB Shields will reach the main station in summer and fall of
2008, respectively. This means that the City Tunnel can be o pened on schedule in 2011.
ma l m | s w e d e n
PR OJEC T D ATA

CONT RACTOR

S-340, S-341
2x EPB Shield
Diameter: 8,890mm
Driving power: 2,400kW
Tunnel lengths:
1x 4,623m, 1x 4,592m
Geology: limestone

MCG Malm
Citytunnel Group:
Bilfinger Berger AG,
Per Aarsleff A/S,
E. Pihl & Sn A.S.

Herrenknecht AG
D-77963 Schwanau
Phone +497824302-0
Fax +4978243403
marketing@herrenknecht.com
www.herrenknecht.com

158_eAz_Malmoe_WorldTunn_200x275_02_bp.indd 1

26.09.2007 11:58:14 Uhr


NEWS
Switzerland

Robbins TBM will kick off Ceneri tunnel build

TBM manufacturer Robbins has
announced that a refurbished
main-beam TBM will be the first of
its machines to bore into the Ceneri
Base Tunnel in Switzerland one
of the larger European tunnel
projects in recent times. The 9.7mdiameter TBM will be used to
excavate a 2.4m-long adit tunnel.
The announcement follows the
recent signing of a contract
between Robbins and Consorzio
Monte Ceneri (CMC) JV, a
consortium of CSC, Lugano,
Frutiger SA, Thun, Rothpletz,
Lienhard+Cie and Aarau.
Following its complete
refurbishment in Milan, Italy,
which will include increasing the
diameter of the cutterhead from
7.6m to 9.7m, the TBM will be
delivered to the Swiss job site
where it will be the first on the

AlpTransit project to use larger

diameter, 19in cutters.
Previously, the machine was
used successfully on the main
headrace tunnel of the Krahnjkar
Hydropower Project in Iceland.
Located in Switzerlands Canton
Ticino region, the Ceneri tunnel
will form part of owner AlpTransits
ambitious project to provide more
efficient rail-freight routes via base
tunnels through the Gotthard and
Ceneri mountain ranges.
The project will comprise twin
15.4km-long, north-south rail
tunnels, so freight trains will need
to only undergo minimal climbs,
compared to the more usual long,
steep gradients that characterise the
Alps. It will also mean shorter
passenger journey times between
Zurich and Milan, while some
routes, such as Lugano to

Bellinzona, will have their journey

times slashed in half when the
tunnel is fully operational.
Located at Sigirino, the adit
tunnel junction will lie roughly
halfway between the main rail
tunnels. The geology in the area
comprises schist, Swiss molasse
and Ceneri orthogneiss with a UCS
of 30-130MPa (4,300-18,800psi).
TBM boring is expected to be
good, with no squeezing ground or
large water inflows anticipated.

New probe drills, being designed

in Robbins US locations, will be
used to verify ground conditions
ahead of the TBM. Temporary
tunnel supports, including rock
bolts, ring beams and shotcrete will
be used, depending on the geology.
Excavated material will be
temporarily stored at a lot on site
for later preparation as rock
aggregate for concrete.
Using the latest disc-cutter
design, the Robbins machine will
bore through geology similar to that
found in the Gotthard Base Tunnel,
which used 17in back-loading
disc cutters. Larger diameter,19in
back-loading disc cutters,
pioneered at the Krahnjkar
Hydroelectric Project, offer a higher
cutter load and longer cutter life
than the 17in design, resulting in
fewer cutter changes.

Italy

Stockholm to stage tunnel

safety symposium 2008

Stockholm, Sweden, will be the

next venue for the International
Symposium on Tunnel Safety and
Security (ISTSS) on March 12-14,
2008. The venue will be Foresta,
situated at the entrance to the
island of Liding, near the capital.
This third gathering reflects the
continuing support for the event
and growing, global concerns
for improving tunnel safety and
security.
The symposium began in
Sweden in 2003 as The International Symposium on Catastrophic
Tunnel Fires and attracted over

200 delegates, prompting a

broadening of ISTSS scope.
Keynote papers will cover active
and passive fire protection,
firefighting, security, emerging
research and case studies.
Deadlines for submission of
paper abstracts lapsed on 1 June
and those who have submitted
them will be notified of acceptance by November 1. Full papers
must be received by January 1,
2008. English will be the official
language of the conference.
Details: see Events, p9, or call
+46 10 516 5219.

SEE US AT SAIE - ITALY

24 - 28 OCTOBER 2007

Pav. 30 Stand A 25

October 2007
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4
NEWS
Italy

India

CONSTRUCTION has started on

the tunnel, part of the Ruzzo
water tunnel expansion in
Teramo, Italy. The joint venture
responsible for the works
Societ Italiana per Condotte
dAcqua and Orion is using a
Lovat RMP167SE Series 21701
TBM for the excavation.
Used successfully on previous
projects in Tuscany, the TBM has
been refurbished prior to
starting work on this, its latest
assignment. But, it will be tough
work, as the site will be working
three, eight-hour shifts, ve days
a week.
With only a few weeks having
elapsed since launch, production
rates have averaged over 1 m/hr
(135 m/week) with higher rates
anticipated once all tunnel
logistic systems are installed.
Geology along the 2 km-long
tunnel alignment is characterised by marl and argillite.
Excavation is expected to take
less than six months.

ACKNOWLEDGING India as a key

future market for mechanised
tunnelling, Germany-based TBM
manufacturer Herrenknecht is
investing US$8.15 million in an
assembly plant in Chennai on the
sub-continents southeast coast.
Herrenknecht India Pvt Ltd will
be operational in spring 2008. The
modern plant will be used for the
assembly of tunnelling machines,
as well as producing components
and tools. It will feature a 3,000 m2
assembly hall, a production plant
for cutter discs for excavating hard
rock, and a storage warehouse for
spare parts, all covering a total area
of 40,000 m2.
India has a massive requirement
for new tunnels and pipelines, and
Herrenknecht is involved in a
variety of schemes there.
For example, this winter, a
7.96 m-diameter Herrenknecht

Colle Urania
tunnel begins

Herrenknecht invests $8m in its

rst assembly plant in India

Breakthrough of the 6.45 m-diameter Herrenknecht EPB-Shield S-197,

which was used at the New Delhi subway system
double-shield TBM will begin
excavating a 18.8 km-long watersupply tunnel near Hyderabad
(Southern India). Herrenknecht is
also supplying a lining-segment
production facility (concrete

segments for lining the tunnel), as

well as technical back-up.
This year has seen the company
receive orders for eight EPB shields
to bore 18 km of tunnel for New
Delhis subway extension.

EU

Greece and Luxembourg in the dock

PROCEEDINGS are being initiated
by the European Commission
against Greece and Luxembourg
for failing to carry out EU directives on minimum safety requirements in tunnels. The two member
states will now have to go before
the European Court of Justice.
Directive 2004/54 stipulates the

minimum safety requirements

applicable to all tunnels of over
500 m on the trans-European road
network. The directive is the
distillation of lessons learnt from
recent tragedies in Alpine tunnels.
EU members had until April 30,
2006 to transpose the directive
into their national legislature, but

<j^YVcXZ8dcigda
d[GdVY]ZVYZgh

Greece and Luxembourg did not

implement any measures.
Typical minimum requirements
include escape routes, emergency
exits, illumination, ventilation,
monitoring and communication
systems. Any necessary refurbishments are required to be
completed by April 30, 2014.

www.vmt-gmbh.de

October 2007
03-04,06-09WT0710.indd 4

11/10/07 09:54:05

Excellent support. Top productivity

Full support for

top productivity
A well-chosen method and an optimized fleet are fundamental but not enough in tunneling
projects where the race against time and costs is an everyday fact. You also need effective,
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At Sandvik, we strive to serve you not only with deep and comprehensive tunneling
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to help you achieve higher productivity and top profitability.

www.sandvik.com

Untitled-4 1

8.10.2007 15:05:48


NEWS
US

Austria

IN BRIEF

Alpine scoops Pfnder contract

Doing
the
Jacobs acquisition
Tunnel engineer Jacob
devils
work
Associates recently
acquired
construction
selected assets andhas
staffbegun
of of
ageotechnical
US$272million,
twin-bore,
and rail
tunnel
1.3km
tunnel
through&the
specialist
Milbor-Pita
Ass
mountain at Devils Slide,
California.
When complete, it will
provide an alternative route to
the notorious, winding stretch
of highway that hugs the
mountainside above Californias
Pacific coast, which has seen
landslides, rockslides and
countless closures since its
1937 opening.
Piercing through San Pedro
mountain, the Devils Slide
Tunnel will link Montara and
Pacifica, as well as other coastal
communities stretching along
San Mateo county. When
complete, it will be Californias
longest highway tunnel and
provide a safer, more permanent
route for drivers.
Each bore will have a single
traffic lane, a cycle lane,
emergency walkways and jet-fan
ventilation.
Although preliminary work
on the project began in 2005,
official digging only began on
September 17 when 145 people
attended a ceremony at the
south portal.
Each tube will be 9.15m
wide and 6.70m high. NATM
will be the method of
excavation, with Terex diggers
and earth-moving equipment
slowly progressing up the 2%
gradient.
It is anticipated that a
selection of granite, sandstone,
shale and clay will be
encountered along the tunnel
alignment.
Two ATM 120t roadheaders,
manufactured by Sandvik
Groups Austrian subsidiary,
Voest Alpine, will carry out
much of the work. Contractor
Kiewit Pacific will use two of the
ATM 105 roadheaders, one for
each tube. Where necessary,
explosives will be used to
displace hard rock.

Austrias second-largest
construction company, Alpine, has
been awarded the $123million
contract to build the second
Pfnder Tunnel tube in Austria
by Asfinag.
As the lowest bidder, Alpine
says it won the contract due to its
competence in tunnel construction and optimum cost structure.
Alpines bid team, which
included Beton- und Monierbau,
pitched against four other bidders.
The Pfnder contract is notable
in that, for the first time, bidders
were able to choose between
TBM-boring or drill-and-blast to
construct the western tube of the
6.5km-long motorway tunnel.
Alpine opted for TBM.
Construction is due to begin in
October and is scheduled for

The Gothard Base Tunnel at Faido, one of Alpines past projects

completion by summer 2012.
Alpine has been involved in several
high-profile projects in recent
years, including the Gothard Base

Tunnel, Katschberg Tunnel and

Athens Metro. Last year, Spanish
construction group FCC acquired
a majority stake in Alpine.

US

Manhattan transfer for retractable Robbins

US-based Robbins recently
completed the assembly of a
6.7m-diameter main-bean TBM,
which will be used to bore two
sections of rail tunnel totalling
12.5km on MTAs East Side Access
project in New York.
The project aims to ease
commuter travel between Queens
and Manhattan.
Comprising twin rail lines,
crossing the East River through an
existing submersed tube, the TBM
will be used for the westbound
Manhattan approach tunnel.

A further hard-rock TBM will be

used to bore the eastbound tunnel.
Partial assembly of the Robbins
TBM will take place at the bottom
of a 23m-deep portal shaft, located
in the city centre, and it will be
completed in an underground
chamber on the Manhattan side
after being transported about
1.8km through the submersible
tube. Having bored an initial
heading, the TBM will be
demobilised and retracted to
excavate a second heading up to
Grand Central Station.

Transportation will be easier

through the varying tunnel crosssections and smaller-diameter
submersible tube due to the TBMs
expandable and retractable
components, which allow it to
adapt from 6.136m to 6.906m
in diameter.
The tunnel alignment primarily
crosses Manhattan schist with
gneiss, from 80-200 MPa (11,60029,000 psi) UCS, while support
will vary between in-situ concrete
lining, steel ribs, rock bolts and
wire mesh.
Muck will be removed by
continuous conveyors that transport
the spoil to a storage site 366m
away. One of these will be 37m
long and is being designed as an
enclosed box truss because it has to
cross a major boulevard at 6m
above road level.
Completion of the tunnels is
scheduled to take 18 months, while
the completed East Side Access line
should be up and running by 2013.
Assembly of the 6.7m-diameter
Robbins TBM was completed
on July 27

October 2007
03-04,06-09WT0710.indd 6

10/10/07 16:56:23

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2007-09-24 11:54:09


NEWS
India

Germany

HCC awarded
irrigation work

Innotrans 2008 shapes up for Berlin stage

Hindustan Construction
Company (HCC) has won the
US$180million irrigation-tunnel
work on the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project in Andhra Pradesh,
India. HCC is lead partner (60%
share) in a JV with Coastal Projects
Pvt. The award was made by the
Irrigation and CAD Department of
the Andhra Pradesh government.
Envisaged in the contract are the
investigation, design, execution and
construction of an 18.8km, 9.2m
(i.d.) tunnel that will form part of the
water-conveyance system, linking
the Srisailam Reservoir to GunturKurnool road to join the Feeder
canal. It is envisaged the project
will take five years.
HCC is currently building the
US$120million, 11km-long
Banihal rail tunnel in Kashmir.

InnoTrans 2008, the International Trade Fairfor Transport

Technology, which covers
components, vehicles and systems,
will be held in Berlin, Germany, on
September 23-26, 2008. There will
be a strong presence from the
tunnelling industry.
For only the second time, a
tunnel section will focus on
construction products, materials,
information and safety systems,
R&D, and the full range of services
for the tunnelling sector. Some of
the market leaders in international
tunnelling will also be present.
The section devoted to Tunnel
Construction is organised in close
co-operation with the German
Research Association for Underground Transportation (STUVA),
which enjoyed a successful debut
at InnoTrans 2006.

Complete Range of Instruments

for Tunnel Monitoring

Tunnel Construction is a
platform that has been designed to
foster business contacts between
exhibitors and visitors engaged in
tunnelling. It will be supplemented

The Kirchenwald Tunnel, being

built in the Swiss Alps
by brief, compact discussion
forums under the aegis of STUVA.
Tunnelling participants will also
benefit from interaction with other
sectors that will be present, such
as transport companies.

At InnoTrans, the International

Tunnel Forum will be organised
jointly by STUVA under the leadership of Prof Dr Alfred Haack and
the International Tunnel
Association (ITA).
Spread over two days, the
compact, two-hour sessions will
provide a discussion forum with
leading experts on relevant
tunnelling subjects.
The 2008 show looks set to be
another success, given that more
than three quarters of last years
display area has already been
booked. The trend for larger stands
at InnoTrans also applies to the
tunnelling sector. Located in Hall
5.2, it will be close to the railway
infrastructure section which will
be useful for visitors.
Further details are availabe at
www.innotrans.com.

Data Acquisition Systems

for automated
monitoring of
instrumentation
in tunnelling
projects.

Standard and customized instruments

Piezometers Extensometers Load cells
Total pressure cells Temperature sensors
Strain gauges Data acquisition systems
Onsite technical assistance also available

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www.geokon.com

October 2007
03-04,06-09WT0710.indd 8

10/10/07 17:37:42

9
Nov 5-7: International Congress Tunnels, Drivers of Change (AETOS) Madrid, Spain. Details: Tel: +91 531 06 00. Fax: +91 531 05 41.
E-mail: aetos07madrid@presencia-inter.com
Nov 27-29: STUVA-TAGUNG07 Connections by Tunnel Cologne, Germany. International conference on developments in underground construction.
Organised by the German Research Association for Underground Transportation Facilities (STUVA). E-mail: t.wagener@stuva.de. Website: www.stuva.de
Nov 27-29: INTERtunnel 2007 Pavilion 8 at Expocentr, Moscow. Technology and services for the construction and operation of tunnels and underground
spaces in Russia. Details: Ulika Tosner, Mack Brooks Exhibitions. Tel: +44 (0) 1727 814 400. Fax: +44 (0) 1727 814 401. E-mail: ulikatosner@mackbrooks.co.uk
Mar 11-15: CONEXPO-CONAGG 2008 Las Vegas, US. North Americas largest major construction event with major international participation. Details: Show
Management: Tel: +1 414-298-4144. E-mail: exhibits@conexpoconagg.com
Mar 12-14: ISTSS 2008 International Symposium on Catastrophic Tunnel Fires 3rd International Symposium on Tunnel Safety and Security, Stockholm, Sweden
Details: Margaret Simonson. Tel: +46 10 516 52 19. Website: www.sp.se/en/units/re/news/istss2008/sidor/default.aspx
May 4-7: 13th Australian Tunnelling Conference, Melbourne. Organiser: Australian Tunnelling Society. Tel: (03) 9662 3166. Email: dedwards@ausimm.com.au
Website: www.atstunnellingconference2008.com
May 5-9: Samoter 2008 Verona, Italy. Details: Verona Fiere, Viale dellavoro 8, 37135 Verona, Italy. Tel: +39 045 8298111. Fax: +39 0458298288. Website: www.samoter.it
May 20-22: Intertunnel 2008 8th International Tunnelling Exhibition Turin, Italy. Details: intertunnel@mackbrooks.com Website: www.intertunnel.com
Jun 7-11: North American Tunnelling (NAT) Conference San Francisco, US. Advances in tunnel engineering. Website: www.smenet.org/meetings/nat/2008/callForPapers.cfm
Jun 23-25: 2nd Brazilian Congress of Tunnels and Underground Structures, Sao Paulo. Tel: +55 11 3871 3626. E-mail: 2cbt@acquacon.com.br
Sept 17-18: IUT 2008 5th International Underground and Tunnel Fair. Website: www.iut.ch
Sept 22-24: MINExpo International 2008 Las Vegas, US. Worlds largest exhibition of mining and associated equipment. Details: Tel: +1 630 434 7779.
Fax: +1 630 4341216. E-mail: minexpo@heiexpo.com. Website: www.minexpo.com
Sept 22-27: World Tunnel Congress and 34th ITA General Assembly New Delhi, India. Tel: +91-11-2615984/26116567. E-mail: sunil@cbip.org. Website: www.cbip.org
Sept 23-28: InnoTrans 2008 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology Berlin, Includes International Tunnel Forum organised by ITA and STUVA.
Tel: +49 (0)30 3038-2036. Fax: +49 (0)30 3038-2190. Website: www.innotrans-berlin.ru/english. E-Mail: innotrans@messe-berlin.de
Oct 22-24: Underground Infrastructure of Urban Areas 2008 Organised by Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland. Details: andrzej.kolonko@pwr.wroc.pl
May 23-28: World Tunnel Congress and 35th ITA General Assembly Budapest, Hungary. Preliminary advice only. Website: www.ITA-Aites.org
Jun 14-17: Rapid Excavation and Tunnelling Conference RETC 2009 Las Vegas, Nevada, US. Details: Tel: +1 303 973 9550; Fax: +1 303 973 3845.
E-mail: davis@smenet.org Website: www.smenet.org available to visitors.
Events highlighted in red are those where World Tunnelling will be available to visitors

Top quality equipment.

tunneling

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2009

2008

2007

NEWS

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leading company whose projects, at the service of the
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with extremely high technical performance levels.

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October 2007
03-04,06-09WT0710.indd 9

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A World Leader in Conveyors and Conveyor Technology

Continental Conveyor Limited
West Quay Road, Sunderland Enterprise Park, Sunderland, SR5 2TD. UK
Tel: +44 (0)191 516 5353
Fax: +44 (0)191 516 5399
E-mail: sales@continental-conveyor.co.uk
www.continental-conveyor.co.uk
A CONTINENTAL GLOBAL GROUP COMPANY

11
PROJECT: Spain

Delivering the goods

B

EING aware of the major tunnelling

objectives designed to improve Spanish
infrastructure led to new opportunities
for Continental Conveyor (CC). In addition to
Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro and two tunnels
for Barcelona Airport, its work has encompassed
a more difcult project: the 28.4 km-long
Guadarrama tunnel on Spains new north-south
high-speed rail link.
But, difcult projects are CCs speciality, says
Paul Bancroft. We have the edge when the
tunnel prole is difcult as it allows us to use
our experience in underground construction.
Originally based in mining, CC sought new
horizons when the sector began to slow down in
the mid-1980s. In 1990-99, it completed major
tunnelling projects in the US and Australia. But,
its greatest success was in 2002 when it secured
all three phases of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

GUADARRAMA
Spains topography, with internal and coastal
rock masses in the north, northeast and south,
has necessitated the construction of numerous
base tunnels to speed up journey times between
the interior and coastal regions. The Guadarrama
Tunnel is on Spains Madrid-north and northwest high-speed line, about 70 km north of
Madrid and near Segovia. CC supplied two
conveyors of 13.4 km and 15 km long.
Begun in 2003, the 28.4 km-long tunnel
comprises twin 8.5 m diameter tubes, about
30 m apart, each having a section of 52 m2.
Split into north and south sections of roughly

Schematic of booster conguration

equal length, the tunnels were bored using
four double-shield TBMs two boring from
the north and two from the south with both
meeting at, or near, the mid-point. With
excavation diameters of 9.5 m and a shield
length of 15 m, the TBMs were equipped with
26.7 t capacity, 17 in disc cutters, which could
be accessed from the machine chamber.
Boring through gneisses (62%), granitoides
(26%), dykes (8%) and faults (4%), TBMs were
chosen not only because they were faster, but
also because the Guadarrama is in an environmental area, ruling out the use of explosives.
CCs involvement was limited to the northern
section of the Guadarrama contract, providing a
conveyor in each tunnel. Bancroft claims the

Continental Conveyor was recently involved in two

Spanish projects, with different operational criteria

installed one is probably the longest single-ight

conveyor anywhere. Comprising 2x160 kW
main drives and three separate boosters (each
comprising two 160 kW main motors), the
conveyor had a 900 mm-wide steel-mesh
cored-rubber belt with a capacity of 1,150 t/hr.
Herrenknecht preferred a conveyor that
was chain-hung from the roof, whereas a
wall-mounted system was used in the Wirth
tunnel. Both conveyors were operated on a
24-hour basis, but, as you might expect, some
breakdowns occurred, requiring ongoing
maintenance that was, as far as possible,
carried out in parallel with TBM maintenance.
Monitoring the conveyor and maintenance
was carried out by two of the clients workforce,
trained by CC to adjust and maintain the belt.
This included inserting new lengths of belt as
the bored length of tunnel increased; it also
included vulcanisation of the newly-inserted
belt loop; a process that can take up to eight
hours. When this is necessary, the new storage
loop, which can come in 300 m lengths and
weigh up to 6-8 t a piece, is installed and
inserted at the portal. Monitoring conveyor
performance was achieved remotely.
However, as the TBM driver needs constant
control and visibility of the muck-handling
process, sophisticated control systems integrating
TBM and conveyor are available. In this case, CC
devised software that was customised for the
project, which was completed in 2005.

the contract was in two parts. With the rst

consignment delivery in July 2003, the
4.07 km-long, phase-one conveyor was
1,000 mm wide with a 1,120 kW rating.
On phase two, the requirement was for a
8.39 km-long belt at 1,600 kW. In the event,
this was achieved by using the belt from phase
one and adding a 4.32 km extension.
With a 160 kW head drive at the portal and
ve 160 kW boosters along its length, the 1 metrewide, wall-mounted conveyor was adapted to go
around corners. It was routed through the TBM
back-up where a team of men inserted supporting
brackets at roughly 2 m intervals into pre-formed
holes in the tunnel segments.
Thanks to Paul Bancroft of CC

BARCELONA METRO
Phase 1 of the UTE Line 9 contract, awarded in
January 2002 and now complete, comprised a
10.9 m internal diameter, single-tube, 8.4 kmlong, TBM-excavated tunnel. On a contract
worth around US$2.8 million for CC, the rm
supplied an 8.39 km-long conveyor, designed to
negotiate curves as tight as 280 m in radius.
As the tunnel was completed in two phases,

October 2007
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site characterization jobs, inside the crystalline bodies

with different mylonites and water conditions.
In the Figure 2 a longitudinal geological section
of the tunnel is shown. It can be appreciated, the two
main faults encountered that have been intensively
investigated in advance using geophysical methods.
There two faults corresponds to Valparaiso and to
La Umbra fault areas.

12
PROJECT: Spain

boreholes were drilled in order to perform dilatometer

and permeability in situ tests, as well as to make some
geophysical logging.

Structural Analysis
Met. RockSch.
Ing. RockFabric.

Proyections
Boreholes
Fault traces

Revision of the project

Maps/Sections
Boreholes

Geological Mapping
(1/2000 and1/5000)
Continious
ERT
Boreholes Fault zones
La Umbria

METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE

PREDITION OF GROUND CONDITIONS
AHEAD THE TBM FACE

Geophysical Methods
ERT between boreholes
Seismic Tomography
Others

Geophysical Logging
In Situ Testinge
Detailed Geological
Tunnel Profile

Mapping the Guadarrama T

Since the beginning of the excavation, the major
importance of having a prediction of the ground conditions ahead the TBM face has been demonstrated,
in order to take the decision to advance in a single or
in a double-shield way or if it is necessary to make a
ground improvement ahead the face of the tunnel.
For this purspuse a review of the main geological
features has been done.
This review has consisted of a detailed (1:1000
scaled) geological mapping with a precise photogeological study.

Further geophysical
prospection

Estimated Geological
Tunnel Profile

FurtherIn Situ Tests

Geological Supervision
of the tunnel face

Definitive Geological
Tunnel Profile

Advanced geological mapping was used on the recently-completed tunnels. This

paper (abridged), taken from the recent WTC in Prague, outlines the procedures

Figure 3. Methodology used for the prediction of the ground

conditions ahead the TBM face (modified from Capote,
2005).

he new, twin Guadarrama Tunnels cross

the Central Range (Sistema Central) of the
Iberian Peninsula, between Madrid and
Segovia, forming part of the new high-speed
railway line in northwest Spain. They are 28.3km
long, with a maximum overburden of 900m.
The tunnels have been constructed using four
double-shield TBMs, all with an excavation
diameter of 9.5m. To predict ground conditions
in detail ahead of the TBM face, a review of the
geological features was carried out. This
comprised detailed geological mapping, with a
precise photo-geological study and systematic
electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles
along the axis of both tunnels. Also, several
geophysical investigation methods were applied
to afford good knowledge of the rock mass.

Geological profile
of the tunnels

Figure 2. Geological profile of the tunnels of Guadarrama.

In-situ geotechnical tests were also carried out,

yielding ground-geomechanical parameters:
Surface tests, carried out from the South
Portal, previous to the TBM;
Surface tests, carried out from the North
Portal, previous to the TBM;

La Umbra Fault, where various methods have

been applied at the surface, in borehole,

204
surface-to-borehole or borehole-to-borehole.

At the main faults, inclined boreholes were

drilled to perform dilatometer and permeability

October 2007
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13
PROJECT: Spain

a Tunnels

THE PREDIcTION OF
GROUND CONDITIONS
AHEAD of TBM FACE

Revision of the project

Maps/sections
Boreholes

Structural analysis
Met. rock ]sch
Ing. rock ]fabric

Since the beginning of the

Geological mapping
(1/2000 and 1/5000)
excavation, the importance of
Projections
Continuous
in-situ tests. With all this data, it was decided in
predicting ground conditions
Boreholes/Fault traces
ERT
advance whether the double shield would work
ahead of the TBM face was
Boreholes fault zones
La Umbria
in single or double mode. An expert system has
necessary in order to decide
Geophysical methods
been used to interpret the data coming from the
whether to use a single- or
Geophysical logging
ERT between boreholes
In-situ testing
TBM after crossing the expected faults, thereby
double-shield machine and
Seismic tomography/others
providing feedback for the entire process.
whether it was necessary to make
Detailed geological
tunnel profile
ground improvements ahead of
Further geophysical
GEOLOGICAL FEATURES
the tunnel face.
Flowchart for
prospecting
The geology comprises crystalline rock, gneiss
Following detailed (1:1000
predicting ground
Further in-situ tests
Estimated geological
and granite, crossed by several types of dykes.
scale) geological mapping, an
conditions ahead
tunnel profile
Geological supervision
A main graben in the Lozoya Valley where poor- intensive, geophysical survey of
of the TBM
of the tunnel face
quality, sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous
both tunnels was undertaken,
(Capote, 2005)
was crossed including loose sands beneath the consisting of:
Definitive geological
tunnel profile
water table constitutes the most problematic
Geophysical methods applied
section of both tunnels.
from the surface.
Nevertheless, several faults and dykes have
Geophysical methods applied between
inclined boreholes were drilled to carry out
also been detected in site-characterisation jobs
boreholes, or between borehole and surface.
in-situ dilatometer and permeability tests, as well
inside the crystalline bodies with different
as undertaking geophysical logging. This method
mylonites and water conditions. The two
As a prediction tool, systematic electricalproved effective and very precise, down to an
overburden of about 150m. Special attention
main faults that were crossed have been
resistivity tomography (ERT) profiling was carried
intensively investigated in advance using
out along the axis of both tunnels. In the main
was paid to the La Umbra Fault, where several
Inserat_Hny_Grouting_1_engl
17.5.2005
Uhr Seite
1 conditions,
geophysical methods.
faults16:49
and unforeseen
geological
geophysical methods were applied. Here, most

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October 2007
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14
PROJECT: Spain
of the geophysical and in-situ tests were

used to predict the structural position of

Cretaceous loose sands, as well as the
position of the main gouge fault zones.
Tectonised zones were found in the
northern part of the valley.

Electrical resistivity
tomography (ERT)


Resistivity is calculated

from resistance value.

Electrical
sensitivity
tomography
for the
detection of
faults has
been used
before

Electrical-resistivity tomography (ERT)

for the detection of faults has been used
before since faults usually give low
values of resistivity due to the presence
of clay minerals and a high water
content. The method is based on
measuring the potential difference
between two electrodes and obtaining
the resistance of the ground to current flow.
After several trials, a unit electrode-spacing of
10m was used for low overburden, obtaining a
constant depth of investigation of about 60m.
Two parallel profiles were taken along
both axes of the tunnels. To define and classify
the faults, a detailed interpretation process
was used, comprising the following steps:

The apparent resistivity pseudo-section
is measured.


An iterative inversion

process is carried out,

minimising error
between the measurement and calculated
values of resistivity. This
is given by the value of
RMS error expressed as
a percentage.
For the final interpretation, analysing the
chargeability section has
provided data for the
prediction of water inflow
into the tunnel. Since the
start of the excavation from the north portal,
more than 11,980ml of ERT profiles have
been carried out, while the excavated length
is 13,500m for each tunnel (tunnels 3 and 4).

3D interpretation of ERT
In the La Umbra fault, 4,600m of ERT profiles
from surfaces were undertaken, as well as
five electrical-tomography borehole-borehole
and six ERT borehole-surface profiles. This

Geophysical logging
used in boreholes
Equipment Log
Schlumberger HALS-PEX-Laterolog-Plataform

Express Logs

HNGS Espectometra Gamma

Nuclear

FMI-Fullbore Fm. Microimager

DSI-Dipolo Shear Imager

GR-Gamma Ray
Mount Sopris Caliper

Acoustic Televiewer

Full wave sonic

Temperature

Gamma Ray

Conductivity

Resistivity

SP
allowed the creation of a complex, 3D
interpretation of the fault.

Seismic crosshole tomography

Seismic tomography is based on elastic wave
propagation to arrive at a spatial distribution of

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October 2007
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15
PROJECT: Spain
velocities inside a volume of rock mass. Once data acquisition is
complete, the velocities between all mesh nodes are calculated. In the
La Umbria Fault, a seismic survey was carried out between boreholes,
which considered:

The distance between boreholes the longer the distance, the lower
the accuracy.
The distance between geophones and shot points.
Accuracy in determining the positions of transmitter and receptors.

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In-situ testing
The following techniques were used:
Geophysical logging (see table).
Hidrofract tests.
Dilatometer tests.
These tests proved useful for the geotechnical classification of the
site at the La Umbria fault, as well as for other tectonic features. The
geo-physical logging and in-situ testing carried out inside the drilled
boreholes has provided valuable information concerning:
Structural data.

Natural stress field (with a high ratio k0, between horizontal and
vertical stresses).

Rock-mass deformability, especially in the Cretaceous sedimentary
rocks, including loose sands.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the
resistivity profile,
it was decided in
advance whether
the TBM would
operate in singleor double-shield
mode

The geophysical surveys and

in-situ tests have contributed to
defining the geological and
geomechanical profile of the
Guadarrama tunnels. This method
has provided advance knowledge
of the construction difficulties that
the four TBMs would face while
excavating in the rock mass. The
results of these measurements are
as follows:
3,501 lm of seismic profiles.
24,870 lm of surface ERT.

11,019 lm of geophysical
logging.
3,860 lm of VLF.

5 ut ERT borehole-borehole.
6 ut ERT borehole-surface
18 ut seismic-tomography borehole-borehole.
25 ut dilatometric tests

In the gneiss and granites of the Guadarrama Tunnels, ERT has proven to
be an efficient system for predicting faults and dykes ahead of the TBM.
Using chargeability profiles has proved interesting for predicting water
inflow conditions. Interpretation is very difficult when the strike of the
resistivity anomaly is parallel to the axis of the tunnel.
Using the resistivity profile, it was decided in advance whether the TBM
would operate in single- or double-shield mode. For an over-burden
higher than 250m, no geophysical survey was used as none of the tests
carried out gave enough reliability and accuracy in interpretation.
At the Umbria Fault, electrical and seismic tomographies have contributed to defining the position of Cretaceous loose sands. In-situ tests also
contributed, in conjunction with the geotechnical logging of drilled boreholes and the last test for the mechanical characterisation of the rock mass.
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October 2007
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16
PROJECT: Sweden

Malms excellent p
The Citytunnel in Malm, Sweden, is well under way and constitutes a complex
array of tunnelling and associated works. Rodney Craig reports

alm central station is a terminal

station and trains from the resund
Crossing (between Copenhagen and
Malm) travel round the south and east of Malm
and into the station. The Citytunnel will bring the
link though Malm with two suburban stations at
Hyllie and Triangeln.
The official go ahead was not given until early
2005. This article marks the first of four breakthroughs with the completion of the first 2.6km
tunnel drive to Triangeln station at the end of
August 2007. The second tunnel breakthrough is
planned for early October 2007 and the final two
breakthroughs in the spring of 2008.
Nearly half of the tunnelling is now complete
and is ahead of programme. However, the limestone will be more fractured in the latter stages
of the two drives, so although the project team
are hopeful of an early completion, the progress
to the final breakthroughs is being planned
conservatively.

Geology and Hydrogeology

The natural geology along the route is generally
moraine overlying limestone with some sediments
of sand and gravel locally.
The limestone has three distinct layers. The
upper layer, up to 8m in thickness, is the Copenhagen Limestone which is fractured and highly
permeable. The middle layer, down to a depth
of 50-60m is the Bryozoan Limestone whose
upper layers are fractured, but the main body of
the limestone generally has a lower permeability.
However, its permeability increases to the north of
Triangeln station. The third layer is the Chalk.

There are two watertables, the upper varying

between 1 and 7 m below the surface while the
lower lying in the limestone at roughly sea level.

The Project
The Citytunnel is a 17 km-long new railway
alignment and works are being constructed under
around 30 contracts. Works are as follows:

5 km of depressed route, at 4-7 m below
ground level from the existing resund link at
Lemacken to north of Hylie station;

6 km of twin tunnel under Malm;

6 km of depressed route to connect the
resund link eastwards to Trelleborg, Ystad and
Vintrie;

A sunken Hyllie station with four tracks and
two island platforms;

An underground cavern station at Triangeln
with a central platform; and

An underground station at Malm Central with
four tracks and two island platforms, with
connections into the existing station.

Contract E101 Malm Central Station awarded to the Swedish contractor NCC Construction
Sverige AB (contract value US$182.77 million);

Contract E201 Tunnels and Triangeln station
awarded to The Malm City Tunnel Group, a
consortium of the German contractor Bilfinger
Berger AG, and the Danish contractors Per
Aarsleff A/S and E Pihl & Son A/S (contract
value US$ 350.26 million).
The Swedish Prime Minister, Gran Persson,
officially started the US$1.25 billion project on
March 8 2005. Extensive site investigations and

The Herrenknecht TBM

Photo: Herrenknecht

environmental issues were discussed in the March

2004 issue of World Tunnelling.

Bored Tunnel Works

Tunnel Boring Machines
The Malm City Tunnel Group (MCG) ordered
two EPB TBMs from Herrenknecht in October
2005. The TBMs were manufactured at the firms
works at Schwanau, in Germany, and were
delivered to site in September and November
2006. The main details of the TBMs are given in
the table (below).

Tunnel Linings
Tunnels have an internal diameter of 7.9m with
a 1.8 m-wide lining, 350 mm-thick. The ring
is made up of seven segments and a wedged
key and has an EPDM gasket in the joints
manufactured by Dtwyler, from Switzerland. The
segments have rebar reinforcement and 1 kg of
polypropylene fibres to improve their durability
against fire. The segments are cast in a specially

TBM specifications

Cut and cover adjacent to reception pit

Shield diameter
Shield length
Backup length
Weight of shield
Weight of backup
Type of TBM
Cutterhead power
Cutterhead torque
Number of rams
Total thrust
Cutterhead speed
Number of discs

8.89m
9.5m
130m
700t
550t
EPB
2,400 kW
11,785/12,627 kNm
14
52,030 kN
Max 4.5 revs/min
55

October 2007
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17
PROJECT: Sweden

t progress
built precasting yard on the site designed and
manufactured by CBE Tunnels of France. The
segments are pre-cured for three hours and then
steam cured for seven and a half hours before
demoulding. The daily production is ten rings.

Tunnel driving
The first TBM started on November 18, 2006 and
completed the 2.7 km initial drive to Triangeln
station on August 21 2007 at an overall average
weekly rate of progress of 67m/week and ahead
of programme. The best daily progress was 32.4 m
with the best progress on a 6-day week of 153m.
The TBM is now having a minor refurbishment
and will start the remainder of its drive in October
2007, with an estimated completion of the drive
in March 2008.
The second TBM started its drive in February 2007 and on September 10 had completed
2.36km of the drive to Traingeln station. The best
six-day weekly progress is also 153m. However
with the recent change, in late August, to a 7-day
week cycle the best weekly progress has increased
to 185 m. The drive is expected to reach Triangeln
station to complete the second breakthrough in
the next few weeks. The best daily progress for the
second drive has been 36m.
The rate of progress for the remaining 2.1km
from Triangeln station to the reception shaft in
Contract E101 is expected initially to remain high,
but to reduce as the TBMs start to enter the wetter,
more fractured ground in the north.

Triangeln Station
There was always great concern about the
construction of the only bored tunnel station at
Triangeln. The environmental court ruled that the
ground water in the vicinity of the station must not
be lowered by more than 0.3m and a water recharge system has been installed with 80% of the
discharged water from the excavation being used
in the recharge. The recharge system has worked
well and there has been very little drawdown and
well within the court figure. This has been helped
by the more competent than expected limestone
with fewer joints and a lower permeability.
The station has a 250 m-long cavern, 28mwide and 14.5 m-high with cut and cover
boxes at each end for access escalators, lifts, staff
quarters and equipment. Inside the cavern is a
14.5m-wide central platform with a row of central columns. The station is 25m below ground
level with 10 m of cover to the limestone.
The cavern has been excavated in eight stages.

The first two stages were

the top heading and bench
Shutter shown in
for the central columns
cross passage
which were excavated
with Voest Alpine roadheaders from both ends.
The base slab and large oval columns were then
cast. The roadheaders then excavated the two
large side heading with top headings, bench and
invert, with ground support of lattice girders,
rockbolts and shotcrete. The final linings will
be cast following the dragging of the two TBMs
through the cavern.

Cross Passages and Shafts

Cross passages are being provided at approximately 340m centres. There will be 13 cross passages including one in the cut and cover tunnels.
The first two cross passages in the bored tunnel
are currently under construction. The ground between the two tunnels was dewatered and grouted
in advance. The openings for the cross passages
extend over three rings. The load between the
three rings and the adjacent rings is transferred
through three square shear pins with dry pack
concrete in each of the three segments above
and below the opening. The segments forming
the opening are then cut. There is no temporary
support to the ring during the excavation for the
cross passage. The 4.5m internal diameter horseshoe-shaped cross passages are lined with insitu
reinforced concrete with a steel shutter of half the
cross passage length.

Southern Cut and Cover

The 360m-long cut-and-cover south of the bored
tunnel was the first civil works to be constructed
under the bored tunnel contract. The excavation
was carried out within steel sheet piled walls,
except for the headwall with the two eyes for the
start of the bored tunnel which were concrete
piled. The excavation was dewatered with water
recharge wells outside the cofferdam.
A permanent dewatering system where 95%
of the dewatering water is recharged in a sealed
system operates at the open retained cut south of
the cut-and-cover.

Malm Central Station

The Malm central station contract includes
the reception shaft for the two TBMs. The shaft
is part of the cut and cover west of the central
station and will be handed over the bored tunnel
contract for a period in March 2008 for the arrival

and dismantling of the two TBMs, after which it

will be handed back to the station contractor for
the completion of the cut-and-cover works.
The 700m-long cut-and-cover to the central
station has two tracks at the reception shaft, a
150 m-long crossing, and enters the station as
four tracks. At the reception shaft the excavation
has been carried out within diaphragm walls. The
main length of cut-and-cover has been excavated
within steel sheet piled walls and the works are
now well advanced.
Traffic diversions and temporary closures have
taken place to enable the cut-and-cover works to
proceed. A sophisticated monitoring system for
the dewatering and recharge is combined for the
central station. The environmental court ruled that
the water table outside the excavation must not
be lowered by more than 0.3 m with a minimum
of 80% of the dewatering water recharged. The
system has worked well and has achieved these
criteria.
Malm central station is located to the north of
the existing station and has two 11 m-wide island
platforms, 320 m-long. The station is 8.5m10.0m below ground level. The opportunity is
being taken to modernise the central station and
to achieve an exciting integrated system between
new and old. The new bus station to the south of
the existing station is already in use.
The excavation for the station is within a steel
sheet piled cofferdam, except where it is close to
existing buildings where diaphragm walls have
been used. A sophisticated monitoring system is
being used to monitor ground movements and
adjacent structures.

Programme
The project is currently ahead of programme.
The civil works nearly 50% completed are
scheduled for completion in April 2009 and the
link opened in 2011.
The editor is grateful to Citytunnel and technical
manager Henrik Christensen for taking the author
round the site and for illustrations and photographs and for permission to publish the article.
Thanks also to Herrenknecht for providing
information on the project

October 2007
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18
PROJECT: India
An environmentallysensitive water project
in India includes the
worlds longest no
intermediate access
TBM-driven tunnel

n the drought-prone region of Indias

Andhra Pradesh state, a massive irrigation
and water-transfer project is becoming a
reality. More than 100km of tunnels will bring
water from the Srisailam Reservoir on the Krishna
River to 1,200 km2 of farmland and 516 villages.
The tunnels, which pass under sensitive
environmental areas, including Indias largest
tiger reserve, will require drill and blast, as well
as tunnel boring. To accomplish the job,
contractor Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) will
use two 10 m-diameter Robbins double-shield
TBMs, assembled on-site, to bore a 43.5kmlong tunnel.

Boring a
new world
record

Water for the People

The Alimineti Madhava Reddy (AMR) Project
will transfer surplus water from the Srisailam
Reservoir to the plains of the Nalgonda District
for the Andhra Pradesh Government. Two main
tunnels (T1 and T2) will carry the water under
gravity. At 43.5km, T1 will be the worlds
longest TBM-driven tunnel without intermediate
access. The tunnel will receive water from a
head regulator, currently being constructed on
the foreshore of Srisailam Reservoir. Water will
flow through T1, which will connect to T2 via a
balancing reservoir on the Dindi River.
A number of balancing reservoirs will be
built, using central masonry in overflow sections
and rock-fill in non-overflow sections. JALs
senior vice-president, Anil A Kamat, explains:
Balancing reservoirs are required to cross all
the valleys and rivers along the system route.
The reservoirs will also be used as storage
facilities for overflow.

The Srisailam reservoir inlet portal area

Drill-and-blast work began on the 7.3kmlong T2 from the outlet side in August. The
8.7m-diameter horseshoe-shaped tunnel will
be lined with shotcrete and built within four
years. Designing the technology to bore the
tunnel required consideration of the geological
conditions and long distance involved.
The two Robbins TBMs for T1 form part of the
largest, single TBM order in history, signed
between Robbins and JAL in May
2006. The complete contract
includes two TBMs, back-up
systems, continuous conveyor
systems, spare parts and
personnel.

longer tunnels

TBM launch chamber and assembly area at the outlet portal

Geological conditions in T1
consist of quartzite zones up to
450MPa UCS, layered, and
separated by shale and granite
(160-190MPa UCS). Four large
faults along the route are thought
to contain fractured ground

with minor water seepage, although the

remainder of the tunnel is expected to be dry.
Two double-shield machines were selected due
to the geology and location of the tunnel just
500m beneath the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam
Tiger Reserve.
The machines will use back-loading 20 indiameter cutters for more efficient excavation
and longer cutter life. Specially-designed drive
motors allow each machine to run at a higher
than normal rpm, compensating for the low
penetration rates expected in hard rock. In
squeezing ground, each cutterhead is capable of
vertical movement to allow for over-boring.
Each machine will install 300 mm-thick
concrete segments, which will serve as a final
liner to create the finished tunnel diameter of
9.2m. As the TBMs bore, invert segments will
be laid directly on to the excavated surface
and concrete rings will be bolted on in a
6+1 arrangement. The segment rings are
stablised through a combination of pea-gravel
injection and grouting to fill the annulus
outside the lining.
A probe drill on each of the machines will be
used to verify the geology 30 m ahead of the

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PROJECT: India
TBM. The drill can rotate 360 and serve as a
grout-consolidation drill. Water accumulating at
the tunnel face will be pumped out by large,
specially-designed, 40kW dewatering pumps,
located on the back-up. Weep
holes bored into the concrete
lining will help to relieve external
groundwater pressure.
A newly-designed data-logging
system on each machine monitors
TBM performance. Real-time
meters measure parameters,
including cutterhead motor
amperage and power, and grippercylinder pressure. Data can be
generated in a graphic form to
view trends over time.
The data-logging system on
these machines is more advanced
than those previously used on our
TBM projects, says Dale Hobbs,
a Robbins electrical engineer. We
will monitor a greater number of parameters and
equipment perform-ance will be examined
during each ring build.
Robbins engineers designed the long tunnels
muck removal system for optimal performance.

The entire continuous-conveyor system will

be broken up into short flights, with multiple
drive motors, with belt added inside the
tunnel, as required. Two 914 mm-wide, steel
cable, belt-conveyor systems, each of
22.5km in length, but split into two
equal sections, will operate from either
side of the tunnel as the TBMs bore.
Muck will be recycled as rock-fill on
many of the projects balancing
reservoirs.

Datalogging
on these
machines
is more
advanced
than on
our TBM
projects

On-site assembly

Both machines are being assembled on

site in a process scheduled to take
around three months. Gantry cranes of
170t capacity will hoist the machine
components into the launch pit. The
two machines, including cutterhead,
gripper system, forward shield and
telescopic shield, will be assembled in
a concrete cradle before being
advanced. The TBM will crawl forward by
reacting against invert segment pieces, installed
progressively up to the tunnel entrance.
Drilled-and-blasted disassembly chambers
will be used for TBM removal, each of which

Pre-assembly of the front shield before

shipment to the jobsite for full TBM assembly
will include a poured concrete invert and
installed 170t gantry cranes. The entire project
is expected to take about 60 months to finish
and should be operational by December 2012.
The editor is grateful to the Robbins Company
for its assistance in the preparation of this article

je lnger je besser
100 years shotcrete
What Carl Ethan Akely began in 1907

07

19

MEYCO Equipment

MEYCO Equipment Division of BASF

Construction Chemicals Europe AG
Hegmattenstrasse 24, CH-8404 Winterthur
Phone +41-58-958 27 00, Fax +41-58-958 37 07

18-19WT0710.indd 19

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10/10/07 15:42:35

20
TECHNOLOGY: Sprayed concrete

Chamber music

s part of significantly expanding its

capacity in the European electricity
market, Austrian Vorarlberger Illwerke
AG is constructing the huge Kops 2 pumpedstorage power station, which will have a turbine
output of 450MW. Work on the 30million
project began in September 2004, with
commissioning scheduled for 2008.
A major part of the project involves the
construction of a huge, underground cavern,
housing an enormous machine hall. The
extensive concreting required for it will be
undertaken by one, stationary, BSA concrete
pump and one stationary concrete-placing
boom, operated alternatively on two,
tubular columns. Work will continue
around the clock on a three-shift
basis.
Like the Kopswerk 1 power
station in nearby Montafon, the
new, pumped-storage power
station uses water from
Kopssee lake. The project
involves the construction of
Sections 1 and 2 (pressure
tunnels, surge tank and pressure
shaft), as well as Section 3 with
its machine chamber and
transformer hall, not to mention
supporting and underwater systems.
Section 3 is being worked on by a
consortium made up of Beton- und
Monierbau Gesellschaft mbH (Innsbruck),
Alpine Mayreder Bau GmbH (Salzburg/Wals)
and Ed.Zblin AG Zweigniederlassung
Tunnelbau (Stuttgart), under the project
management of Jger Bau GmbH (Schruns).

60 m-high hall from rock

Impressive is hardly the word to describe the
machine chamber. Located around 150m deep
inside the mountain, the 88 m-long, 60 m-high
and 30 m-wide cavern forms an essential
element of Kopswerk II. It is reached via an
entrance tunnel from the Silvretta highway,
between Gaschurn and Partene.
Blasting began in January 2006, with
excavation proceeding in one crown section,
with two wall headings and a core. Four
layers of structural-steel lattice and a layer of
shotcrete, measuring about 100 mm-thick per
reinforcement, provided safety during
excavation. Numerous pre-stressed strand
anchors of up to 32 m-long helped to maintain
long-term structural integrity.

Shotcreting on a huge scale is taking place

cost-effectively in an Austrian power station
Three reinforced, turbine, headrace tunnels
from the high-pressure distribution pipe flow
into the machine chamber, along with the
driving water flow, which passes through the
pressure tunnel and shaft from a fall height of
800 m, driving the turbines impeller blades.

Shotcreting inside one

of the headrace tunnels

Stationary boom can move

Cast in-situ concrete is being used to form the
six underground stories and assembly level.
Over 39,000m3 of concrete will be required to
form the machine chamber. The floor and
ceilings of the enormous rock hall are up to 4m
thick while the walls, up to 8m high, are
constructed in thicknesses ranging from 0.2-4m.
Given the chambers enormous dimensions,
two stationary, concrete booms would normally
have been necessary to ensure a uniform
distribution of concrete. However, having
consulted Putzmeister engineers, the consortium
decided to install one MX 28-4 stationary boom,
operated alternatively by two tubular columns.
Defining features of the unballasted MX 28-4
stationary, concrete-placing boom include the
flexible Z-fold system of the arm assembly,
which can also be used to concrete individual
base sections of the turbine head-race tunnels,

and the overall length of the two tubular

columns from which the boom is operated. By
placing several tubular columns on top of one
another (in lengths of 4, 6 and 10m) they can
be adapted to the building progress and extended to a maximum height of 40m during the final
stage of the Kops II chamber. Additional stability
to the tubular columns is provided by two braces,
at heights of about 18m and 24m, anchored
into the corresponding intermediate ceilings.
The boom is supplied by a stationary,
concrete pump, connected to the MX boom
and its two tubular columns via a 150 mlong delivery line (DN 125). The BSA
1408 E is driven by a 75kW electrical
motor and achieves a delivery rate of
79m/h or 71 bar concrete pressure in
rod-side operation (full side is 53m/h
or 106 bar). By using less equipment,
concrete can be applied economically.
Austrian PM subsidiary Hans
Eibinger (Sding) has trained four
operators to use the MX stationary boom
and BSA concrete pump. Eibinger service
engineers had helped previously in the
installation of the tubular columns and
setting up the concrete-placing boom.
The neighbouring transformer chamber,
measuring 35 m-long, 16 m-wide and 20 mhigh, is also an imposing piece of structural
engineering. The placement of concrete for the
foundations, wall-form work and ceilings was
partly conducted with a truck-mounted concrete
pump, BRF 24-4.09 H, whose ZR fold-boom
had slip characteristics. Around 2,200m of
concrete was poured. The transformer chambers
shell was completed in November 2006.

low water/cement value

The standard formulation during construction
was concrete of stiffness class C25/30, made
on-site in its own dedicated mixing plant.
Generally, a water/cement (w/c) value of as low
as possible is used to limit the hydration heat for
the solid components. In warmer seasons, the
ratio of cement to fly ash is changed from
230kg/90kg to 200kg/120kg per m3.
The editor is grateful to Jrgen Kronenberg of
Putzmeister AG for his assistance in the
preparation of this article

October 2007
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10/10/07 10:41:16

21
EQUIPMENT: Sandvik

Himalayan challenge
Drill and blast takes over
from TBMs in Stage 3 of
this ambitious Indian
hydropower scheme

illagers toiling on the terraces, set

against the spectacular backdrop of the
Himalayan foothills of northern India,
may be oblivious to the frenzied tunnelling
going on below them, which is churning out
what is set to become one of Indias main
hydroelectric projects.
Centred on the Sainj River, a tributary of the
Beas River in Himachal Pradesh, the project is
being built for Indias National Hydroelectric
Power Corporation (NHPC) in conjunction
with the Himachal Pradesh Government. The
scheme is due to be completed in 2010.

Stage 3 portal
Originally a three-stage project, the first had
to be abandoned before it ever got off the
ground due to environmental considerations.
As a result, Stages 2 and 3 now represent the
two halves of a giant scheme that will generate

electricity of 800MW and 520MW respectively

for the North Indian electrical grid.
Tunnelling in the Himalayas can be a difficult
process. Challenging rock conditions, instability
in some areas, and logistical problems brought
by seasonal rain and snowfall can make
tunnelling a hard slog. Although drill and blast
has been the usual method for constructing
Indian tunnels, Stage 2, begun in the second
half of 2002 and now nearing completion, has
used two types of TBM: an open- and a doubleshield machine. However, frequent failures at
joints and rockfalls hampered progress and, as a
result, the work has proved highly complex.
Stage 2 was the first time that a TBM was used
in India to bore an inclined shaft, but it also
demonstrated that when conditions become
adverse without warning, the consequences may
be more problematic for a TBM-driven tunnel
than for one excavated by drill and blast.
Stage 3 of the Parbati Hydroelectric Project is

je lnger je besser
100 years shotcrete
was further developed by
MEYCO in 1957

57

19

MEYCO Equipment

MEYCO Equipment Division of BASF

Construction Chemicals Europe AG
Hegmattenstrasse 24, CH-8404 Winterthur
Phone +41-58-958 27 00, Fax +41-58-958 37 07

21-23WT0710.indd 21

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10/10/07 15:36:13

22
EQUIPMENT: Sandvik
based at Kullu and located downstream from the

Stage 2 powerhouse. It will use regulated

discharge from Stage 2, along with inflow from
the Sainj river and the Jiwa Nalla stream. A
43m-high rockfill dam will receive water from
the tailrace of Stage 2. After power generation in
its own tailrace and powerhouse, Stage 3 carries
the water back to the Sainj and, ultimately, the
Beas rivers. Consequently, no major diversion of
the river is needed. The rock being encountered
in Stage 3 comprises mainly schistose quartzite,
mica schist, dolomites and granite gneisses, with
joint infillings of clay and fluvio-glacial material.
Stage 3 tunnelling work involves:

A 7,875m-long headrace tunnel of 7.25 m in
diameter. As of August 31, only 840 m had
been completed. Poor strata, consisting of
phyllites and quartzites, had been encountered, causing loose fall and cavities.

A 2,713m tailrace tunnel, of which 1,100m
has been excavated. Work is ahead of schedule.
A 13m-diameter, 114m-high surge shaft;
pilot hole drilled.
Two pressure shafts, one of 375m and the
other 345m, bifurcating into four 3mdiameter penstocks.
An underground powerhouse, 123m long,

Concreting the dam

22m wide and 44m high, equipped with four
130MW-capacity generating units. MAT has
been excavated.
Early last year, NHPC awarded a contract worth
US$107.6million for Lot 1 of the project to a
consortium, comprising Larsen & Toubro (L & T)
and Patel Engineering, to build the diversion
tunnel, rockfill dam and cut-off wall, desilting
chambers, underground works and a 5.8km
length of the headrace tunnel.
Also awarded at the beginning of 2006 was
the US$147million Lot 2 contract, to the Jager-

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Stage 2
was the
first time a
TBM was
used in
India to
bore an
inclined
shaft

Gammon consortium, for the construction of the

powerhouse and associated underground works,
including part of the headrace tunnel, the surge
shaft, pressure shaft and tailrace tunnel,
including adits.
The conditions where most of the Stage 3
tunnelling is taking place have indicated that
drill and blast would be more suitable than TBM
boring. This, therefore, involves using a fleet of
drilling and rock-bolting machines, with shotcrete and steel sets to stabilise the excavation,
and telescopic folding shutters for the final
lining. Drill and blast was also the obvious
choice for the powerhouse excavation.
Nine underground drilling rigs and rock drills
for drilling and bolting are helping to cut
through Stage 3s complex rock. Jager-Gammon
is using four Sandvik Axera T08-290 rigs and an
Axera T08S-290C, while L&T Patel has four
Axera T08-290 rigs. Mahabirsingh Chauhan,
Sandviks regional head of service engineering,
said the Jager-Gammon JV had taken delivery of
four Axera T08-290 jumbo rigs, equipped with
two drilling booms and one basket boom. These
can drill holes of up to 51mm in diameter at a
rate of 3m per minute.
There is also an Axera T08S-290C rig with
two drilling booms and one basket boom; the
machine differs from the other four units in
being equipped with TCAD (Tamrock Computer
Added Drilling) and TPC electrical controls.
Drilling is faster thanks to the high-power drifter,
while the computer helps to give even greater
precision to the tunnel profile. This unit is being
used where timing is particularly sensitive, such
as on Gammons part of the headrace tunnel.

56-month schedule
Gammons senior project manager, Rajendra
Singh, said it is running to a 56-month schedule
and its contract is due for completion in the
second half of 2010. He said Gammon had
completed around 8% of the excavation work at
the end of April. Up to this period, we had
drilled approximately 221,000drill metres,
using mainly 45mm-hole diameters on the face
drilling and 38mm-hole diameters for the
rockbolt drilling, said Mr Singh.
Since the date of commissioning, Sandvik has
assigned three engineers to care for all five
machines around the clock, having so far
achieved availability of over 90%. According to
Rajendra Singh, the tailrace tunnel is progressively ahead of schedule, adding that, on the
main access tunnel, the 1:10 slope had been a
challenge for the drill-and-blast method. He
explained: Because of the high gradient and
excessive seepage of water, the biggest challenge
was to drill and charge the bottom hole, but
weve been happy with the progress.
The Axera TCAD is being used on the 7.25mdiameter horseshoe-shaped headrace tunnel that

October 2007
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EQUIPMENT: Sandvik
is being progressed with full-face excavation.
We are drilling 90-100 holes of 45mm in
diameter and a depth of 4m per cycle, using a
V-cut drilling pattern, said Mr Rajendra.
Tunnelling work is being assessed in excavation
cycles, with drilling, blasting, excavation and
support constituting one cycle. Working on a
24-hour basis, tunnelling is progressing at the
rate of approximately three cycles every two
days on average, with an average 3.2-3.5m
advance being achieved per cycle.
The L&T-Patel consortium is using four Axera
T08-290 jumbo drill rigs, equipped with two
drilling booms and one basket boom, and highpower HLX 5 hydraulic rock drills. Again, the
full-time presence of an engineer on site has
helped to achieve 90% equipment availability.
We are on schedule, even though the rock
conditions are very poor, said L&T-Patel project
manager SK Upadhyay. Outside the tunnelling
works, we also have instability to face when
trucking the spoil down to the disposal areas
because rock falls and mud slides along the haul
road can often disrupt the works.
Both contractors are using Sandvik 45mm
drill bits for face drilling and R28 38mm bits for
rock bolting, and both use spherical buttons. In

Intake concreting
addition, both grind their drill bits every 300
drill metres, with three to four grindings
achieved for each bit, and an average of 600
drill metres per bit. L&T has a mobile grinding
unit that travels between the machines and
collects the bits, and grinds them on-site ready
for refitting, while Gammon has a stationary
grinder inside its main workshop.
The drill rods for Gammon are R38-R32 and
4.3m in length for the face drilling, and the
average life of these is 4,500-5,000 drill metres.
For rock bolting, R38-R28 rods are being used,
also 4.3m in length, returning an average life of
3,000-3,500 drill metres.
L&T is using R38-R32 drill rods of 4.6m long

for the face drilling, achieving an average life

similar to Gammon. For rock bolting, L&T is
using R38-R28 rods of 4.6 m long with an
average life similar to Gammon. In each case,
the drill depth is 4m, achieved with 90-95 holes
being drilled per cycle over 2.5hours in total.
For the explosive, water-resistant Powergel is
used. Cartridges are packaged in plastic film,
which readily splits during tamping to maximise
coupling and bulk strength within a blasthole.
The high resistance of this type of explosive to
dynamic desensitisation makes it suitable for use
in tunnelling and shaft sinking in the Himalayas.
Machines and drilling tools were supplied by
Sandvik Asia Ltd through its Indian HQ in Pune,
and all spare parts are being supplied direct
from Sandviks Asia-Pacific regional HQ in
Singapore. There is also a permanent complement of Sandvik engineers on the site, reporting
to the Pune office, as part of the companys
policy of working directly with a customer,
rather than as an outside supplier.
The Editor is grateful to Sandvik Mining and
Construction for its assistance in the preparation
of this article and to M.Madan of Indias National
Hydroelectric Power Corporation for his input

je lnger je besser
100 years shotcrete

07

20

YEARS

and has reached its present peak in 2007

with MEYCO Roadrunner Maxima

je lnger je besser

MEYCO Equipment

MEYCO Equipment Division of BASF

Construction Chemicals Europe AG
Hegmattenstrasse 24, CH-8404 Winterthur
Phone +41-58-958 27 00, Fax +41-58-958 37 07

21-23WT0710.indd 23

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10/10/07 15:36:23

Your goal is our goal.

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Earth Pressure Balance

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With its many years of international experience, WIRTH offers tunnel boring
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OILFIELD
Wirth.indd 1

TUNNELING

MINING

FOUNDATION
10/10/07 11:48:41

25
EQUIPMENT: Scaling

Scaling options
in todays tunnels
Patrick Hudd looks at the main methods of scaling and some of todays
scaling rigs and discusses some discernible trends

UNNELLING is a truly global business,

ranging from urban centres to the most
inhospitable of regions. Scaling may be a
part of the tunneling process and involves removing loose rock prior to the installation of ground
support as part of the excavation cycle in hard
rock or mixed ground. It is one area where a
surprising amount of commonality exists for all
tunnels. This does not mean, however, that innovations are lacking and there are a number of
potential crossovers between drifting in hard rock
mining, and civil tunnelling.
One of the most important skills taught to any
new underground worker is safely entering the
workplace and making sure it is safe. Barring
down is second nature to all good miners, and involves checking the ground by sounding it with a
pinch bar and scaled to remove dangerously loose
ground. Or seeking advice and possibly rock bolting or otherwise supporting large loose ground
that cannot or should not be brought down.
In many countries, having a suitable scaling
bar at the face is a statutory requirement and all
the various current practices for scaling cannot

replace this personal reading of the ground

conditions.
Scaling is a prerequisite of most non-shielded,
open-face tunnelling, whether hard rock or mixed
ground. In many peoples minds it is often associated with drill and blast tunneling, where scaling
takes place as part of the activity cycle between
mucking out and installation of ground support, or
earlier after venting of blast fumes, depending on
the mucking system employed.
The three main categories of scaling currently
being used in tunnels are: hand scaling using a
bar; mechanical scaling using an impact hammer
to break and vibrate loose material; and mechanical scaling using picks to claw and drag loose
down.

IMPACT SCALING
Atlas Copco complements its range of drill rigs
for tunnelling applications with the Scaletec MC
scaling rig. This state-of-the-art articulated rig
features Atlas Copcos Rig Control System, (RCS),
to facilitate precise rig positioning and control, a
375 J impact energy hammer with dust suppres-

sion and automatic lubrication, and a specically

designed hydraulic boom, all mounted on one
of the companys M-series carriers that provides
articulated steering and four wheel drive.
The Scaletec MC can scale a longitudinal
prole ranging in excess of eight metres above the
roadway to nearly two metres below the roadway.
For a ve metre high tunnel, it can cover nearly
six metres either side from a single set-up.
Following service trials at Swedens Malmberget mine, Atlas Copco upgraded its scaler with
new features such as a new operator chair with
built-in shock absorber, a shovel blade at the
front used in place of jacks to stabilise the rig for
operations, and relocation of the hydraulic hoses
to provide better protection from rock fall.
Standard equipment on the scaler includes a
FOPS-approved cabin to protect workers, cable
reel and integrated diagnostics with logging.
Optional extras include a high pressure rock
cleaning device, air conditioning/heating and a
CD changer.
Many projects may involve the less elaborate
option of a rubber-tyred or tracked excavator

Atlas Copcos Scaletec MC scaling rig

features an SB300 hammer and boom
mounted on an M-series carrier

October 2007
25-27WT0710.indd 25

10/10/07 16:02:58

26
EQUIPMENT: Scaling
tted with a hydraulic hammer. Sandviks Rammer

range of hydraulic hammers are typical of the

hammers usually chosen for such applications.
Of the Rammer offerings, tunnellers in the market for a potential scaling hammer will probably
be interested in the mid-range, E-series. Among
the selling points claimed by Sandvik for this line
are power and reliability, ease of wear on the carrier and operator, plus ease of maintenance.
The E 65 Tunnel hammer has a working weight
of 1,345 kg and requires a carrier in the range of
18-26 tonnes. The hammer gives an impact rate of
between 450-800 bpm.
A larger range includes the G-series hammers
such as the G-90 Tunnel. Signicantly bigger, this
weighs 3,120 kg operating and delivers a 300480 bpm impact rate. The carrier requirements
are suitably increased to 35-55 t and as such,
the hammer is possibly positioned primarily for
the excavation market, with scaling a secondary
concern for the potential purchaser.
The tunnel variant of Rammers are said to
be designed to match the requirements of a
tunnelling application and include dustproof
housings, water jets to reduce the dust caused
by the operation and abiity for horizontal
operation as standard.

In a similar vein to the Atlas Copco offering,

Normet offers the Scamec 2000 family, which it
hails as the number 1 system for your tough scaling based upon the companys 40 years experience in building carriers and mobile machinery.
However, this is a slightly hybrid machine,
in that it offers both impact and pick-scaling.
Normet said the impact hammer is dimensioned
for loosening rock in non-systematically jointed
rock conditions. Normally used on hard rock, the
hammer cradle includes a full range of movement
for the impact tool, accurate targeting of the area
to be scaled and fast hammering down of the
rock. The double tooth pick arrangement that may
alternatively be used permits efcient barring
down of rock that has a systematically bedded
joint structure. Being most suitable for softer rock,
Normet said the pick, is also used for occasional
up-keep and periodical scaling on hard rock
surfaces.
Citing ease of operation, Normet claims that
as well as giving higher quality scaling and so
reducing the risk of accidents, the Scalemec
also makes it less tempting to scale with mining
machines not designed for this purpose, such as
drilling jumbos and loaders.

Multi-Scaler is for frost and rock ripping

without fracturing the wall

PICK SCALING
Sandvik offered the Bryt line of products following acquisition. These stalwarks of the tunnelling
excavator shovel genre were so fast at loading
trucks that idling time between loads could be
used for scaling. The Bryt 600s, for example,
offered a quick hitch attachment that allowed for
fast changes to a scaling pick that had a 10 m
reach. With the standard bucket, scaling using the
bucket teeth as picks was able to be carried out
with up to 8 m reach.
The advantage of scraping rather than impact to
remove loose material means that the surrounding
rock is not loosened by the hammer which might

October 2007
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27
EQUIPMENT: Scaling
otherwise lead to excessive scaling by unravelling.
The shovels had enough power to clear the loose
material in a single pass, leading to a very fast
operation. A further saving is the amalgamation of
the mucking and scaling units into a single piece
of equipment.
Standard excavators can also be equipped for
pick scaling by means of special attachments.
These may be as simple as a pick or narrow
bucket, or as complex as a hydraulically-driven
cutter header for scaling and possibly more
involved proling applications.
One interesting attachment under development
in North America is the Multi-Scaler by Leading
Edge Attachments Inc. It was originally developed
under the Shanks On An Arc patented concept
for utility contractors involving applying one tooth
at a time on a constant radius for frost and rock
ripping. Mining customers bought Multi-Scaler
a raked back version of the original ripper
which, according to a Leading Edge Attachments
spokesperson, is able to scale a wall releasing all
of the loose pieces without fracturing the wall.
The spokesperson added, one mine mentioned
that they could de-scale a 15.2 m-wide x 7.6 m
wall, in preparation for blasting, in about an hour
and fteen minutes, whereas it would have taken
them 2 hours and 45 minutes previously with a
hammer.
The company claims the Multi-Scaler has
shown it can scale ten times faster than a single
pointed scaler pick and four times faster than
a hydraulic hammer. Another advantage is the
operating cost, which is said to be much less
than a hydraulic hammer due to the absence of
hydraulic components or any consumables other
than the picks. Capital costs are said to be even
more greatly reduced.

WATERJET SCALING
Seen as a viable alternative to both manual and
mechanical scaling is the third method which uses

high pressure waterjets, a technique that has undergone considerable development and continues
to be advanced by the North American mining
community. Historically, water scaling had been
seen as more of a surface preparation prior to the
application of a thin membrane liner to improve
cohesion to the rock.
Talking to mining industry insiders, World
Tunnelling has learnt that many congurations of
water pressure and volume have and continue to
be evaluated, but currently 2,200 psi and 70 gpm
seems a working optimum. High pressure is
needed to propagate through ssures, coupled
with high volumes to ll the opening voids. In the
words of one source, we need weight behind it
to get it down.
Tests carried out at Kiruna in Sweden, found
that shotcrete adhesion strength was increased by
a factor of three for high pressure water jet scaled
surfaces when compared to low pressure cleaned
surfaces. World Tunnelling has been told that the
key parameter is to decide what you want and
if the ground conditions are amenable to water
jet scaling. The intrinsic surface preparation for
shotcrete or liner, coupled with the coverage,
yield better results than a miner with a bar or
mechanical scaling, but it does not preclude the

most effective solution being a combination of

more than one method.
The danger is overscaling, or in some cases,
effectively mining with the water jet as it can
be so effective. The scaled ground should be
characterised as a keystone arch, with wedged
loose material holding itself in place until ground
support can be installed. To counteract overscaling, one needs a good understanding of the rock
mass rating, (RMR), and what ground is expected
to come down, rather than over or under-application of the scaling.
Sources said that various mining houses are
seeking to form a loose collaboration to assess the
use of water jet scaling in as many varied conditions as possible in order to further rene the work
carried out to date.

SUMMARY
There are many scaling options for todays tunneller and every manufacturer is keen to stress the
merits of their own equipment. With news that
mining companies are trying to come together
to pool knowledge and expertise about water jet
scaling, perhaps there is also scope for a knowledge transfer between the tunnelling and mining
disciplines for like processes.

A boommounted hammer
demonstrates
mechanical
scaling
using localised
impacts to break
and vibrate down
loose material

October 2007
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Shotcrete.indd 1

10/10/07 11:17:27

29
TECHNOLOGY: Sprayed concrete

Recycled muck makes

tunnel concrete green
Aggregates from tunnel
spoil can produce
economical and
sustainable high-quality
shotcrete. R Weiss of
Hagerbach Test Gallery,
explains how it was done
at the recently opened
Ltschberg Base Tunnel
in Switzerland

he northern section of the Ltschberg base

tunnel (Mitholz construction site) was constructed between 2000 and 2006 starting
from the intermediate point of Mitholz, which was
reached through an access gallery.
The tunnel was driven both to the north and to the
south. The Mitholz site included the excavation of
23.5 km of single-track tunnel with cross sections
of 61 to 64m2 and 1.6 km of connecting galleries.
Tunnelling was conducted from preliminarily
constructed caverns that were accessible through
the 1.5 km-long, 12% sloped access gallery. The
entire excavated volume totalled 1.8 million m3.
Tunnelling was conducted by consortium ARGE
Satco, made up of contractors Strabag, Rothpletz,
Lienhard+CIE AG, Walo Bertschinger AG, VINCI
GP and Skanska International Civ. Eng. AG. Drill
and blast with shotcrete support, rock bolting,
waterproofing and an inner lining in the equipped
east tunnel were some of the methods used.

CONCRETE SPECIFICATIONS
Concrete type and specifications were
defined by the project engineering
team. In order
to fulfil the clients
requirements, Die
ARGE Satco defined
the following:


Testing for
sulphate
resistance

It will
serve as a
valuable
basis upon
which
future
structures
can be
designed

Production (delivery performance, safety

of supply and availability).


Workability (oven time to three hours, pumpability of max. 100 bar pump pressure, low risk
of variability).

Early compression strength, formwork removal
resistance (work and tact).
Total costs.
Additional constraints were established which,
in some cases, decisively affected the concrete
mix, production, working and quality. The most
important included:

Procedures regarding Alkali Aggregate Reaction
(AAR) resistance, when using AAR-reactive
aggregates.

Effects upon supply safety of aggregates
(material processing).

Variations in aggregates in conjunction with the processing of excavated
material.

CONCRETE PRODUCTION
Mobilbaustoffe AG undertook
concrete and shotcrete
production at Mitholz by
using a custom-built
concrete production
plant located in an
underground cavern
that included a
twin shaft mixer from

Aerial view of the Mitholz site showing

extensive materials management
SIMEN (batch size 2.25 m3 ) with maximum
hourly performance of 80m3. Three 100t
capacity cement silos were available per mixer,
as well as 14 aggregate silos, each with a volume
of 80 m3.
Hagerbach Test Gallery conducted quality
control testing of concrete produced in a mobile
laboratory set-up near the concrete plant.

AGGREGATES FOR PRODUCTION

The excavated material of the Ltschberg
generated from drill and blast operations was
assigned a recycling classification and processed
accordingly. From the processed muck at the
Mitholz site, enough aggregates were obtained to
enable self-sufficiency of the site. Surplus material
was passed on to third parties while missing grain
sizes were bought according to need.
After each round of blasting, geologists
classified the excavation material in accordance
with its recycling class. In addition to the
petrographic evaluation, the suitability of raw
material K1 was verified by testing as deemed
necessary.
From the K1 material, the material processor
prepared the following aggregates for concrete:
Sand 0-4 mm, unwashed.
Sand 0-4 mm, washed.
4-8 mm, 8-16 mm, 16-22mm.

October 2007
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30
TECHNOLOGY: Sprayed concrete
The quality of prepared aggregate sizes was
monitored and documented by the material processor in accordance with a testing plan within the
framework of production control. Independent of
production tests by the processor, specimens were
systematically taken from concrete plant silos by
the contractor and their grain size determined.

Aggregate variations
When processing aggregates from tunnel excavation material, the uniformity of the material and its
handling is critical, especially sand. During rock
crushing, raw material behaves in different ways
depending on the geology and moisture content
of the excavated material. The effects were
especially apparent in unwashed sand.
During the start phase at Mitholz, one sand
delivered by the processor comprised both
washed and unwashed sand. The large fines
fraction >0.125mm of about 16% and large
variations affected the amount of water needed for
the concrete mix and made concrete production
more difficult. The high water content limited
the early strength development of shotcrete to
an unacceptable level and the w/c ratio was
considerably higher than 0.50. After a phase with
SE-4071
LrgAd
4/2/07
8:54
AM was
Page
approximately
13% 0.125
mm, the
delivery

modified to the originally planned ratios

of unwashed to washed sand so that varying site requirements and shotcrete mixes
could be better accounted for.
Handling unwashed crushed sand was
a critical factor, as it was susceptible to
decomposition and often settled at the
bottom of the concrete plant silos, requiring great effort to re-loosen. Furthermore,
during production, concrete production
workers were constantly attending to
water requirements and mix consistency.
Visible variations in the consistency of
shotcrete mixes increased the risk of
change to the mix through uncontrolled water
addition into the mix. The result would be lower
concrete quality.

Compressive strength [N/mm] /

water penetration [mm]

Alkali aggregate reaction

(AAR) resistance
Aggregates to be used for concrete production
(mainly silicic limestone) were classified as
reactive to highly AAR-reactive (microbar
values over 0.2%). With the limitation of both
alkali and cement content in the concrete
mix, the client made allowances for the AAR
1reactivity of aggregates,

Shotcrete results
Shotcrete
90

Core compressive strength

80

Water penetration

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2000-11-20

2002-04-04

2003-08-17

2004-12-29

For shotcrete, Portland composite cement CEM

II/A-M 52.5 with 10% limestone filler and 8%
microsilica was used. The cement content was
limited to smaller maximum grain size 420kg/m3,
instead of the more usual (for Switzerland)
460 kg/m3 and this affected decisively the
shotcretes workability and early-strength
development. The fines content of the shotcrete
was approximately 590 kg/m3, of which
170kg/m3 was 100 % crushed aggregate.
In unstable areas, a mix with 520 kg/m3
cement for face support and support in the area
L1 was therefore specified to ensure sufficient

Instant Steam
Generator

Curing concrete
tunnel segments.

Inverting and steam

curing pipelinings.

Variable output machine available

Fuel savings up to 50%
PLC based automation
No stationary engineer required
Low carbon monoxide levels No chemical treatment of water
Full bore steam in 15 seconds

For more information call 1-800-388-1339

or visit us at www.steamengineering.ca
Email: info@steamengineering.ca

Aurora, Ontario, Canada

October 2007
29-32WT0710.indd 30

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31
TECHNOLOGY: Sprayed concrete
early strength development. In cast concrete,
Portland cement CEM I and fly ash in ratios from
70/30 to 80/20% were used. The testing of the
mixs resistance to AAR was conducted by the
client with LCPC performance tests.

CONCRETE
Test methods
Verifying the strength classification was conducted
in accordance with SIA 162 on cubes for
cast concrete and SIA 198 on drill cores for
shotcrete. The water penetration depth under
pressure, tested in accordance with DIN 1048
and SN EN 123908, served to verify the
impermeability. Sulphate resistance was tested in
accordance with the Swiss standard SIA 262/1,
Appendix D.
To test sulphate resistance, six 150 mm-long
drill cores with diameters of 282mm were
taken from test cubes, shotcrete testing boxes, or
directly from the structure. The cycle of drying and
saturation can lead to the transport of significant
quantities of sulphate into a test specimen.
The sulphate reacts with the constituents of the
specimen resulting in an increase in volume and
destruction of the concrete matrix. For evaluation,
changes in length and mass are determined.

29-32WT0710.indd 31

Ensuring supply
In addition to the suitability of excavated
material, sufficient supply of aggregates
to site had to be ensured. Therefore, the
mix design for concrete and shotcrete had
to take the rate of material extraction into
account as far as possible. In an initial phase
in which much more shotcrete than cast
concrete was required, an insufficient quantity of 4-8 mm grain size was available. During this phase, around one-third of the 4-8
mm requirement was procured externally. To
account for the lack of 4-8 mm aggregate,

Shotcrete
The graph shows that the shotcrete fulfils the
strength requirements of classification B35/25.
The average value of 290 tests was 49.2 N/mm2,
with a standard deviation of 9.8 N/mm2. In
comparison with cast concrete, the values
for shotcrete deviated more widely, which is
characteristic for the material.
Over 66 tests for water penetration, the
average was 21mm. The amount of reserve to

its use within the mix design was limited as

far as possible, particularly in mixes for cast
concrete (mainly invert concrete). Shotcrete
mixes however could not do without the
4-8mm variety and the substitution of
0-4mm sand, because the quantity of water
in the mix was already high and further
increases could not be tolerated.
The petrographic composition, the aggregate
form and size distribution of aggregates
produced on site differed from externally
procured aggregates. Concrete mixes were
versatile enough to accommodate any
resulting variations.

the limiting value was good at three standard

deviations (9.1mm).

invert construction
The cube compressive strength reached an
average of 47.0 N/mm2 with a standard deviation
of 5.4 N/mm2. The strength classification requirements for B35/25 were fulfilled. Impermeability requirements were also fulfilled with a good amount
of reserve, with an average water penetration of

10/10/07 15:50:04

32
TECHNOLOGY: Sprayed concrete
19.4mm and a standard deviation of 7.7mm.

For sections with sulphate concentrations over

250 mg/l, high sulphate resistance concrete was
required. The l(DS3)-values from Mitholz were
on average 0.2 for 17 tests. As a reference value
for concrete with high sulphate resistance, SIA
262/1 requires a series value l(DS3) of 0.5.

inner lining south-east

The demands on strength (B35/25) and
impermeability (water penetration 50 mm)
were met with an average compression
strength of 54.5N/mm2 (standard deviation
4.5N/mm2) and an average water penetration
of 17 mm (standard deviation 6 mm) with
sufficient reserve. The mixes were tolerant
of construction variability and therefore
constituted little risk.
Strength requirements were increased
significantly to B80/70 for about 20 sections in
a zone where rock conditions were very
unfavourable. The concrete mix was adapted.
Instead of cement CEM I 42.5, cement CEM
II/A-M 52.5 with 400 kg/m3 and a maximum
grain size of 16mm was used. Production
quality control was intensified. This difficult
phase could be realised with an impressive

compression strength, on average, of 80.8N/mm2

with a very good standard deviation of 3.2N/mm2.
The average value of water penetration in this
concrete was 9 mm.

Swiss standard SIA 260 must incorporate suitably

chosen construction materials to deal with
hazards of structural members. For concrete, this
means the design engineer must determine the
exposition class of the concrete, and accordingly,
CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK
any further necessary requirements and proceThe Mitholz experience proved that highdures. Because the expected service life of tunnels
quality concrete can be produced from aggregates usually exceeds 50 years, a performance-based
processed from tunnel excavation material. The
design process in accordance with SN EN 2061
project will serve as a valuable basis upon which
should be applied.
future structures can be designed. Engineering
For the tremendous cooperation at Mitholz,
design work conducted in accordance with the
thanks must go to ARGE Satcos personnel,
concrete producer Mobilbaustoffe, client
Testing fresh concrete representatives and material processors.
at an on-site lab Thanks also to the site supervision team
which generously provided the test data
used in this report.
The editor is grateful to R. Weiss of VSH-Hagerbach Test Gallery Ltd for allowing the reproduction
of this abridged version of his original paper,
Concrete and shotcrete with crushed aggregates:
experience from the AlpTransit construction site
Mitholz, taken from Underground Space the
4th Dimension of Metropolises Bartk, Hrdina,
Romancov & Zlmal (eds). 2007 Taylor & Francis
Group, London, ISBN 978-0-415-40807-3

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October 2007
29-32WT0710.indd 32

10/10/07 15:50:11

33
TECHNOLOGY: Innovation

Roof bolter raises

the bar

THE Roof Master 1.4 Automatic Roof Bolter has

been co-developed and manufactured. Mine
Master Ltd (Poland), with the support of KGHM
Polish Copper plc, designed and produced the
special chassis required to ensure the bolter
was able to operate in low and difficult terrain;
JH Fletcher & Co (USA) developed the bolting
module.
The roof bolter can install 1.2m-long bolts
in working heights as low as 1.6m, achieved
by using a patented drilling system where both
starter and finisher drill steels are used to
allow the correct depth of hole to be drilled.
Pre-loaded into a bolt magazine, when
installed the bolts are tensioned to the required
torque by a computer-controlled system.
The operator is housed in a protected, fullyenclosed, air-conditioned compartment on the
chassis of the vehicle. Full automation ensures
maximum operator productivity, so that once
the bolt magazine is loaded, and the bolter is
in position to start drilling, the operator is able
to drill and install a roof bolt simply by pushing
a button. The operator monitors progress by
observing the bolting module and/or watching a
display module located in the cab. This module
also provides the computing power to control
the operations.
Very hard strata are claimed to be drilled
effectively thanks to the high-thrust rotary drilling system. Both dry dust collection and wet
flushing systems are available.
The drill boom allows the bolter to install
bolts over a 5.0m-wide straight line and also
has the ability to angle bolt.
Diesel engine-powered, the permanent fourwheel-drive articulated carrier is able to handle
the severest of mining conditions. All drilling
and bolting operations are electrically-powered.
Operational for some 18 months, the roof bolter
is now a proven and reliable concept.

The special chassis for roof bolting in low and

difficult conditions was co-developed by Mine
Master and KGHM Polish Copper

Alwag products, such as the

AT-Casing System, are being
used as part of an exploratory
project in the Paierdorf tunnel
in Austria

Alwag supports
Koralm exploratory

Beethovens brother?

USED by miners, tunnellers, demolition specialists and armies, the Beethoven Exploder has
ALWAG is supplying reinforcement and support
been at the heart of traditional wire-based shotproducts to the Paierdorf exploratory tunnel in
firing for many decades.
Austria. The project forms part of the preliminary
Now, the Beethoven SparkMaster incorpowork being carried out before the construction
rates the latest technology and looks set to meet
of the US$2.46 billion, 32.8km-long Koralm
the needs of explosive engineers who prefer
Tunnel between Graz and Klagenfurt.
shocktube-based systems. Designed with the
Products supplied include the AT-Casing
shot-firer in mind, reliability is paramount given
System and the recently-developed AT-Power Set that blasting often takes place miles from base.
At around 700g, the portable, solid-state unit
self-drilling Vacuum Tube Spiles. The latter are
used both for reinforcement ahead of the tunnel
has a robust, highly-visible, red case. It comes
face and handling of the groundwater through
with a stout, weather-proof carrying case which
coupled vacuum pumps.
includes a pouch for spare sparkers. During
Alwags patented AT-Casing System is being
inclement conditions, the unit can be operated
used at the Paierdorf site as a pipe roof system
without being removed from the case.
in combination with the AT-automation unit
Instead of rechargeable batteries, which can
for pipe roof drilling. Its benefits include fast,
fail, the SparkMasters charge is provided by a
safe and efficient drilling of pipe roof umbrellas
set of replaceable batteries with a life of some
for reinforcement ahead of the tunnel face. An
500 firings.
Alwag technical support team is available to
An LED warns when the batteries need to be
provide on-site advice.
renewed. One of the new concepts applied to
Extensive geological surveys were carried
the unit is that the charge is delivered to the firout in 1998 near the proposed Koralm tunnel;
ing shocktube by
before work begins on the final tunnel, a total
an inexpensive,
of 11 km of exploratory tunnels
disposable, sinwill have been built. To achieve
gle-use sparker,
the best possible survey, the
to avoid dud
exploratory programme was
firings.
divided into four separate lots
Designed
one in the eastern area and
with safety in
mind, the Spark
three in the western area.
As part of the exploratory
Master utilises a
programme, the Paierdorf lot in
three-colour LED
Carinthia is being constructed in
system to indicate
two stages: first an exploratory shaft
status.
with a depth of 125 m, followed
Requiring
by an exploratory tunnel to the east
two-handed opand to the west. Thus, the shaft was
eration, the magconstructed to gain access to the
netic safety key
future tunnel level. As of July 2005,
is inserted with
construction of the 5.1km-long
one hand while
exploratory tunnel has been
the other presses
continuing and should be
the firing button as
completed in 2009. However,
soon as the green
difficult and changing ground
LED lights up. The
conditions are hampering progress. The Beethoven SparkMaster is designed sparker then inGroundwater inflow has also caused for use by explosive engineers in all
jects a spark into
problems.
weather conditions
the shocktube.

October 2007
33WT0710.indd 33

10/10/07 10:42:05

34
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Fax: 0044 (0) 1424 854231
E-Mail: info@tadrilling.co.uk
www.tadrilling.co.uk

World Leading Locomotives

& Haulage Solutions
for Mining, Tunnelling &
Surface Transport
Tel +44 (0) 870 112 9191 Fax +44 (0) 870 112 9192
email: info@claytonequipment.co.uk
Website: www.clayton-equipment.co.uk

PIPE EQUIPMENT

Applied Felts Limited

Castle Bank Mills
Portobello Road
Wakefield
WF1 5PS

Tel: +44 (0) 1924 200535

Fax: +44 (0) 1924 366951
email: sales@appliedfelts.co.uk
Specialist Manufacturers of Cured-In-Place
Materials for the Rehabilitation of Pipes
and Conduits

www.appliedfelts.com

DRILL PIPES RODS TUBLARS

Tunnelling Equipment
Hire & Supply
Agents
Specialist Plant Associates
Tel: +44 (0) 1234 781882 Fax: +44 (0) 1234 781992

E:info@specialistplant.co.uk

FOR SALE
JeLaDo Drilling Services
LTD & Co. KG
Graf-Edzard-Str. 7,
Tel: +49 4943 990662 Fax: +49 4943 990664

www.hddrigs.de info@hddrigs.de

1: American Augers DD-140, 700m rods, 1200 liter pump,

reamer etc.
2: Vermeer D80x100, approx. 2000h, year 2000, 750l aplex
pump, 620m rods
3: Vermeer D50x100, approx. 4000h, year 2000, 500l kerr
pump, 500m rods
4: Huette HBR 206D, approx. 2200h, year 1998, 470m rods
We have TCI Three cone bits for all Ditch Witch terrar machines for 760

DRILLING &
GROUTING
EQUIPMENT
Mini piling/Piling casing (up to 32")
Casing advancing systems
Reverse circulation
Rotary percussive
Water well casing
Drill rods: Friction welded up to 51/2"
Capacity up to 14" diameter
Length up to 10 metres
Grouting and bentonite
equipment
Manufacturer of spares
and accessories

For more information on

how to advertise, please
contact:
Eoin McSwiney or
The only API spec 7
approved drilling equipment
manufacturer in the UK!
COLCRETE EURODRILL

Jim Moore on:

Tel +44 (0)20 7216 6060
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7216 6050
email: adsales@mining-journal.com

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October 2007
34WT0710.indd 34

11/10/07 10:21:51

No TBM company in the world has more.

Experience.

ore years. More

projects. More
kilometers of
tunnel completed.
The numbers say it all. 50
years, 3500 km of tunnel,
700 projects completed
worldwide. In fact, Robbins
machines have bored more
tunnel, and our cutters have
excavated more hard rock,
than any of our competitors.
It is not just the quantity,
but the quality of Robbins
experience that sets us apart.
Weve been the supplier of
choice for some of the most
demanding projects in history.
The greatest geological
problems and environmental
challenges.
The longest tunnels. The most
remote locations in the world.
If it can be imagined, Robbins
has the experience to make it
a reality. Learn more.
www.TheRobbinsCompany.com.

Robbins.indd 1

10/10/07 11:32:14