December 2007 Vol 1 Issue 4

The magazine for the tunnelling professional

North America focus

Brightwater meets Seattle sewerage demand
Arrowhead on target in California

Equipment
Underground support vehicles

Guidance

How TBMs navigate

www.world-tunnelling.com
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BREAKTHROUGH
SOLUTIONS

Earth Pressure Balance

Slurry Pressure Balance
Hard Rock
Pipe - Jacking
Rolling Stock

Lovat.indd 1

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1
COMMENT

Going to the fair?

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

Continental Conveyors.co.uk
www.continental-conveyor.co.uk
Hunter Personnel
www.hunterpersonnel.com
Lovat
www.lovat.com

WEB ADDRESS www.world-tunnelling.com

rockbolts and anchors to geotextiles and sprayed
concrete; three of the tunnelling industrys most
prominent engineering practices had also taken stands.
Its just a pity there were not more visitors there. It
seemed pretty deserted as I strolled down the
gangways and alleyways around the 200-odd stands in
Earls Court 2.
The organiser has reported a fairly healthy
attendance.
Over the three days, we had around 5,000 visitors
of which we estimate that around 84% were of
management calibre. This sort of show is more about
quality than quantity.
Fair enough.
Nevertheless, organisers will have their work cut out
if visitor gures for shows such as this continue their
decline and internet-accessible information continues
its inexorable rise both in quantitative and qualitative
terms.
George Demetri, Editor

CONTENTS

advertisers
Atlas Copco Rock Drills
www.atlascopco.com

RADE fairs and exhibitions, especially those

concerned with construction, have been having
a tough time in the UK these past few years due
to declining attendances.
Engineers, consultants and other management-level
personnel frequently cite being too busy to attend
which may or may not be understandable.
But it is a pity. Major shows usually have much to
offer, not only in terms of innovation and cutting-edge
products, but also in the
conferences that are
normally associated
with them.
I had the good
fortune recently to visit
one of Europes major
civil engineering shows,
CIVILS 2007, held in
London on November
20-22 (see review,
pp30-31).
pp30-31)
Products
on display
ranged from

5
25
4
Cov II

Maschinen und Stahlbau Dresden

Regulars

FRONT COVER

1 Comment
2-9 Global news and STUVA

The Brightwater project is a large-scale

tunnel and sewer programme that will meet
the demands of North Seattle

A round-up of the latest news and technology

30-31 Innovation

www.msd-dresden.de

12

Mining Equipment
www.miningequipmentltd.com

17

Parsons Brinckerhoff
www.pb.com.au

15

Features

Prime Horizontal
www.prime-horizontal.com

14

10-12 Brightwater project

Propex
www.bermesh.com

28

Robbins
www.TheRobbinsCompany.com

A review of CIVIL 2007

A large-scale programme will help meet the sewage demands of North Seattle

13-19 Arrowhead project

Two hybrid TBMs are advacning on a drive in southern California

Cov III

RocTest
www.roctest.com

19

Sandvik
www.sandvik.com

Steam Engineering
www.steamengineering.ca

Tunnel Engineering
www.tesuk.co.uk

11

VMT
www.vmt-gmbh.de

Wyo-Ben
www.wyoben.com

16

20-21 TBM guidance systems

How exactly a TBM navigates in the bowels of the earth

22 Milwaukee ISS project

Tunnels prevent gallons of Milwaukee wastewater polluting Lake Michigan

23-24 Muck-ow handling

26

Outlining muck ow control technology in a large-cross-section EPB shield

26-28 Underground support vehicles

The range of units designed to perform specic post-excavation tasks

December 2007
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NEWS
Copenhagen, Denmark

Atkins Ramboll wins

capital metro project

ATKINS, the largest multidisciplinary design/engineering

practice in Europe, has been
appointed with joint-venture
partner Ramboll Danmark to
provide consultancy on
Copenhagens Circle metro line.
With a total value of
US$2.8billion, the proposed
15.5km line is one of
Denmarks largesr-ever railway
projects and will include
17new stations.
Among other things, the
Atkins-Ramboll JV remit will
include solving the technical
problems that the project is
likely to face. Its initial scope
over the next 18 months will be to
take the project from the current
concept design through to systems

procurement. But it will also

provide consultancy on railtrack,
catenary systems (cabling) and the
Copenhagens metro will be
augmented by nearly 16km
with the new Circle line

fully automatic driverless train

control system.
Also included in the JVs
remit are rolling stock and a
major operation and
maintenance centre.
Atkins managing director
for European operations said:
This is a major project, which
will improve Copenhagens
infrastructure and bring
important transport links to a
key area of the city.
It is Atkins most significant
contract to date in Denmark
and were confident that it will
be an important stepping stone
to more high-profile work for
our locally-based business.
Scheduled for completion in
2018, the Metro City Circle Line is
expected to be one of the most
advanced transport systems in the
world.
Atkins has established an
international reputation for helping
deliver major rail infrastructure
projects, including the Dubai
metro, the Glasgow Airport Rail
Link (GARL) in Scotland and
Gautrain in South Africa.
Ramboll Denmark is a leading
provider of technical consulting
services and knowledge-based
total solutions for buildings, traffic
and infrastructure, water and
environment, energy, industrial
processes and telecommunication.

New York, US

Skanska bags
US$400m
subway project
SKANSKA has announced that
it recently signed a contract
with MTA New York City Transit
for the extension of the No 7
Subway Line.
Skanska will receive a 35%
share of the US$1.4 billion
contract, which involves the
extension of the No 7 line
between Times Square and
West Side of Manhattan,
including 3.6 km of new 6.5 mdiameter tunnel constructed at
depths of around 40 m.
Also included is the
construction of an underground
station at 34th Street and the
lowering by about 2 m of
existing track at the Times
Square Station to allow
connectivity with the new
tunnels. Extensive underpinning
of the existing 8th Avenue
Subway Line will also be
required. The project is
scheduled for completion in
about 57 months.
Skanska USA Civil signed
the contract as part of the
S3tunnel Constructors JV that
also features JF Shea Construct
ion (35%) and the Schiavone
Construction Company (30%).
The news follows on from
the award earlier this year
when Skanska won the contract
to build the first stage of the
Second Avenue Subway line on
the east side of Manhattan.

Athens, Greece

National supermotorway fast becoming a reality

GREECES biggest road concession

project, the Athens-Tsakona
motorway, looks a step nearer to
realisation, thanks to the recent
signing between the Greek
Government and the Apion Kleos
Consortium.
Led by Vinci (36%), the
consortium also comprises
Hochtief of Germany (25%) and
Greek companies, Elliniki

Technodromiki-Aktor (18%), J&PAvax (18%) and Athena (3%).

With work scheduled for a
September 2008 start, the
concession will involve financing,
design, construction and possibly
repair of the 365 km toll
motorway that will stretch
between Athens and Tsakona in
the southwest Peloponnese.
The road will be routed via

Corinth and Patras and comprises

163 km of new construction,
82km of existing motorway and
120km of repair.
Nine tunnels are envisaged
Xylokastro, Derveni, Mavra
Litharia, Akrata, Platanos,
Panayiopoula, Ayios Yioryios,
Koliri and Elia ranging in length
from 132 to 4,018m.
Drill and blast will be used for

excavation and trucks used for

road haulage.
Estimated tunnel cost
breakdowns so far supplied
include US$299 million for civil
works and US$68 million for
E&M equipment, although these
figures do not include elements
for design and ground investigation. Ratification is expected
soon from the Greek Government.

December 2007
02,04,06-08WT0712.indd 2

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NEWS
New York, US

Extra funding
for Hudson
A FURTHER US$1 billion will
be provided by the Port
Authority of New York and New
Jersey to construct the
US$7.5billion Hudson River
rail tunnel project. This is in
addition to the US$2 billion
pledged by the Authority.
The tunnel aims to almost
double the train capacity into
Manhattan during rush-hours.
Rising petrol prices and
increasingly crowded highways
are forcing more onto New
Yorks public transport and it is
hoped the tunnel will ease the
situation. The project is due for
completion by 2017.
The Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey is
responsible for operating the
airports, bridges and tunnels
carrying car traffic between
New Jersey and New York.

Delhi, India

JV trio wins metro order

DELHI Metro Rail
Corporation (DMRC) has
awarded the contract for
the construction of Airport
Metro Express Line-I to a
JV comprising Alpine Bau
of Austria, Hindustan
Construction Company
(HCC) and Samsung of
Korea.
The US$205 million
project will involve the construct
ion of a tunnel and two underground stations between New
Delhi and Talkatora Garden
stations.
Included in the contract is: the
design of two TBM-bored 5.6mdiameter tunnels 2.192km long,
each for a single-track railway,
including access and ventilations
shafts; and a 1.27 km-long, cut and
cover tunnel for twin-track railways
with underground stations at New
Delhi and Shivaji Stadium.

Airport Metro express project:

due for completion in 2010

When the project is completed,

currently scheduled for 2010, it
will bring the total length of the
Delhi metro to 69km and will go
some way to ease the commuter
problems of the city, whose
population is 15 million.
The JV brings substantial
experience to the project. Alpine
already has an Indian presence: it
is currently constructing the
US$116 million, 11.3 km-long
penstock tunnel for the TapovanVishnugad hydroelectric power

station in the Himmalayas.

Siegfried Mller,
CEO of Alpine Bau
GmbH and responsible
for projects in India,
said: We will start on
the US$205million
project before the end of
this year and aim to
complete in less than
three years.
Alpine will be technical
manager on the project. Heading
up its Delhi operation will be
Robert Sternath, who is supported
by a 180-strong core team. A total
of 1,800 people will be working on
the project.
HCC, a leading Indian
construction and infrastructure
company, built Indias first metro in
Kolkata, as well as several projects
in the countrys hydro power and
resources sector.

Pittsburgh, US

Work starts on North Shore connector

Tunnelling Project Manager ( India )
Hunter Personnel specialist in worldwide infrastructure recruitment
solutions together with Jaypee Group, Indias leading Infrastructure
industrial conglomerate are looking for several Tunnel Project Managers
with TBM or Drill and Blast experience. Jaypee Group have been recently
awarded the AMR Project in South India with a contract value of US$
481.25 Million which is to be completed in 60 months.
The ideal candidates will be Tunnelling Professionals with experience
in Contract Management of large tunnelling projects. Ideally with
an outstanding track record of achievements, you should possess
inspirational leadership qualities and coordination capabilities, with a flair
for quality and penchant for cost & time saving.
You would be responsible for complete technical coordination of the
Project, encompassing overall Project Management (Scheduling and
Monitoring of Construction activities), and Quality Management, Contract
Management (Billing and Payments) and will report to the Director.
You must have good communication skills and very good command of
English Language (Speaking, Reading and Writing).
The posting will be at the Project site, which is 120km from Hyderabad
international city and airport. Initially the contract will be for two years,
with a view to extend. Salaries will be based on international standards
( negotiable ) and you will be offered an excellent package with Furnished
accommodation ( single / married status ), Dining facilities available
onsite, Company car, Return flights ( negotiable ), Basic medical
facilities will be provided at site and covered fully ( other medical facilities
negotiable ), 30 days paid leave in a year.
Short listed candidates will be asked to attend an interview in London, UK
in December ( Date and venue yet to be confirmed ) .

Tel +44 (0)1202298322

Oliver Tse ( oliver.tse@hunterpersonnel.com )
For further details visit www.hunterpersonnel.com

02,04,06-08WT0712.indd 4

WORK has begun on the first

of two tunnels beneath the
Allegheny River in Pittsburgh,
US, recently as part of the Port
Authoritys US$435million
North Shore Connector
Project that will augment the
T-subway extension by 1.9km.
Three sections of a 6.7 mdiameter Herrenknecht TBM
Route showing the extension to link to
were lowered into the launch
the North Shore area
pit around 17 m below ground
level. The machine will start
advance a further 50m for
excavating twin-bore tunnels
installation of the TBM train and
linking downtown Pittsburgh with
allow excavation to begin properly
the North Shore.
around mid-January.
At 731m long, the tunnels are
The North Shore Connector is a
due for completion in late 2011
significant regional investment
and will serve three new stations,
that will support the revitalised
extending the light rail system
Downtown Pittsburgh and North
from downtown Gateway Station
Shore residential areas, business
to Allegheny Station on the North
districts, educational institutions,
Shore.
entertainment developments and
It is hoped that following test
cultural venues, in addition to
borings, the TBM will initially
enhancing development
advance around 18 m, after which
opportunities. When complete, the
it will pause for the Christmas
T- extension is expected to carry
break. At the start of 2008, it will
around 14,000 passengers daily.

December 2007
6/12/07 21:09:48

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NEWS
Antwerp, Belgium

Belgian compressed-air unveiling

HAVING flown into a windswept
Antwerp on November 13, a
select group of invited
journalists were treated to the
latest offerings from the
Portable Air Division of Atlas
Copco.
The raft of compressed-air
products on display included
the TwinAir range of containerised air compressors designed
for numerous specialised drilling
applications in ground engineering. They are hailed as combining
the largest volume of air flow at
up to 1,058 litres/s and with a
small footprint to boot.
Also included in Atlas Copcos
varied product display was the
HardHat enclosures, which have
now been extended from its

Series7 range of compressors to

cover two ranges of QAX
generating sets. Designed for
specialised drilling, pipeline and
ground engineering contractors,
the high impact, crack-resistant
tops are designed to eliminate the
corrosion problems associated
with metal canopies.
On another front, the new range
of Series 1 portable air compres-

sors was also unveiled, featuring a

much smaller canopy and singleaxle undercarriage, all in a more
compact package.
And a new variant of
Cosmos was also on display,
introduced last year, and designed
to offer a remote management
monitoring system for compressors
and generators, but which has now
been improved with the addition of
a satellite option: the use of GPS
ensures that equipment can be
tracked at all times and in any
location.
As well as viewing the products
on display, journalists were also
treated to a 90-minute talk by
various AC personnel, including
Geert Follens, president of AC
Portable Air division.

Brisbane, Australia

Tunnel go-ahead down under

A PROPOSED A$1.5 billion
tunnel in Brisbane, Australia,
between Toowong and Kelvin
Grove has been given the goahead, according to the
Brisbane Times.
The 4.5 km Northern Link
tunnel will connect the Western

Freeway at Toowong with the

Inner City Bypass at Kelvin
Grove and could cut motorists
journey times by nearly half an
hour.
Funding of A$500 million for
the tunnel was committed by
the Federal Opposition in

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7dg^c\BVX]^cZh
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02,04,06-08WT0712.indd 6

October, a boost which meant

the tunnel project would
proceed regardless of who
won the up and coming
election.
Motorists will have to pay
A$3.70 to use the tunnel,
which could be ready by 2016.

Hunan Province, China

Tunnel has a
cloudy lining

A blue sky with clouds is designed

to help relieve driver eye strain at
Chinas Xuefeng Mountain Express
Highway Tunnel
IF YOU think driving through
tunnels can be a boring experience, and lets face it, which of us
doesnt, then perhaps a drive
through the latest Chinese road
tunnel might result in an uplifting
event.
Located deep inside Hunan
Province in central China, the
Xuefeng Mountain Express
Highway Tunnel has special
lighting effects designed to mimic a
cloudy blue sky, reports local
newspaper Changsha Evening News.
Clouds changing against a blue
backdrop, it is thought, will go
some way to relieve eye strain.
The sequence begins with strong
lighting at the tunnel entrance,
followed by soft lighting which is
finally replaced by the clouded sky,
with the whole effect trying to
achieve a more gradual visual
transition.
As the third-longest highway
tunnel in China, the Xuefeng
tunnel has taken four years to
construct and will cut the journey
time needed between Changsha
and Huaihua from eight hours to
four hours. It opened to traffic on
November 8.

www.vmt-gmbh.de
12.09.2007 12:55:51 Uhr
6/12/07 21:10:20


NEWS
Munich, Germany

Maglev line in Europe debut

EUROPES first commercial
calculations.
high-speed Maglev
Such reactions are not
(magnetic levitation) will be
good news for the scheme,
built in Munich, Germany.
coming as they do only 15
An agreement signed on
months after the test run of
September 25 by
a Maglev train in northern
signatories that included
Germany ended in the
Bavarian minsters,
Munich will be home to Europes first Maglev line
deaths of 23 people when it
Photo: Transrapid International GmbH & Co KG
Deutsche Bahn (DBcollided with a parked
German Railways) and GSV (a
German business competitiveness.
maintenance vehicle.
manufacturing consortium
The electro-magnetic Maglev
When Munichs planned
comprising Siemens and
system allows trains to hover above Transrapid is completed in 2014, it
ThyssenKrup) finalised the funding
the track, providing an ultrawill take only 10 minutes to travel
of the 1.85 billion Transrapid line
smooth and relatively faster train
to the airport from the city-centre
to connect Munich city-centre with journey compared to traditional rail on the driverless trains, compared
the airport. Able to travel at speeds
technology.
to the current 40 minutes. Starting
of up to 450km/h, the project will
Bavarians, however, seem not to
at 17 m below Munich central
be designed and built by Siemens
be impressed. A recent poll
station, the line will have 8.7 km of
revealed that 60% of them oppose
and ThyssenKrupp.
tunnel in three sections along its
the scheme, with the city authorities route to the airport.
Great importance is attached to
the project by both DB and GSV,
also concerned over the high cost.
China operates the worlds only
which see the project not only as
Peer Steinbrueck, German finance
commercial Maglev line the
30km link between Shanghais
an important step in the future of
minister, has said that the projected
magnetic levitation technology, but costs will be higher than anticipated commercial centre and its airport
SE-4071 LrgAd 4/2/07 8:54 AM Page 1
also as a key element in overall
as they are based on outdated
at Pudong.

Sheffield, UK

Hydrogen cars
driving rethink
HYDROGEN cars may be the
panacea for reducing CO2
emissions, but recent research
highlights their potential danger
should they explode in a tunnel.
Unlike a crash with a
conventional car, where petrol
would collect on the ground
and ignite, the scenario with a
hydrogen car is more
hazardous, according to recent
research by Yajue Wu of
Sheffield University, England.
Wus computer simulation is
reported to have shown that in
a serious collision, escaping
hydrogen would form a giant,
high-velocity, 2,000C jet flame
that would stretch high enough
to cause serious damage to the
tunnel roof. The findings could
cause a rethink on ceiling
design if the hydrogen
economy starts to take off.

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02,04,06-08WT0712.indd 7

Aurora, Ontario, Canada

6/12/07 21:10:25


NEWS
Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Hindhead, UK

IRAN and Tajikistan are reported to

be speeding up efforts for the
construction by Iranian contractors
of a tunnel in eastern Tajikistan.
Irans energy minister recently
visited the Tajik capital, Dushanbe,
to further foster joint construction
works in the Central Asian republic.
Talks were held with the Tajik
Transport and Communications
minister on the construction of the
Charmaghzak tunnel, to be 50 km
south of the capital.
If constructed, the US$140
million project would become a
key element in the regeneration of
the Tajik economy. Following
feasibility studies, the Iranians have
indicated they would be ready to
begin construction.

CURRENTLY one of the UKs

largest continuing tunnelling
projects, the A3 Hindhead Tunnel
will be constructed with the help of
Sandviks tunnelling jumbos.
Main contractor Balfour Beatty
recently awarded Swedens Sandvik
Mining and Construction the
supply contract for three DT820AC twin boom with basket boom
drills for use on the 1.8km twinbore tunnels. Two of the jumbos
will be used for installing selfdrilling GRP piles and probe holes,
while the third unit will be used for
drilling steel canopy support tubes.
The award follows Sandviks
recent involvement on the Glendoe
Hydro scheme in Scotland, where
its jumbos and surface drilling
machines are being used.

Iran talks foster

tunnel accord

Sandvik jumbos join giant plan

Seville, Spain; Moscow, Russia; Sydney, Australia

Lovat reports global progress

LOVAT reports various states of
progress of its TBMs globally.
In Seville, Spain, its
RME238SE Series 21300 TBM,
excavating the second of two
tunnels for the citys Line 1
metro, has recently broken
through at the Plaza de Cuba
station.
The TBM has encountered
geological conditions that
mainly comprise gravels, sandy

gravels and blue marls, but also

silty sands and clays. The entire
alignment is below ground
water table with a maximum
15m of groundwater height
above the tunnel invert.
Completion of the 2.2km-long
tunnel is expected in mid-2008.
On another front, an
RME129SE Series 23500 EPB
TBM was recently delivered to
Russian contractor Spetstonnel-

Although construction on the

US$740 million A3 Hindhead
scheme began in January,
tunnelling is due to begin next
January. When completed in 2011,

the project will feature 6.7km of

new dual carriageway that will
complete the link between London
and Portsmouth and alleviate
bottlenecks such as that around the
A3/A287 signal-controlled
crossroads.
The tunnels will have sprayed
concrete linings and cast in-situ
portals. At Gibbet Hill, the tunnels
maximum depth of cover is 65 m
below ground level. As well as the
bored tunnel length, there will also
be around 0.1 km of cut and cover.
According to Balfour Beatty, the
scheme involves a new style of
early design and build contract that
brings the contractor into the
scheme at a very early stage, to
prepare the design and assist with
the statutory processes.

stroy for use on the

construction of the
Babushkin Substation
Cable Tunnel in
Moscow. The 3.3mdiameter TBM will
have to bore the length
of the 682.5m-long tunnel in
water-saturated soils below
groundwater level. Soils will
mainly comprise silty sand, fine
to course grain sand and gravel,
with water height of up to 10 m
above the tunnel alignment and
depth of cover varying from 5

to 20 m. Lovat also
designed and supplied
the segmental tunnel
lining. Tunnel
excavation is set to
begin by the end of
this year.
In Sydney, Australia,
contractor Theiss Pty recently
signed a contract with Lovat to
deliver a 3.7m-diameter
RMP147SE 22001 TBM, en
route to Australia for use in the
construction of Sydneys City
West Cable tunnel.

Sandvik
jumbos
primed for
construction
on the
Hindhead
project in
January

Newcastle, UK

TT2 wins Tyne tunnels concession contract

CONCESSIONAIRE TT2, the
consortium comprising Bouygues
Travaux Publics (a subsidiary of
Bouygues Construction), HSBC
Infrastructure Fund II and Bank of
Scotland Corporate, has won the
US$738million Tyne tunnels
concession contract. Bouygues TP
will carry out the US$517million
construction work.
The project will involve
designing and constructing the
New Tyne Crossing, comprising a
proposed vehicle tunnel beneath
the River Tyne in Newcastle, as well
as renovating the existing tunnel
and the financing and operation of

both tunnels for 30 years.

Designed to relieve congestion
on the A19 connecting north and
south of the Tyneside region, the
project will start in May 2008 and
be staged to build the new tunnel
and then refurbish the existing, a
process due to take four years.
About 700 people are expected to
be working on the tunnel at peak.
At 1,600m long, the new
tunnel will be the same length as
the existing, and will include a
360m-long section of immersed
tube beneath the river, made up of
90m-long precast concrete
elements. When complete, traffic

will be diverted through it to

allow renovation and
upgrading to begin on the
existing tunnel. Traffic will be
able to use both tunnels by
December 2011.
Funding for the project
View of the New Tyne Crossing route
will come from various
sources. Tyne&Wear Passenger
Bank plc, Bank of Scotland
Transport Authority will provide a
Corporate and Natixis.
US$236million subsidy; HSBC
Bouygues Construction
Infrastructure Fund II, Bank of
chairman and CEO Yves Gabriel
Scotland Corporate, and Bouygues
said: This project is our first
Travaux Publics will provide
major civil engineering contract in
US$80million in capital, and TT2
the UK, and illustrates our
has contracted a US$428million
ambition to develop all our lines of
senior debt loan from banks HSBC
business in the country.

December 2007
02,04,06-08WT0712.indd 8

6/12/07 21:10:39


EXHIBITIONS & CONFERENCES: Germany

STUVA sets new record

Formerly a mostly German affair, the STUVA-TATUNG 07 conference on
developments in underground construction is becoming a more international
event. Rodney Craig visited for World Tunnelling

STUVA prize

OLOGNE, Germany, was the venue for

the 21st STUVA biannual event, from
November 27-29. Called Connections
by Tunnels, the conference spanned two days,
with technical visits on the third. Attendees have
always been well over 1,000. This year, the
attendance was one of the highest, with over
1,400 from 29 countries and 130 exhibitors.

CONFERENCE
After the official opening and welcome
speeches, Prof Dr Ing Alfred Haack, managing
director of STUVA, gave the keynote lecture on
Trend-setting Development in Tunnel Construct
ion and Operation. After a brief summary of the
historic development of transport tunnels in Germany and the need for new tunnels in Europe
and worldwide, Prof Haack stressed the need for
technological developments in the building and
operation of transport tunnels.
The session on international projects included:

The 3km-long Grouft twin road tunnels in
Luxembourg.

An update on the development of the Alp
Transit Gotthard twin tunnels.

The construction of the 1.2 km length of the
Gotthard Base Tunnel in squeezing ground.

The progress on the Ceneri Base Tunnel of the
Alp Transit.

The planning and construction of the twin
Carmel Tunnels in Israel.

The special environmental protection
measures required during the construction of
the Malmo City Tunnel in Sweden.
Mechanised tunnelling was the subject of the
second session. The first paper by Martin
Herrenknecht, discussed his companys 40-plus
TBMs made for Chinese metro and road tunnel
projects, including the worlds largest two TBMs
of 15.43m in diameter, currently working on
the 7.5 km-long tunnels to Chongming Island,
Shanghai.
Other presentations in this session included:
recent developments in mechanised tunnelling;
gasket systems under high water pressure at
launch and reception shafts; high shove loads
due to TBM steering problems; studies of shield
tail deformation during boring; and a paper on

The STUVA Prize for a special

innovation in underground
construction was first awarded in
1997. The 2007 recipient was
the Dutch Betuwe Route project,
the second time awarded to a
project, not an individual.
The project has provided a
goods-train link between the Port of
Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the Ruhr
District in Germany. It was officially
opened by Queen Beatrix in June. The
104km of new alignment in the Netherlands includes five tunnels totalling 18km
in length. Three main tunnels were built
with one EPB and two slurry TBMs; for the
first time, one of the slurry TBMs combined
excavation and erection cycles concurrently.

the first use of 19in (483mm) wedged-locked,

back-loading cutters for the Krahnjkar Hydro
Project in Iceland.
The last session of the first day was about
safety during construction and operation. The first
paper discussed Guidelines for Planning and
Implementing a Health & Safety Concept to
Underground Construction Sites, prepared by DA-CH group (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Although initially a German speaking paper, the
guidelines are being discussed with the
International Tunnelling Association (ITA), the aim
being to gain international acceptance. Other
papers covered: measuring stresses in tunnel
linings; new techniques to improve safety with
fuel cells; wireless signal transmission, and other
control technology; and criteria for assessing
different types of busy road junctions in tunnels.

Day 2: R&D and fire protection

Two papers on research and development began
the second day, with one on the future role of
the International Tunnelling Association in
underground construction; and, STUVA and its
involvement in European construction research.
The second session on fire protection was a
key one involving six papers. The first, from
STUVA, covered structural fire protection in
underground stations, various smoke removal
systems, protection to stairways and improved

The Betuweroute:
the Netherlands
link to the Trans
European Networks
Trans European
Freight Rail
Network

features for rolling stock. Other papers covered

the use of lifts for the evacuation of physically
impaired people during fires; testing and safety
equipment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel; fire tests
of water mist systems in road tunnels; sprinkler
systems; and telecommunications, person
detection and co-ordination of emergency
services in tunnel construction.
Tunnelling in difficult ground conditions was
the subject of the third session. Papers covered
the increasing use of freezing methods in the
construction of tunnels; experience and
problems in the use of ground freezing in Berlin;
geotechnical challenges in the construction of
the Schmcke Tunnel in Thuringia, Germany;
and, yielding systems for tunnels in heavily
swelling rock.
During the afternoon, papers on legal,
contractual and insurance issues were
presented. These covered new contractual
provisions in road tunnels in Germany; risks of
incidents during construction; coping with
contractual requirements; legal arguments in the
construction, shortcomings and damages related
to underground works; ground-related risks in
connection with alternative proposals; and, the
new international insurance The Code of
Practice for Risk Management of Tunnel Works.
The last session, as always, covered
underground construction works in Cologne,
and was an introduction to the site visits the
next day. Five papers covered the many working
sites in Cologne. The urban development and
transport systems, the challenges in the
construction of the North South Light Rail
Line, including the special measures used,
minimising risk when underpinning the
foundations of structures, and special aspects of
the construction of the southern section.
Seven site visits on the third day completed
an excellent and informative conference. In
2009, the conference will be in Hamburg.

December 2007
09WT0712.indd 9

6/12/07 21:12:21

10
FOCUS: North America

Brightwater on track
for North Seattle
A major large-scale tunnel and treatment programme will go a long way to
meet the sewerage demands of North Seattle. Jack Burke reports

URRENTLY under construction, the

Brightwater System will add crucial
plants and conveyance systems to meet
the rapidly-growing North Seattle area. Fortunately for the areas residents, foresight in the
1950s and continued analysis of sewer systems
has culminated in this large-scale major tunnel
and treatment programme to meet current and
future needs.
Turning influent into clean useful effluent that
can safely be deposited environmentally in the
areas bays and sounds, the project will be
covered as three separate jobs, each having its
own unique conditions.
On October 20, 2005, the first contract on the
long-awaited Brightwater Conveyance
System was bid, with the low bid of
US$131million presented by the JV
comprising Kenny Construction (Sponsor),
JF Shea Company and Traylor Bros. After a
lengthy protest by the second bidder JayDee/Coluccio JV, the project was awarded
on December 29, 2005 and the notice to
proceed issued on January 30, 2006.

East Contract: project details


4,282 m of 5.74m-diameter, EPB TBM mined tunnel using 5.1 m inside diameter bolted,

gasketed pre-cast concrete segments for a primary liner.

Installing and grouting 4,328m each of 122cm, 168 cm, 68.58 cm and 213cm-diameter

pipes inside the tunnel with three runs of fibre-optic cable.

741m of 183cm-diameter microtunnel including three shafts with structures, one Influent

Structure (IS) for mining 22.5m deep and 24.3m diameter, with 39.6m-deep slurry
diaphragm walls, tremie slab and final concrete wall lining.
One Influent Pump Station shell (IPS) 25.3m deep, twin 25.6m (inside diameter) cells, with
48.8m-deep slurry diaphragm walls, tremie slab, and final lining.
Two short 3.66m-diameter connector tunnels.
One extraction shaft 12m deep x 12m wide and 42.6 m long for connection to treatment
plant piping.
Aerial view of the Brightwater site,
May 2007

Geological Setting
The Brightwater Conveyance System lies
within the Puget Trough, a structural basin
between the Olympia Mountains and the
Cascade Mountains, formed by the Juan de Fuca
oceanic plate being thrust beneath the North
American Continental plate. A north-south
compressional regional stress component
caused by the northward movement of the Sierra
Nevada tectonic block has created a series of
smaller blocks and basins within the volcanic
bedrock. Depth to bedrock in the project area
(122-457m) will not be encountered during
construction. The bedrock is overlain by glacial
and non-glacial sediments, through which the
Brightwater Conveyance System will be built.
Puget Troughs geological history is
dominated by a succession of at least six
continental glaciations. As glaciers advanced,
large lakes were formed where silt and clay
were deposited. As the ice sheets advanced
further to the south, the supply of sediment to
the lake coarsened and sand and gravel filled
the lowland. When the ice reached about the
latitude of the project, sub-glacial melt water

and ice reworked the sediment and rock,

carrying further south. As the climate warmed,
the ice stagnated and began to melt as the ice
front receded, depositing its entrained sediment
over the uncovered landscape. Each successive
glaciation partially eroded the pre-existing
ground surface, and then deposited a fresh
sequence of sediment over the land.

Groundwater
A sequence of aquifers and aquitards varying in
thickness and lateral continuity have been
formed by this depositional environment.
Aquifers comprise granular water-bearing
sediments and the aquitards contain finergrained sediments reducing water flow. In the
project area, six deposits were identified as
aquifers or aquitards. Groundwater flow through
the area is initiated by recharge infiltrating the
ground in uplands and moving down until
reaching the uppermost regional aquifer.

Movement of groundwater between the

upper aquifer and the underlying aquifers
will be slow, reflecting the layered nature of
the glacial and non-glacial deposits, and
the presence of thick lower-permeability
confining deposits. The presence of vertical
gradients between aquifers means changes
in groundwater head will be experienced
as the tunnel heading transits from one
hydro-geologic regime to another.
Groundwater head at the tunnel invert
intrados will be up to 3.2bar pressure at
locations along the East Combined Tunnel.

Construction
In January 2006, the contractor mobilised on
site, installing utilities and screen/sound wall,
followed by placing the guide walls for the (IS)
shaft, 39.6m deep, and the (IPS) Shaft, 48.76 mdeep.
Bencor, the slurry wall subcontractor, started
actual slurry-wall excavation in June 2006 on
the (IS) shaft but finished in early fall after a sixweek delay due to an operators strike against
the ready-mix concrete suppliers in King County.
This was followed by the 27 m deep IS shaft
excavation in the wet and the pouring of the
4.1m steel reinforced tremie plug. After
dewatering, a cast-in-place final lining of the
shaft was achieved in two three-pour lifts,
including portals for launching the BrightwaterEast tunnel, the receiving portal of the

December 2007
10,12WT0712.indd 10

6/12/07 21:01:10

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11WT0712.indd 11

10/12/07 11:49:43

12
FOCUS: North America
Brightwater-Central tunnel and three more

portals for a microtunnel and two connecting

ones between the IS and IPS structures.
Hayward Baker placed jet grout blocks for all
the break-outs and break-ins to the IS shaft
5.9m for the Brightwater-East Combined Tunnel,
4.9m for the Brightwater Central Bothell
Combined Tunnel, the 1.8m North Creek
Connector Microtunnel, and a large block for
the length of the two 3.7m by 10.6m-long
interconnecting tunnels.
Before the Brightwater-East tunnel could start,
the 1.8m-diameter micro tunnel had to be
finished from the (IS) Shaft to Pit No1, a caisson
6m in diameter and 23m deep with a tremie
poured plug in the wet before dewatering. After
finishing the first 275m run, the microtunnel
was extracted and prepared for two more runs
(365m and 100 m), using two further 6and
8.5m-diameter caissons, both 23m deep with
tremie poured plugs. All the caissons and the IS
and IPS slurry walls used fibre-glass reinforcing
steel in the concrete for the respective portals.
After completion of the IS slurry walls, Bencor
started the slurry wall panels for the Binocular
twin 25.6m-diameter shafts and centre wall
using 48.7m deep, 1.22m-thick panels. The
slurry walls were finished in January 2007.
After completing the concrete lining in the (IS)
shaft and finishing the microtunnel, a concrete

Boring pipe 96 in the micro tunnel, view west. Above right: TBM for Brightwater-East
launch pad was placed across the IS shaft in line
with the tunnel and affixed with launching rails
to assemble the 5.9m Lovat EPB TBM. A critical
delay in manufacturing the Lovat EPB TBM was
due to the late delivery of the cutterhead drive
bearing made by Rotek, Ohio, which was due to
increased government priority orders for the Iraq
war. A request for a time extension is under
review by owner King County.
On July 17 and 18, TBM tests took place in
Toronto, with non-production bearing and
disassembly starting the same week. Delivery of
the TBM started in early August and the
production bearing installed in the motor plate
at Lovat and delivered to site on August 31. TBM
assembly took place on the launch block, but
suffered problems associated with the front and
rear articulation seals. These have been replaced

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after reworking the seats, but they could not be

tested until the EPB TBM and shaft seals are
pressure-tested after installing the first three
tunnel precast segment rings.
The TBM has mined through the slurry wall
into the jet-grouted block and the first
intervention (free air) was completed on
October 19. Final phase II TBM assembly was
finished during the week of October 21,
followed by mining 4.6m and sealing the portal
before breaching the portal block. The TBM and
portal seals were tested by pressurising the
tunnel face while in the block.
With the completion of the slurry walls at the
Influent Pump Station (IPS) and the excavation in
the wet of the twin 25.6m-diameter, 30m-deep
shafts, preparations were made for the massive
4m-thick, steel-reinforced tremie pours. The
preparations (underwater with divers) included
the underwater cleaning of the tremie contact
area around the perimeter of the shaft, the
removal of the formed keys in the slurry walls,
insertion of shear dowels, placement of concrete
pedestals to support the placement of the 91t
(100 tons) of reinforcing steel, not including
structural support frames, for each plug.
After final preparations were made for
the first tremie pour (west lobe), on
October 27, with eight fixed tremie
pipes 30.5cm in diameter and one
floating tremie pipe attached to a
floating work platform, the pour was
initiated using 7.6m3 transit mix trucks
supplied by Glacier Concrete which
arrived at an hourly rate of up to 40
to give the 2,052m3 (2,700 yd3) total.
The west lobe pour started at 4am and
was done by 3am the next day, utilising
two dedicated Glacier concrete plants
and two Brundage-Bone Schwing 47m
boom concrete pumps. The size of the
pours meant it was necessary to pour
the tremies separately and to have a
weekend in between due to concrete supply
requirements for other Glacier customers and
overtime restrictions for transit mix drivers.
Preparations then began on the same process
for the tremie pour in the remaining east lobe.
On November 10, the east lobe was poured
without a hitch.

Before the
Brightwater-East
tunnel could
start, the 1.8mdiameter micro
tunnel had to be
finished

December 2007
6/12/07 21:01:31

13
FOCUS: North America

Arrowhead on target in
the Sunshine State

The San Bernadino Mountains

Jack Burke outlines the problems, challenges and solutions

implemented on the Arrowhead Project in Southern California,
where two hybrid TBMs are advancing on a difcult project

HE Arrowhead Tunnels Project represents the nal portion of a 70 km

water conveyance facility that will
bring up to 28 m3/s of water into Southern
California. The 13 km tunnelling project is
well underway and consists of two, 5.8 mdiameter TBM bores through extremely variable geological conditions.
The tunnels lie near the base of the San
Bernardino Mountains and several signicant
faults, including the San Andreas, run within
1 km of the tunnel alignment. Other
signicant faults cross the tunnel alignment
and water pressures in the tunnel have been
recorded as high as 20 bar (300 psi).
Conditions have ranged from hard rock
with no water inows to full-face granular
material under 10-bar pressure and of over
32 litres/s (500 gal/min) inows. Due to the
range and severity of ground and water
conditions encountered, the ownercontractor-designer team eventually found
that adjusting the means and methods for
greater responsiveness virtually on a day-byday basis was needed to suit the conditions.

PROJECT HISTORY
Following the award of the rst contract to
Shank/Balfour Beatty in January 1997 for
US$88.4 million, the project was mobilised and
work started at the city portal. The plan was to
drive westwards to daylight at Strawberry Creek
Canyon Portal in Waterman Canyon.
Shank/Balfour Beatty opted for support by

shift, with maintenance on swing shift and

grouting operations conducted from 9pm to
7am. As the tunnel advanced, heavy, highpressure water inows and squeezing ground
halted the TBMs progress and made it obvious
that the ground conditions were different
from those indicated in the documents.
Forward progress came to a halt and
resumed slowly. In 2000, after mining about
2,400 lin m, all work was permanently
suspended when large ingresses of water at
pressures up to 17 bar were encountered.
The water ingress rate was critical as the
agreement with the US Forest Service and
other water users mandated maximum
water inow not to exceed 37 litres/s in the
East tunnel. Negotiations resulted in
contract cancellation, TBM removal,
construction of a bulkhead at the tunnel
face, and the excavated tunnel lined with
3.65 m-diameter RCCP and fully encapsulated with cellular grout in late-2000.
concrete segments expanded against the rock,
with screw jacks in the open crown, for
temporary support. The nal lining would be
Reinforced Concrete Cylinder Pipe (RCCP). TBM
design was by the contractor, and included
hydraulic segment erector and associated probe
and grout drilling packages. The contractor
designed and fabricated the segments on site.
An extensive pre-excavation grouting
programme and a cycled grouting project were
established. Excavation took place on a single
File photo showing an aerial
view of the Strawberry Creek
TBM assembly

ARROWHEAD EAST & WEST II

The Arrowhead East and West Tunnels have a
nished inside diameter of 3.65 m and cross the
mountainous terrain north of the City of San
Bernardino. The work includes completing the
East Tunnel, constructing the West Tunnel,
nishing the links between the tunnels with pipelines and restorating the site. The remaining
6,840 m of the East Tunnel excavation must
proceed in a down-grade drive from the
Strawberry Creek Portal. Building the 6,062 m
West Tunnel is being completed from the
Waterman Canyon Portal.
Both tunnels have been excavated through
variable ground conditions ranging from highly
fractured to massive, moderately jointed igneous
and metamorphic rocks. Numerous faults and
shear zones containing clay gouge, crushed rock,
brecciated and highly fractured rock have been
encountered. At or near the existing ground
surface, the rock mass can be completely to
moderately weathered but at tunnel depth ranges
from highly altered to fresh. The East Tunnel
is being excavated beneath ground cover of
15-630 m, while the West Tunnel has ground

December 2007
13,15-19WT0712.indd 13

10/12/07 10:46:11

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15
FOCUS: North America
cover in the

15-335 m range. High

Inside the
groundwater inows
tunnel
with high hydrostatic
pressures were anticipated
through the highly fractured
rock mass along both tunnel
alignments. Much of the highvolume, high-pressure groundwater
inows have been controlled using an
effective pre-excavation grouting programme. The
limitations of such a programme in a variable and
highly fractured rock mass were constantly
reviewed and modied.

GEOLOGY / GROUND CONDITIONS

Both tunnel alignments lie beneath mountainous
terrain that is part of the San Bernardino
National Forest. The areas geology is highly
complex and ranges from intact to highlyweathered and altered gneiss, marble/calc-silica
gneiss and granitic rocks. These challenging
conditions necessitated the design of two,
one-of-a-kind, hard-rock TBMs, subsequently
modied to suit the prevailing ground and water
inow conditions.

Controlling
water inows
was key

ADVANCE RATES
The more water encountered at the face, the
slower the overall mining advance rates. This was
due to the need to perform more pre-excavation
drilling, grouting and water handling, as well as
the presence of excess quantities of ne material
often found with the muck. Fault, gouge and shear
zones have also contributed to slower advance
rates, as well as to highly altered rock.

PRE-EXCAVATION DRILLING AND

GROUTING OPERATIONS
Probing and grouting ahead of the TBM (probehole drilling and pre-excavation grouting) was
required for both tunnels. It was necessary to:
Minimise and control the effects of tunnel
excavation on the groundwater resources in
the project area to satisfy the requirements of
the USFS Special Use Permit.

13,15-19WT0712.indd 15

Reduce ground-

water inows into

the tunnel to
facilitate excavation
and installation of
the primary support
system that would
ultimately benet
installing the nal
tunnel liner.
Improve the ground conditions and,
therefore, tunnelling advance rates.
The US Forest Service Special Use Permit limited
groundwater inows into the tunnel heading to
no more than 37 l/s (580 gal/min) for the West
Tunnels and 33 l/s for the
East Tunnel. This was
achieved by combining
the following:
Pre-excavation water
control and ground
improvement grouting
in multiple stages as
needed.
Filling of discontinuities
in the rock mass as
encountered to avoid
running or ravelling
ground conditions at the
face, around the shield
and the primary
segmental tunnel liner.
Fitting watertight primary support, providing
full ground support
with backll grouting.
Fitting inatable segment
collars, in combination
with backll grouting.
Installation of drain holes
through the precast tunnel
lining in specic locations
as needed to relieve
excess groundwater pressure and improve ground
conditions for mining.

successful in detecting groundwater inows

and geological features that would impact the
mining operations.
Pre-excavation grouting was initially planned
along any length of tunnel depending on
measured probe hole inows from two
verication holes. The owner established an
initial value in which a probe hole inow that
exceeded 0.06 l/s/m (0.3 gal/min/ft) (or a
concentrated ow of 114 l/min) at any point in
the probe hole) represented the threshold at
which pre-excavation grouting was initiated.
Drilling and grouting equipment and methods
were designed for stage grouting since some
drill-holes would not stay open due to unstable
ground conditions, such as highly fractured

Pre-excavation grouting
was initially performed, as
directed by the owner, to
reduce groundwater inows
to typically 16 litres/s in the
30 m interval from the tunnel
face back to the portal.
However, the extent and
potential for improvement in
ground stability could not be
quantied directly by more
grouting. Furthermore, it was
always uncertain whether
probe drilling would be

10/12/07 10:46:18

16
FOCUS: North America
rock, gouge, weathered and altered rock.

Experience found that due to the uncertainty of

groundwater inows through a fractured rock
mass, probe holes would not necessarily detect
all potential groundwater inows, as well as
areas where mining would be difcult.
Probe-hole drilling took place ahead of the
tunnel face through 15 drill ports at 1.5 in the
TBM face and 19 locations at 4, also through
the face. Two probe holes were normally drilled
about 180 apart along the longitudinal axis of
the tunnel. A minimal overlap of 6.1 m at the
face between successive set-ups of probe/grout
holes was enough to maintain a grouted plug.
Probe holes were limited to 61 m in length and
grout holes to a maximum 45 m due to the
uncertainty in hole location for longer holes and
the reduced effectiveness of grouting long holes
away from the face.
To date, a great deal of time spent driving the
tunnels has been taken up with pre-excavation
drilling and grouting before the TBM was able to
advance. Notwithstanding, this operation was
crucial to successfully and safely mine the
tunnels through highly variable strata and in
sometimes unknown and uncertain geological
and water-bearing features that needed grouting
for water control and/or ground improvement.
Other grouting projects were also required to
control water inows (see Tables 1 and 2).

13,15-19WT0712.indd 16

Table 1: Grouting and corresponding operations

Item
A
1
2
3
4
5
B
1
2
3
4

Description

Pre-excavation grouting
Water Ground Voids

CEMENTITIOUS PRODUCTS
Portland cement Type II
Portland cement Type III
Rapidset cement
Micro-ne cement
Fly ash
CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
Polyurethane grout
Sodium silicate
Colloidal silica
Minova Celbex 802

Annular grouting
Stage I
Stage II

= Primary grouting material; = Secondary grouting material; = Trial & test grouting material

SEGMENT LINING, EDPM GASKETS

A bolted and gasketed, precast concrete
segmental lining was specied as the primary
support system for the entire length of both
tunnels. Previous reports and publications
substantially addressed the design and
manufacture of precast segments.

GROUND BEHAVIOUR
The contract documents described the
subsurface conditions and behaviour anticipated
during construction of the East and West

Tunnels. These documents and, in particular,

the Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR),
presented the owners best judgment based
on data from surface geologic mapping,
exploratory boreholes placed along and in the
general area of the tunnel alignments, and
assumptions about the contractors means and
methods for tunnel excavation and support.
The minimum requirements for tunnelling
equipment specied by the owner were
co-ordinated with the anticipated ground
conditions and behaviour.

10/12/07 10:46:19

17
FOCUS: North America
Checking
water
ingress

Table 2: Grouting materials

Stage I backll grouting: Injected as the TBM advanced to ll the annular void surrounding

the segmental tunnel lining with a sand-cement (Type II) grout. Various anti-dispersion agents
and grout accelerators were also used on an experimental basis.
Stage II contact grouting: Injected periodically as the TBM advanced and completed the
lling of the annular void surrounding the tunnel liner with neat cement (Type II) grout.
Drainage holes: Installed at 20 through the segmental tunnel lining to relieve excess
hydrostatic pressure and inows into the cutterhead plenum and to assist with ground
stabilisation and pre-excavation grouting procedures.

GROUND BEHAVIOUR TO DATE

While the anticipated ground conditions were
variable, as generally described in the GBR, a
wide spectrum of ground types and behaviours
was actually encountered. The rate of change
from one type to another was often frequent and
even dramatic, to the extent that extremely hard
material could be encountered on the same day
as soft and raveling material. Also, the face could
exhibit very competent hard material (with and
without water inows) at the same time as loose
ground in another portion of the face.
Periodically, acute geological features would
release signicant ush inows and even
owing ground resulting in the formation of a
cavity that required an immediate halt to mining

13,15-19WT0712.indd 17

Several grouting materials have been used to control inows and ground improvement. Some
are still in use depending on mining conditions at the heading (See Table 1). Other materials are
under test and may be used later for water and ground control needs.
Micro-ne cement: Used for most rock and rock-like conditions to curtail water inows and
improve structural properties of the rock mass for mining. Various mix designs and pressures
were routinely used.
Types II and III cement: Used for most rock conditions to curtail water inows and improve
properties of the rock mass for mining, following the completion of grout injection with
micro-ne cement.
Colloidal silica grout: Used in strata that while producing water inows, resisted penetration
from micro-ne cement grouts even in diluted concentrations. This material was successful
in reducing water inows.
Polyurethane grout: Used in the tunnels with limited success to control groundwater inows
and lling voids. Based on experience, this material did not work well under high water
pressures when injected in to bore holes.
Chemical grout: Sodium silicate grout was used in the tunnels and portals to consolidate
loose and brecciated rock and to control groundwater. This material had limited success in
tight rock formations and where clay was present.

10/12/07 10:46:27

18
FOCUS: North America
operations and then backlling. On occasions to

date, decomposed rock acting like sand and silt,

blocky ground with large pieces dislodged from
the face, both white and grey marble, as well as
very competent granitic material have been
encountered.
High in-situ water pressures and ows have,
from time to time, been very adverse and have
daunted the pre-excavation grouting programme
to the extent that this programme was often
adjusted before each mining cycle and
constantly assessed during actual grouting to
be responsive to the actual conditions
encountered.Sometimes, unusual ground
conditions have been encountered that have
resulted in various situations and delays to the
work (see Table 3).
The contractors tunnelling crews, together
with the owners geological and grouting
experts, developed a toolbox of exible and
innovative means and methods to cope with a
wide range of ground and water conditions. The
aim was to achieve effective pre-excavation
grouting and to optimize the TBM advance
safely while constantly controlling water and
ground conditions.

TBM CHANGES & TRAILING GEAR

Based on experience and performance in the
variable ground and water conditions, several
modications were made to the TBMs in 2005
to cope with the conditions (see Table 4).

SLURRY HANDLING & SEPARATION

Slurry handling and separation systems did not
originally form part of the Herrenknecht TBMs.
The TBMs did, however, have a powerful dewatering system in accordance with specications and
were designed to pump high volumes of water
from the heading out of the tunnel. As truly hybrid
rock-cutting machines, the TBMs were designed to
operate with a screw auger for muck handling but
not with a pressurised plenum chamber, unless
nes build-up in the auger could be established
based on muck characteristics.
They were not designed to handle high
volumes of nes (sand-sized particles) that, in

Table 3: Ground conditions, behaviour and

impacts on mining operations
Squeezing and packing ground around the TBM:
Squeezing ground
Extremely high thrust pressures needed to advance
Packing ground
Extremely high thrust pressures needed to advance
TBM seized in ground
Thrust force up to 114 MN applied to the shield
Unstable ground/squeezing
Hand-mining around the shield to free the TBM
Ravelling ground conditions at the face:
Tunnel face ravels
Delay to the tunnel advance rate due to loss of face
Tunnel face loose & fall-out
Delay to allow for backlling the face with sand-cement grout
Tunnel face partial collapse
Breasting and special grouting operations to stabilize
Weak rock drilling conditions at the face:
Weak rock at face
Slow penetration rates due to hole collapse
Ravelling drill holes
Hole collapse and loss of steel needing casings to advance
Seating grout packers
Ineffective and time consuming due to loss of ground
Seating grout packers
Multi-stage drilling and grouting needed to be effective
Hard rock conditions at the face:
Very hard rock
Slow advance rates, heat build-up in TBM, cutter wear
Very hard massive rock
More cutter wear, machine repairs, more time to advance
Water inows and pressures:
Excess water pressure
Excess water inows
Excess nes in muck

Delay to drain and secure the heading from excess water

Additional grouting to seal and secure vital equipment
Mucking and slurry separation systems overwhelmed

Tunnel plug unstable, weak or leaking grout:

Unstable plug at face
Delay to drilling & grouting until grout sets in multiple stages
Weak plug at face
Grout leakage and pressure loss limiting effectiveness

practice, could sometimes be way in excess of

50% of the material excavated from the tunnel
face. Additionally, and to compound the
problem, excess water conditions periodically
developed in the heading that overwhelmed the
muck-handling system and, therefore, affected
the mining production to the point where an
alternate or supplemental means of handling the
muck was needed (see Table 5).
This innovative system was integrated into the
existing TBM and trailing operating systems and
equipment wherever possible, so as to become a

seamless function and controlled with the

overall mining operations.

CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS

The Arrowhead Tunnels Project is probably one of
the most challenging tunnel projects in the US,
having taken longer to excavate than planned.
The ground and groundwater conditions are
extremely variable and could not be adequately
predicted due largely to the extent of ground
cover as well as the degree, frequency and
severity of the alterations in the rock mass,

Table 4: changes and improvements to the TBMs

Description
Original TBM design
Cutterhead operational torque (kNm)
2,000
Cutterhead exceptional torque (kNm)
2,323
Cutterhead speed (max rev/min)
9.75
Cutterhead rear annular gap (mm)
100
Shield thrust (kN)
29,270
Probe drilling holes
26 each (1.5 & 8 lookout)
Probe drills
4 each; 1 front, 1 erector, 2 rear
Screw auger
13.35 m single-piece unit
EPBM capabilities
None
Slurry handling/separation system
None

Modied TBM design

3,520
4,400
7.5
75
58,540
45 each (1.5, 4 & 8 look-out)
5 each: 2 front,1 erector, 2 rear
4-piece (3.35 m each piece)
Sensors, mixing arms, foam mixer
54 litres/s (850 gal/min) max

Grouting and face

conditioning

December 2007
13,15-19WT0712.indd 18

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19
FOCUS: North America
Probe ows
measure water
inows

Table 5: Slurry separation system design and

operating characteristics original design
Description
Peak ow rate
Nominal ow rate
Solids separation
Fines suspension

Slurry medium

System or capacity
54 litres/s
41 litres/s
Screens, clarier and centrifuge
<6% nominal to a 15% maximum
(by volume) and dependent on
ow character
Water in a closed re-circulation circuit
with additives injected at the plant

Variable groundwater conditions encountered

including the inuence from nearby faults. The
pre-excavation grouting programme was
intended to address and arrest groundwater
inows into the tunnel as a measure to comply
with the US Forest Service Special Use Permit.
Ultimately, this essential drilling and grouting
programme was adjusted to be more exible and
used to accomplish the following:
Install probe holes to measure water inows and
to assess the rock mass character, relative
hardness and stability.
Inject cement grouts and/or colloidal silica grout
to curtail water inows and to improve the
quality of the rock mass for mining. Alternate
grout materials have been tested and
used periodically.
Improve the effectiveness of Stage I and
II backll grouts at enveloping the segmental tunnel liner without the adverse
inuence of excess water inows
surrounding the tunnel and the TBM.
Help minimise the stress relaxation of
the rock mass as a result of the modest
over-excavated volume needed to
advance the TBMs in all ground
conditions.

Primary equipment
Habermann slurry pump
Habermann slurry pump
Brandt Equipment at the portal

hidden benet. This is especially true when it was

tested in situ with as much as 114 MN thrust, or
four times the original TBM thrust load, in order to
move the TBMs forward in very difcult squeezing
and packing ground conditions.
An effective pre-excavation drilling and grouting programme was absolutely essential to
successfully mine the tunnel in the presence of
high groundwater pressures and ows.
Optimisation of the programme was a
continuous task and just as the ground
conditions were variable, the pre-excavation
drilling and grouting project was equally exible
and adjusted to suit. A prescriptive and

An effective
pre-excavation
drilling and
grouting
programme
was absolutely
essential

The TBMs, as originally designed,

modied and adjusted throughout the
tunnel drives, should be considered a
signicant achievement toward
improving tunnelling technology and mechanical
excavation capability in very adverse ground
conditions, and an example of the combined use
of innovative systems.
The stout design and high-quality manufacture
of the precast segmental tunnel liner was also a

December 2007
13,15-19WT0712.indd 19

inexible programme would have proven to be

unworkable and not been responsive to the
ground conditions and behaviour encountered.
The owner, designer and contractor constantly
worked together to discuss and evaluate various
means to drill and grout in order to control water
(rst), then to improve the ground (second), so as
to be able to mine the tunnel faster and reduce
risks. Groundwater pressures and ows and their
effects on the ground behaviour became the
enemy and were eventually treated in a
manner that not only provided control of inows
but also improved the safety and production of
the overall mining operation.

Complete Range of Instruments

for Tunnel Monitoring

Standard and customized instruments

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

NORTH AMERICA
www.roctest.com
1-877-ROCTEST

REPRESENTATIVES
WORLDWIDE
+1-450-465-1113

EUROPE
www.telemac.fr
+33.1.64.06.40.80

ISO 9001:2000

The Reference in Civil Engineering Instrumentation

10/12/07 10:46:40

20
TECHNOLOGY: TBM guidance systems

Recent guidance systems evolution fo

How exactly does a TBM navigate in the bowels of the earth?
Nod Clarke-Hackston, International Sales Manager at VMT GmbH, explains

UIDANCE systems are being continually

enhanced, thanks to the rapidly expanding use of tunnelling machines for the
mechanical excavation and removal of spoil
during the tunnelling process. This ensures that
the desired alignment is maintained even at the
rates of advance achieved by the current generation of tunnelling machines.
Other tunnelling methods, such as the
sprayed concrete lining method with partial face
extraction machines, have also extended the
range of guidance and profile monitoring
systems that have been developed over recent
years.
As the machine operator can seldom see
where he is going when steering a tunnelling
machine, he must be supplied with information
regarding the machines position and orientation
in relation to the required alignment.
Since the first use of mechanical tunnelling
machines, this has generally been successfully
undertaken by conventional surveying methods,
however, the results supplied were only a
periodic snapshot and it soon became evident
that a continuous and real-time indication of the
machines location was required.
Following its development in the early
1960s, a HeNe (Helium Neon) tunnel laser,
working to passive targets, has been used to
supply this positional information. This has now
been replaced in almost all cases by a laser
reference projected from a Motorised Total
Station (MTS) onto an Active Laser Target Unit,
or by the use of the EDM (electronic distance
measurement) feature working to one or
Latest generation of the Active Laser Target Unit

more retro-reflective prisms.

The addition of servomotors to the electronic
laser theodolites makes it possible to:
1. Create interactive control between the
projector of the laser beam and the point of
impact on the active laser target unit, thus
ensuring that the laser beam is kept middle of
target at all times, thereby giving continuous
measurements. Software control of this type of
instrument by the guidance system also permits
the laser beam to be switched off during its
coordination routine as a safety measure to
protect the work force from any unexpected
exposure.
2.Seek retro-reflective prisms, if their effective
position has moved since the last coordinated
measurement, by using the inbuilt automatic
target recognition (ATR) feature. This allows the
theodolite to seek and measure the position of
one or more retro-reflective prisms. When two or
more prisms are mounted on a tunnelling
machine, they can be measured on a regular
basis, and by measuring their position, the
guidance system is able to determine the
position and orientation of the machine. If more
prisms are used or are used in conjunction with
inclinometers, the precision of the system is
increased due to crosschecking capabilities.
This, however, also has the effect of increasing
the time needed for each measurement cycle.
The time taken to locate and measure to each
prism means that the system is carrying out
frequent, although not continuous, measurements and calculations of the machines position;
these are therefore based on historical (albeit
sufficiently recent) not real time measurements.
To achieve the necessary accuracy, the
spacing between the prisms
should be, according to some
manufacturers, at least 2 m
longitudinally and at
least 300 mm
laterally, although
the use of a top of
the range (i.e. 1.5
(37mm) 0.5mgon)
theodolite would be
needed to achieve
the necessary
accuracy. Alternatively, increasing the

Above: Hostile working environment

for an ALTU and below:
Shuttered prism
spacing between
prisms, if space
on the machine
and backup gear
allows, would
permit the use of
a standard
(3.01.0mgon)
theodolite.
Recent
advancements in these primary
components have tended to be in the reliability
and ruggedness of the components for 24/7 use
in the tunnelling environment. The sensitivity of
the latest generation of active targets has been
improved by the use of the latest components.
This enables them to perform in the often hostile
environment of the typical tunnel working area.
In the case of systems that work to a retroreflective prism, it is necessary to produce a
method of recognising the correct prism in a
work area that may also contain numerous
reflective surfaces that would give erroneous
results. The standard survey prism has now been
modified to give a controllable shutter that opens

Main operator display

December 2007
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21
TECHNOLOGY: TBM guidance systems

on for tunnelling machines

in synchronisation with the
programmed Motorized Total Station.
Presenting the results to the
machine operator should be via a
clear comprehensive graphical display
showing the position and orientation
of the machine with respect to the
desired alignment. The proposed
future alignment of the tunnel ahead
of the machine should also be
depicted to the machine operator to
enable him to anticipate the necessary
steering adjustments.
Any guidance system, whether
manual or state of the art high
technology, must continually detect
and compensate for any movement of
its primary reference. Movement
beyond a pre-set, allowable amount must
generate a warning or error message to the user.
Optical effects such as refraction, which will
have an effect on all types of optical measurement, can also interfere with the results. Careful
selection of target and reference locations can
minimise, but not completely eliminate, these
influences.
Some guidance technologies, such as northseeking gyro-based systems that measure the
direction of its fixed axis against north, achieve
position indications that are based on a
sequence of accurate dead reckoning values.
However, there is no intrinsic tie-in to the
survey in the tunnel and as one of the
fundamental properties of all gyroscopes is drift,
it is necessary to survey the machine and update
the systems values at least during each shift and
sometimes more frequently at the advance rates
that are frequently experienced.
The level of the machine is normally
determined using a sophisticated water level
system that automatically compensates for
atmospheric pressure variations and density
changes in the fluid in the system. The advantage
of this type of system is the ability to negotiate
very tight curves.
However, irrespective of the type of guidance
system to be used on a tunnelling machine, a

Profile monitoring software linked

to the Roadheader Guidance
System

suitable survey window must be available to

enable periodic precise measurement of the
machines position to take
place. This sight path runs from
the survey station, through part
or all of the backup equipment
to a reference target on the
forward section of the
tunnelling machine. Obviously,
this path must be unobstructed
for the measurements to take
place. Since this path must run
reasonably parallel with the
machine axis and its backup
gear the size of the survey
window tends to be limited and
its position is not always in the
most useable location for
measurement purposes.
Partial face extraction
machines such as roadheaders
and excavators are mainly used
over short distances for the
excavation of firm rock or of
geometrically different forms of
profile. Until recently, the face
area to be excavated was
indicated by the last erected
supports or by manually
marking it
with spray
paint.
The accuracy of
excavation was mainly
dependant on the
experience of the machine
operator and the operational

safety was considerably affected by

having the surveyor work in an
unsupported area of the face when
marking up the profile. Additional
adverse circumstances such as dust,
vibration and a high noise level
complicated the control of the cutter
arm for a precise excavation, so
visual steering was very time
consuming and inaccurate.
In order to minimize the material
costs for the excavation and support
methods and at the same time
accelerate the production process
despite unfavourable factors, companies such as
VMT GmbH and others have developed
guidance systems for partial
face cutting machines to
accurately monitor the cutting
of the required profile. These
systems are based on the
Motorized Total Station System
measuring to one or more
prisms installed on the body of
the roadheader or excavator.
The movement of the boom
or cutter arm is monitored by
sensors or encoders to
determine the cutterhead
position in relation to the
desired profile which is
displayed to the machine
operator on the machines
monitor in near real-time, thus
allowing the operator to
accurately position the cutting
tool.
The flexibility of these
partial face extraction
machines also presented a
major problem in providing a
suitable communication link
between the Motorized Total
Station fixed on the tunnel wall
and the rest of the equipment
installed on the tunnelling
machine. This has now been successfully
overcome by the use of WLAN connections.
Developments of existing equipment will
continue. New concepts to give the operators of
tunnelling machines the necessary information
will evolve, driven by the requirement to
construct tunnels at a faster and more cost
effective rate.

Irrespective
of the type of
guidance system
to be used on
a tunnelling
machine, a
suitable survey
window must
be available
to enable
periodic precise
measurement of
the machines
position to take
place

Guidance system
configuration on TBM

December 2007
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22
FOCUS: North America

ISS extension enhances

Milwaukee water storage
Deep tunnels prevent billions of gallons of Milwaukee area wastewater from
polluting Lake Michigan. This latest US$81 million tunnel will extend the
storage capacity by 33%. Jack Burke reports
View down the Hampton Rd access shaft

XTENDING Milwaukees Inline Storage

System (ISS), which comprises 31.2km
(19.4miles) of hard-rock tunnels on
average around 90 m below ground level, will
ensure the area can cope with increased waste
water volumes. This will reduce the risk of basement back-ups and sewer overflows.
This latest scheme, awarded in May, will add
a further two miles of deep tunnel to the system,
allowing it to hold 33% more water than the
original 1.7billion-litre-capacity scheme
completed in 1993.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District
(MMSD) operates an extensive sewer system that
collects, conveys and stores wastewater from
local sewerage systems. Under the scheme,
wastewater flows to local systems, is collected
by the districts intercepting system then
conveyed to two wastewater treatment plants.
MMSD is a regional government agency
serving 1.1 million people in a 420square mile
service area and provides wastewater treatment
and flood management to 28 communities.
Shortly after the award went to Affholder,
Insituform, the parent company of which
Affholder formed the tunnelling division,
requested to be relieved of the bid by the
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
(MMSD) as it was closing the Affholder Tunnel
division.
After serious consideration, the owner
entered into a legal condition known as
novation that would allow the assuming of the
contract to the second bidder at no increase in
cost to the MMSD. This took place on May 15
with the award to Shea/Kenny J/V.

Hampton Road Access Shaft

This consists of a 91.4m-deep, 9m-diameter
shaft with about 23m of overburden. Before
freezing and excavation, the shaft will be
grouted from the surface with two concentric
rows cased through the overburden into the top
of the rock and extending below the shaft invert.
The shaft will be supported in the overburden by
freezing the area, the final shaft lining will be

The project

At the core of the project are two shafts

connected by a TBM excavated tunnel, with
a hand-mined connection to the existing ISS.

advanced concurrently with the excavation of

the shaft in rock and be completed to within
6m of the excavated shaft invert before blasting
the next round.

Mill Road Access and

Ventilation Shaft
This shaft will be excavated to a diminished
diameter of 7 m, to 90m deep and with 21m of
overburden to be frozen; the shaft preexcavation will be grouted also with two
concentric rows of holes from top of rock to a
depth extending below shaft invert.
The shaft will also be initially supported as
required with wire mesh, mine straps and rock
dowels. Final shaft lining will be advanced
concurrently with the excavation of the shaft in
rock and completed to within 6m of the blasted
invert. There is a possibility that the preexcavation grout holes may miss or not
effectively grout some high water inflow features.
If this happens and the inflow is greater than
454litres/min at the shaft heading, the contractor
at the direction of the resident engineer, shall
grout appropriately from within the shaft to
reduce the inflow down to a manageable rate.

TBM Tunnel
Connecting the two shafts is a TBM-bored,
3,276 m-long rock tunnel, 7m in diameter, with
a finished diameter of 6.4m. The Hampton Shaft
site will have an extension of the tunnel 45 m
south from the shaft and a 3 m diameter, 2.4 m
finished diameter hand-mined tunnel to connect
the new storage tunnel with an existing ISS. The
entire tunnel and connection will be lined with
305mm of cast in-place concrete.
With the contract award, the joint venture
erected extra trailers for the crew and office
personnel on the office complex they had
furnished for the Siphons Project but with some
of the Affholder employees continuing their
positions.
To refurbish the Robbins main beam hardrock TBM, the main frame from the previous
Milwaukee Project recently completed was used
and a new rebuilt cutterhead previously used on
the Buckskin Mountain job in Arizona added.
Shop facilities near the project to rebuild the
TBM and trailing gear were also from the recent
Milwaukee Project.
The components are arriving at the shop and
the contractor personnel under the direction of
Norm Hutchins will turn out the TBM in as nearnew condition. The unit should be ready to go
down the shaft as soon as the access shaft
excavation and lining is completed.

Geology
The tunnel will be bored through bed rock
consisting of dolomite clays. The major
formations are the Racine and Waukesha
Formations, (Niagaran Group, Upper Silurian),
with overburden mainly comprising glacial tills.

The following personnel are on site for the ISS Project: Danny Martz, project manager; Len Postregna, project Engineer; Norm Hutchins, TBM superintendent; Keith Walters, master mechanic; Bonnie Senkowski, office manager; Randy Britton, safety; Dutch Vliegenthart, vice-president

December 2007
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23
TECHNOLOGY: Muck-flow handling

Controlling muck flow in

a TBM cutting chamber
(m/sec)

Fig 4: Muckflow velocity and

deformation rate

Metropolitan Expressway Company Ltd is

constructing the 47km-long Central Circular
Route of the Metropolitan Expressway outside
the Inner Circular Route in Tokyo. At about 8 km
in radius from the city centre, the aim is to
alleviate traffic congestion in the centre. Sections
of 26km, about 60%, of the Central Circular
Route, have been completed and are in service.
The other 20km sections comprise the Shinjuku
Route on the west side and the Shinagawa Route
on the south.
Shield tunnelling is being used to construct
the 11km-long Shinjuku Route beneath heavilycongested roads to minimise the adverse effects
of construction on local residents. Large-crosssection shields of more than 10m in diameter
are used on all eight sections where shield
tunnelling takes place.
Large-cross-section slurry shields over 10m
diameter have often been used because they
help stabilise the face. In this project for a
highway tunnel (work sections SJ51 to SJ53
(clockwise), a 12.02m (outer diameter) EPB
shield, which, at the time of order, was the
largest in the world, was adopted Agitator area
because the construction base
was narrow and no space could
be secured for installing the
equipment needed for a slurry
shield. Engineers were also
concerned at the effects of slurry
seeping into the ground or
surrounding structures where
there was shallow depth of
overburden.
Fig 6: Points of evaluation

OUTLINE OF MUCK-FLOW
CONTROL TECHNOLOGY

Appropriate flow

Blowing

INTRODUCTION
Solid

the plastic flow of the muck in the chamber.


Appropriate system design for agitation and

muck removal in the chamber.

Clogging
Velocity of muck flow

N CONVENTIONAL EPB shield tunnelling,

plastic flow of excavated soil within the
cutter chamber, which is indispensable for
stable excavation, has never been analysed, and
the method is little used to excavate tunnels of
10 m in diameter. This project aimed to develop
a system for visualising the flow of soil inside
the chamber.

Muck flow caused in the chamber

by the rotation of the cutter

In this abridged paper, H Dobashi & M Matsuda, Metropolitan Expressway

Company, and K Matsubara & A Kitayama of Obayashi Corporation outline
muck-flow control technology in a large-cross-section EPB shield

Condition of agitated muck

Semisolid
Liquid

In EPB mode, establishing plastic flow of

excavated material in the cutting chamber is
crucial for stabilising the face and for smooth
removal of excavated material through the screw
conveyor. In a large-diameter EPB shield, it is
unknown whether appropriate agitation is
possible to ensure the plastic flow of slurry, and
this has prevented the use of EPB shields on
large-cross-section tunnels. The problem has yet
to be solved because no method has been
established for quantitatively grasping the
establishment of plastic flow.
In this project, muck-flow control technology
used in the cutting chamber of an EPB shield
was developed and applied to maintain face
stability and ensure safe excavation, thereby
solving problems involved when using largecross-section EPB shields. The technology
enabled the contractor to quantitatively assess
the plastic flow of excavated material in the
cutting chamber and to carry out the following:

Quantitative excavation control by evaluating
Cutter support area

0.75 1.3
Chamber

Cutter face

Cutter peripheral area

Plastic flow is essential for stabilising the face

and for the smooth removal of excavated
material through the screw conveyor. Where
plastic flow exists, excavated material starts
flowing at a deformation rate (shear strain
occurs) when the shear stress in the material
exceeds a certain yield value. Where the plastic
flow of the excavated material in the cutting
chamber is efficient, the rotating cutter face
causes the excavated material to flow and
facilitates its mixing with additives for
excavation and agitation. As a result, the
excavated material flows at a deformation rate.
When the chamber is clogged, the velocity of
the material is high and the deformation rate is
low (see Fig 4). Where the excavated material is
blowing from the screw conveyor, velocity is
low and deformation rate is high.
To analyse muck flow, calculate velocity and
deformation rates in the chamber and evaluate
plastic flow, we developed a 3-D model of the
cutting chamber interior. To reflect the actual
chamber conditions for analysis purposes, a
flapper was developed and four were installed
on the bulkhead in the chamber. Flaps were
rotated with electric motors during excavation to
measure the variations of torque due to muck
flow. The flapper was also modelled for analysis.
Where results were in
agreement with measurements, it
was determined that the
calculated velocity and
deformation rate were those
Bulkhead
existing in the chamber. Muck
flow control technology enables
visual display of velocity and
deformation rates in the chamber
based on analysis results. Then,
Z=0.45m
quantitative control of injection of
Z=0.9m
additives for excavation becomes
Z=1.7m
possible.

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24
TECHNOLOGY: Muck-flow handling

Near the cutter face

At the middle of the chamber
Near the bulkhead
Legend
For example, additives are
Table 1 shows analysis of
injected exclusively at the
plastic flow results in the
points where there seems to be
chamber. It also shows the
no appropriate plastic flow. The
distributions of velocities
Velocity
condition in the chamber can (m/sec)
and deformation rates in
also be grasped in real time by
the chamber at three cross
controlling the variation in the
sections. The directions and
torque of the flapper during
lengths of arrows indicate
excavation. Thus, actions can
the directions and levels of
be taken promptly in response Deformation
velocities
to changes in the properties of rate
(1/sec)
the muck in the chamber. The
technology also enables
the front face of the cutter but
quantitative design of an agitation system
also at points where plastic flow was found to
beneficial to the establishment of plastic flow
Chamber conditions during
be unlikely. Additive quantity was adjusted
based on the results of analysis using an
muck blowing
according to flapper torque variations.
arbitrary model of the agitation system in the
When blowing occurs, excavated material
During excavation, flapper torque increased
chamber.
pressurized in the chamber moves through the
rapidly, so more additives were injected.
screw conveyor in the form of a liquid; its
Once it stabilised, the volume of additives was
Chamber conditions during
pressure is not reduced to air pressure at the
reduced. Flapper torque changes sooner than
smooth excavation
outlet, and the volume of muck can no longer be the change in property of the excavated
During the project, the screw conveyor removed
controlled by adjusting the speed of rotation of
material removed through the screw conveyor.
the muck smoothly without any blowing
the screw conveyor. When pressurised muck is
Controlling the volume of additives according to
occurring along the tunnel alignment. It was
being removed smoothly, its pressure in the
flapper torque can control the change in plastic
therefore assumed there was plastic flow of muck chamber is reduced to that of air pressure owing
flow in the chamber. Thus, safe excavation can
in the chamber and the face remained stable.
to resistance in the screw conveyor as the muck
be carried out.
Results analysed show that velocity and
reaches the outlet; the volume of muck can be
The tunnel was excavated over a length of
deformation distribution rates are not uniform
controlled by adjusting the rotation speed of the
2,020 m with the geology varying from cohesive
transversely but are different at the cutters
screw conveyor.
soil to gravel layers. Muck flow control
peripheral area, cutter support area and agitator
Muck-flow control technology was used to
technology helped complete the excavation
area. In the longitudinal direction, velocity and
calculate the pressure in the chamber through
smoothly without adverse effects on the ground
deformation distribution rates are different at the the outlet of the screw conveyor being analysed.
surface or on adjacent structures, which
three cross sections between the cutter face and
The pressure acting on the muck in the chamber
included railway tracks and bridge foundations.
the bulkhead.
was reduced in the screw conveyor and no
In this study, agitation and mixing systems
Fig 7 shows logarithms of velocity (m/s) on the
longer acted at the outlet of the screw conveyor
were designed in four cases for analysis. It was
y-axis and logarithms of deformation rate (litres/s)
during smooth excavation. When muck blowing
found that velocities were more or less the same
on the z-axis in the areas shown in Fig 6. The
occurred, pressure was not reduced at the outlet. in all cases. Deformation rate in the chamber
plotted points move toward the centre of the
was highest in case 4. This was considered the
graph in the agitator and cutter peripheral areas
Excavation control based on optimal agitation system capable of establishing
as the cross section moves from the cutter face to
flapper torque variation
the plastic flow of muck.
the bulkhead. Plastic flow of muck is therefore
To establish the plastic flow of excavated
It was confirmed that, for the first time, muckassumed in these areas. In the cutter support area
material in the chamber, the properties of the
flow control technology facilitated the
on the other hand, the movement toward the
muck removed through the screw conveyor have evaluation of the effects of agitation and mixing
centre of the graph is not so outstanding.
been conventionally evaluated by visual
systems quantitatively. Thus, the technology
Velocity is available due to the rotation of
inspection or by slump tests. Adjustments to
enables the smooth mixing of muck and
cutter supports, but no mixing and agitation
additive quantity injected for excavation should
additives in the chamber, as well as the design
takes place. Plastic flow is therefore unlikely to
be determined on the basis of evaluation results. of an agitation system that is effective for
be established. In the project, excavation could
In this project, additive injection was controlled
establishing plastic flow.
be carried out while maintaining face stability.
using muck flow control technology.
As a result of analysis, however, plastic flow in
Based on the velocity and deformation
Conclusion
certain areas was found to be unlikely, at which
distribution rates identified in analysis,
The technology for muck flow control in the
point additives for excavation were also injected. excavation additives were injected not only at
cutting chamber of an earth pressure balance
0.3
0.3
0.3
shield enables tunnel excavation based on the
Agitator area
Agitator area
Agitator area
z=0.9
z=1.7
z=0.45
Cutter support area
Cutter support area
Cutter support area
Cutter peripheral area
Cutter peripheral area
0.25
Cutter peripheral area
0.25
0.25
results of evaluation of the plastic flow of the
muck in the chamber.
0.2
0.2
0.2
Thus, greater face stability can be ensured.
0.15
0.15
0.15
The technology for controlling muck flow in
0.1
0.1
0.1
the cutting chamber of an earth-pressure0.05
0.05
0.05
balanced (EPB) shield of large cross-section will
0
0
0
help increase the cross-section of an EPB shield
0.010.1110
0. 01
0. 1
1
10
0.010.1110
Deformation rate(1/sec)
Deformation rate(1/sec)
Deformation rate(1/sec)
and allow EPB shields to be used in more and
Fig 7: Velocity and deformation rate in each cross-section
more projects.
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0

Velocity(m/sec)

Velocity(m/sec)

Velocity(m/sec)

(m/sec)

December 2007
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6/12/07 21:51:06

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

26
EQUIPMENT: Underground support vehicles

The underground
understudies

A huge range of
underground support
vehicles exist for
tunnelling, all designed
to perform a specic
post-excavation task.
Here are some options

HEN it comes to transporting

materials during tunnel construction,
or performing a host of other tunnelrelated tasks, the variety of vehicle you might
see in a tunnel under construction is vast. When
it comes to materials haulage, the main choice
is between a conveyor or vehicular means.
Conveyors have been covered in past articles.
Here, we will look at the more conventional
vehicular systems that are available, whether
rail-bound or rubber-tyred systems.
Rail systems are used on tunnel construction
throughout the world and offer numerous advantages compared to rubber-tyred solutions. They
offer improved productivity but can be a little
inexible when compared to rubber-tyred
vehicles.
Rail-bound systems work effectively on
gradients below 3%, although they may have
difculty over this limit as often encountered on
the construction of metro and road tunnels
beneath rivers. Traction on rail systems may be
exacerbated when overspilling water and mud
result in a loss of adhesion between wheels and
rails, at which point the adhesion factor is not
normally better than = 0.12-0.15.
Germany-based Schoma (www.schoema-locos.
de) makes a range of standard and narrow-gauge
locomotives for tunnelling of 5-60 t. Its smallercapacity locos are especially suited to small
tunnel proles, especially those for small water
or cable applications. The larger locomotives
have been used on projects such as metros in
Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Toronto. The
company has a long tradition of making
locomotives and now has a global reach,
manufacturing vehicles up to a maximum of
80 t. Equipped with diesel engines complying to
exhaust emissions regulations, locos are
designed to be compatible with all common
track gauges. They can be fully customised with
an array of functions and special equipment that
includes multi-traction operation, wheel slide
detection and air-conditioned cabins.

In 1992, Schma was involved in the

construction of the Athens Metro, where it
encountered a relatively steep gradient of 4%. It
was at this time that the idea of using the
payload to increase adhesion between wheels
and rail was considered. The solution devised
comprised a locomotive-driven platform car
which also carried a muck container, mortar
container and other parts of the payload.
But driving a platform car could only be
achieved by electric power or hydraulic
pressure. Since diesel-electric or battery
powered locos are not very common for heavy
trains and steep gradients, such a system could
only work with a hydrostatic drive.
The driven platform car (sometimes called a
tandem) is equipped with hydraulic motors,
tted to each axle in a two-axled version or to
each bogie in a four-axled version. The same
types of motors are tted to the locomotive and
these are fed by hydraulic pumps driven from
the diesel engine. Locomotive and tandem are
connected via high-pressure hoses for the
supply and return ows of oil.
Such systems are relatively sophisticated and
a microchip-controlled PLC system is necessary
to control the hydraulics. Pumps and motors are
designed for variable oil ow to make the
necessary adjustments to achieve maximum
traction or maximum speed.
As a further safety device, Schma introduced
an electro-magnetic retarder brake, which
increases the braking force on the downgrade.
Hydrostatic systems are operated under
continuous pressure, which means that braking
torque can be generated when the train is going
downhill.
In 1996, Schma started to develop its own
PLC systems for this type of train. These not only
control hydrostatic components, but also the
diesel engine and pneumatic brakes, so as to
make driving as easy and as efcient as possible.
To keep speeds constant on downgrades, the
braking power of the diesel engine (engine
brake), the hydrostatic transmission and retarder
brake are not subject to any wear and are
applied so as to avoid or reduce the use of
mechanical friction brakes which are subject to
wear.
Together, the diesel engine, hydrostatic
transmission and the retarder provide strong
braking to keep the speed constant when going

downhill. Schmas PLC system optimises the

application of these brake systems in order to
avoid or reduce using the mechanical friction
brakes.
The companys locomotives and tandems are
available in two-axled versions (max weight
around 40 t) and four-axled versions (max
weight 60 t). One or two tandems can be
coupled to each locomotive. Using a loco with
tandem requires a lower capital outlay than two
locomotives working in double traction.

BENEFITS
The investment required for one locomotive
with tandem is much lower than for two
locomotives operating in double traction.
Forming a supply train with one locomotive and
one or two tandems will generally incur lower
capital costs than using larger locos operating in
double traction. When a conventional system is
installed, larger locos will be needed for steeper
gradients. More engine power is required to
achieve the same speeds because the locos
weight is just dead weight.
Clearly, the higher the

December 2007
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27
EQUIPMENT: Underground support vehicles
Clayton trolley locomotive

engine power, the greater the fuel consumption and of course, the higher the exhaust
emissions. A wear-free braking system reduces
the consumption of brake pads and lowers
maintenance costs.
One solution has been to design a platform
car driven by the locomotive that can carry
a muck container, mortar container and other
parts of the payload.

CLAYTON
Originally a general engineering company that
subsequently supplied narrow-gauge locomotives to the coal-mining industry, UK-based
Clayton (www.claytonequipment.co.uk) looked
for other markets when coal faced a sharp
decline by the 1990s. As a result, it turned to
non-coal and export markets. This included
tunnelling, to which the company today supplies
a range of products that include battery
locomotives from between 1.75 and 40 t.
In 2006, the company supplied four small
battery locomotives to the London Underground
designed to haul materials and equipment in
narrow tunnels with steep gradients and tight
curves. Trolley locomotives (3-40 t) are also
made by the company, as are diesel (5-40 t) and
ame-proof variants.

the company makes a range of locomotives and

utility service trucks. Locomotives can be dieselor electrically-powered, and are for high-speed
and traction force, being designed for easy
operation and serviceability. Utility and service
trucks are available in a choice of rigid or articulated 4-WD chassis and can also be used as a
base for a small dump truck or personnel carrier.

IRWIN CAR
When it comes to the transportation
of underground personnel, Irwin Car
(www.irwincar.com) makes various rubber-tyred,

battery-powered mantrip and supervisory

vehicles. Cars can be specialised to suit
individual tunnel requirements. Typical
features include 4-WD, heavy-duty parallel
shaft, mine duty pneumatic tyres, and a
modular design for ease of maintenance and
service, with optional extras that include
foam-lled tyres, choice of battery capacities,
wide-prole terrain tyres and additional lights.
The company says that combining these options
results in over 40 different models.

SCHARF
With an international presence, Scharf
(www.smtscharf.com) is well-known for its
rail-bound transportation systems in underground construction. This includes the design,
manufacture, delivery, installation and
maintenance for the transport of personnel,
equipment and material, including for tunnel
applications with small cross-section or steep

Scharf rail-bound transportation

GIA INDUSTRI AB
GIA (www.gia.se) states its ambition is to
become a complete supplier of mining and
tunnelling equipment worldwide. Based in
Grangeberg, Sweden,

Atlas Copcos truck-mounted

Unigrout automated
grouting plant

December 2007
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28
EQUIPMENT: Underground support vehicles
gradients. In particular, the company can tailor
products for the tunnelling industry, including
tunnel monorails and loading equipment.
Earlier this year, Scharf supplied a monorail
for the recently-completed 6.3 km-long cable
tunnel that is designed to replace overhead
electricity pylons on Londons Olympic 2012
site at Stratford. Included in the contract were all
the rails for the tunnel and its three shafts, as
well as two trains. The monorail is equipped
with cameras and can be operated by remote
control from the surface. It can transport up to
ve people and works independently in both
directions with remote operation.
Since the 1940s, Michigan-based
Construction Equipment Company
(www.constructionequipmentcompany.com )
has been supplying the tunnelling and mining
industry with equipment and other services. Its
huge range of equipment supplied includes
tunnel cars and muck cars, rail equipment,
ventilation equipment, tunnel-boring machines.
A wide range of vehicles can be seen during
the construction phase of a tunnel, including
locomotives, dumper trucks, mini excavators
and personnel carriers. But from Atlas Copco
(www.atlascopco.com), you might also see the
following the worlds largest mobile grouting
rig combining mixing, pumping and recording of

26-28WT0712.indd 28

Mini excavators

The Terex Schaef (www.terex-schaeff.com) TC48E

tunnel excavator is a little underground excavator
that comes with an electric power drive.
Its safety features, in particular those of the
electrical system, have been designed to fulll the
high standards required for tunnel excavation.
Based on the Terex mini excavator TC48, the unit
is characterised by having good manoeuvrability
and is aimed at compressed air-driving in tunnel
excavation; its low-noise 22 kW electric drive is
useful where tunnel ventilation conditions require
The TC48E tunnel excavator
zero emissions. As well as the attachable bucket,
other types of attachments and hydraulic transverse cutting units can be used.

grout treatment. It can be used where leakage

and inux of water are problematic or where
groundwater levels are needed to stay constant.
The truck-mounted Unigrout is an automated
mobile grouting plant offering a grouting
capacity of 10 m3/h and allowing the on-site mix
of a range of grouts to suit the ground conditions
encountered at each section of the excavation.
As the rock conditions change, the mix can also
be changed at the touch of a button, which
claims the manufacturer, can save time. Only
two operators are needed over the entire range
of mixing, pumping, recording and supplying

the grout into holes.

The unit was recently supplied to Veidekke
for use on the Norra Lnken tunnel under
construction in Stockholm, Sweden.

USED EQUIPMENT
If it is used equipment you are after, a look at
Mining Equipments website will reveal a host of
used equipment for tunnelling and mining. This
ranges from compressors and conveyor belts to
hoists, locomotives, service trucks and scoops.
And you never know, you might nd a bargain
(www.miningequipment.com) .

10/12/07 09:41:02

The UKs biggest and best drilling, piling and trenchless construction show, GeoDrilling 2008
will provide a superb opportunity for manufacturers, contractors, buyers and specifiers of
trenchless construction and drilling services to gather in one place, to assess the current
developments in the market, and to develop leads and contacts for new business and future
projects.
GeoDrilling 2008 will exceed all your expectations by providing an exhibition containing the
top names in the industry, international delegates with the credentials to make all the right
buying decisions, and a seminar programme packed with the best speakers covering the
issues which matter to you.
GeoDrilling 2008 will attract more than 150 exhibitors and some 2,000 visitors and we very
much hope you will be one of them.
If you are in the construction and piling industry, then GeoDrilling 2008 must not be missed.
If you would like further information about GeoDrilling 2008,
contact Eileen Smith on +44 (0) 20 7216 6077 or at
eileen.smith@mining-journal.com

Supported by:

GDIshow2008ad.indd 1

10/12/07 11:33:22

30
TECHNOLOGY: Innovation

Showcasing the best of C

At the recent CIVILS 2007 show
in London, George Demetri
caught up with some of the more
innovative products on display

Web creates sales deck

CONSTRUCTION tends to be a fragmented
process that results in limited communication
between competing contractors and jobsites.
Leftover materials and plant could be sold on,
while excess materials sent to landfill could be
sold to other projects.
Furthermore, products left over from
temporary works are discarded or sold as scrap.
And recycled aggregates that could be sold
directly to other projects for a fair price are
instead sold for less than that to middlemen. So
to improve on this sort of resource inefficiency,
the website www.constructionresale.co.uk has
been set up in the UK and launched at Civils
2007-11-23.
Designed as a resource forum, it is essentially
a sales platform that will aim to link up
contractors and their jobsites, regardless of size
or parent company. And because the equipment/
materials for sale are not branded, it is not
possible to see who is selling, which should
encourage contractors who otherwise would not
communicate with each other to do so.
Designed in a familiar online sales style,
the website has clear categories and the option to
sell at auction or to set a fixed price. Contractors
can register online at www.constructionresale.com
to achieve improved resource efficiency, reduced
waste related overheads, reduced material costs,
less reliance on middlemen, access to available
industry materials and access an industry-wide
audience of buyers and sellers. Construction
resale recently won the NCE 2007 innovations
award.

The image left shows ground and

structure motion across central
London, UK, dating from 1992 to
2005. Points have been colourcoded according to their average
annual motion rate; red represents
subsidence of more than 5 mm/y;
green represents stability; blue
represents uplift of more than
5 mm/y.

Sat mapping detects

ground movement
WHETHER a tunnel is feasible or not is
established at concept stage and a good
precursor to a full geological survey might be to
use a satellite map that can reveal movements in
urban and rural areas. UK-based NPA Satellite
Mapping provides such a service.
The company specialises in Satellite Radar
Interferometry (InSAR) which it says has the
ability to measure minute relative elevational
changes of the Earths surface and structures
down to millimetric levels. So, for potentially
lower cost and covering a wider area, it can
provide a degree of precision in the vertical
domain that is far greater than normally possible
with GPS.
For over a decade, satellite radar images have
been recorded over much of the Earths surface
on a near-monthly basis to produce an archive
that can provide an important historical record
of gradual and subtle surface or structural
movement in urban areas. Such knowledge can
be useful for tunnelling and mining projects.
Also, vulnerable ground or infrastructure can be
identified for ongoing monitoring.
The technique is able to map historical
ground motion events, assess hazard-prone
urban areas, detect pre-event strain and stress,
and map post-event deformation and ground
changes. For example, in areas of seismic,
volcanic and landslide risk, the imaging can
indicate areas of high, medium and low
displacement intensity which could have a
bearing on a proposed tunnel and so could be a
useful first step.

Ground motion associated with the following

activities has been detected: Ground settlement
associated with the construction of the Jubilee
Line tunnel extension (centre-left); Telecommunication tunnel settlement (bottom-left); Uplift
associated with groundwater recharge (topright).
The company provides a free feasibility
assessment to establish whether its technology is
appropriate for users engineering projects.
www.npagroup.com

White geomembrane
is a reector

GSE Lining Technology manufactures a

complete range of geosynthetic products for
tunnel waterproofing, as well as providing
technical support and installation services.
GSE lining technology

December 2007
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31
TECHNOLOGY: Innovation

of CIVILS 2007

Two trade groups

take a stand
TRADE associations have traditionally
played a valuable role in promoting the
activities of their respective fields. Here are
two that were present at Civils 2007.

SCA enjoys steady growth

GSE TunnelLiner is a highly flexible

polyethylene geomembrane specially designed
for high-performance tunnel lining applications.
It consists of a black core layer and two white
outer layers which greatly facilitate visual
inspection, and is available in two fire resistance
grades (B1 and B2).
The white surface ensures that any score
marks or punctures are more easily visible than
with conventional geomembranes. The surface
also acts as a light enhancer, reflecting all
natural light in the tunnel.
Expansion and contraction of the geomembrane is reduced by the white surface, allowing
reinforcing steel and concrete to be placed
without interference from wrinkles.
www.gseworld.com

Reverse osmosis
does the trick

HYDROTECHS MPS System has been designed

to provide guaranteed protection against water
ingress and keep dry new and existing
structures. The system is guaranteed for the
lifespan of the structure. The active reverse
electro-osmotic system is designed to dry out
and keep dry structures of concrete,
brick and masonry. Tunnels that suffer
from chronic water ingress problems
are also suitable for application.
The technique is based on charging
the water with electricity to reverse
the natural process of osmosis. This,
say the makers, also reverses the
saturation problem, so that water that
has already accumulated is evacuated
to allow the complete drying and
restoration of the structure to its
original condition in four to six weeks.
Another claimed benefit is that the
corrosion of reinforcement is slowed
down.
Hydrotechs MPS System was

recently applied to the construction of a

northwest London underpass, comprising a cutand-cover concrete box that is completely
below the water table. According to Hydrotech,
previously applied traditional methods, such as
matting and concrete additives, had failed to
solve the problem. Hydrotechs MPS system has
proved to be very successful.
www.hydro-usl.com

Natural lining material

keeps water out

SODIUM bentonite is the key component in

Cetcos geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) that are
used, among other things, to provide a
waterproof lining to tunnels. They usually
comprise a layer of low-permeability sodium
bentonite sandwiched between needle-punched,
geosynthetic carrier components all in a layer
that is less than 10 mm thick. Supplied to site in
5m-long rolls, typical widths for tunnelling
applications are around 1,100 mm wide.
In application, the sheet material is
overlapped and fastened to the tunnel walls with
a nail gun. If the walls are too rough, they will
normally be shotcreted to which the liner can be
attached using a nail gun with washers.
Puncturing the liner is not a problem as the
bentonite will swell to form a self-healed
repair. This action is due to the composition of
the bentonite, comprising mainly of mont
morillonite a layered clay mineral whose
broad, thin platelets act as a hydraulic barrier.
www.cetcoeurope.com

DSI displays tunnelling

arms fresh focus
GLASS-FIBRE rockbolts, anchors and mini-piles
formed the focus of the Dywidag-Systems
International (DSI) stand. But there is more to

ORIGINALLY formed in 1976 by a small

group of Gunite contractors, the Sprayed
Concrete Association (SCA) has grown
considerably over the years. In addition to
promoting sprayed concrete generally, the
SCA produces and maintains specifications
and codes of practice; is involved in
education and training, and promotes
discussion and technical exchange.
www.sca.org.uk

Corrosion prevention
association SPURS R&D
CONTRACTORS, consultants and
manufacturers working in the field of
corrosion prevention for concrete and
masonry encased steel are all represented by
the Corrosion Prevention Association (CPA).
An authority on cathodic protection and
other corrosion techniques, the CPA
encourages research in a wide range of
concrete-corrosion related fields, in addition
to a range of publications.
www.corrosionprevention.org.uk
the company than these core products. From an
organisational point of view, DSI divides its
activities into Construction and Underground.
Falling clearly into the latter category, the
recently established tunnelling division
combines all the tunnelling activities of the
newly-acquired companies of Alwag in Austria,
DSI-Soprofint in Chile and American Commercial in the US.
One of the companys ongoing projects is a
2.6 m diameter, 615 m-long water, power and
communication tunnel that will run beneath the
runways at Indianapolis airport. Because the
airport needs to be in continuous operation, it is
vital that no settlement occurs beneath the
runways. Due to the geology and its location
beneath the groundwater table, an EPB TBM is
being used to drive the tunnel which, in place of
concrete segments, is being lined with sealed,
heavy steel liner plates due to engineering
requirements. It is the longest-ever EPB-driven
tunnel to make use of steel liner plates.
www.dywidag-international.com

December 2007
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32
SUPPLIES
SERVICES
SUPPLIES &AND
SERVICES
CIVIL ENGINEERING

PIPE EQUIPMENT

Applied Felts Limited

Castle Bank Mills
Portobello Road
Wakefield
WF1 5PS

Shaft sinking
Tunnelling /
Timber Headings
Deep Drainage
Specialist Plant
Hire

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

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

www.appliedfelts.com

RECRUITMENT

32 Brunshaw Avenue, Burnley,

Lancashire, BB10 4LT
Tel/Fax: 01282 452666
Mobile: 07917 625802
E-mail: chrismarley@btinternet.com
www.chrismarleycivils.co.uk

DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

Specialists in Tunnelling, Civils

and Construction Recruitment.
Tel: +44 (0)1202 298322
E-mail: tt@hunterpersonnel.com

www.hunterpersonnel.com

SEWER RENOVATION
An Authorised Distributor of American Directional Drill

Dealers Supplying:Directional Drilling Rigs, Auger Boring Systems

Mud Cleaning Systems, Mud Mixing Systems
Tracking Systems, Drilling Fluids
Down Hole Tooling, Drill Rods
Tel: 0044 (0) 1424 854112
Fax: 0044 (0) 1424 854231
E-Mail: info@tadrilling.co.uk
www.tadrilling.co.uk

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

E:info@specialistplant.co.uk

DRILL PIPES RODS TUBULARS

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

ADVERTISEMENT OFFICES
HEAD OFFICE
Contact: Gareth Hector,
Director of Sales
Mining Communications Ltd, Albert House,
1 Singer Street, London EC2A 4BQ, England.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7216 6060
Fax: +44 (0)207 216 6050
E-mail: adsales@mining-journal.com
ASIA, CANADA, SCANDINAVIA, SOUTH
AFRICA, US, REST OF WORLD
Contact: Richard Dolan
Tel: +44 (0)20 7216 6086
Fax: +44 (0)20 7216 6050
E-mail: richard.dolan@mining-journal.com
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Wendy Hora
PO Box 7045, Leura, NSW 2780, Australia.
Tel: +61 2 4784 2209
Fax: +61 2 4784 2311
E-mail: miningjournal@optusnet.com.au
ITALY & SWITZERLAND
Contact: Fabio Potesta/Daniela Chiusa
Media Point and Communications SRL,
Corte Lambruschini Corso Buenos Aires,
8 5 piano Interno 7-16129 Genova, Italy.
Tel: +39 (010) 570 4948
Fax: +39 (010) 553 0088
E-mail: info@mediapointsrl.it
GERMANY & AUSTRIA
Contact: Gunter Schneider
GSM International, Postfach 20 21 06,
D-41552 Kaast, Germany.
Tel: +49 2131 511801
E-mail: info@gsm-international.eu

The only API spec 7

approved drilling equipment
manufacturer in the UK!
COLCRETE EURODRILL

JAPAN
Contact: Kazumi Yamazaki
Accot Corporation, Yamazaki Bldg,
7-19-4 Nishiogu, Arakawa-ku.
Tokyo 116-0011, Japan.
Tel: +81 3 3800 3229
Fax: +81 3 3800 3844
E-mail: accot@ga2.so-net.ne.jp

December 2007
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One breakthrough after another.

Innovation.

or 50 years, nobodys
broken more new
ground than Robbins.
Robbins invented the first
successful tunnel boring
machine. That was only the
beginning of a long line of
rsts: The rst Main Beam
TBMs. Hard Rock disc cutters.
Floating grippers. Double
Shield TBMs. Nineteen-inch
cutters. Wedgelock cutter
mounting. All major innovations that have driven the
industry.
And while others try to copy
these innovations, they cant
duplicate our results. Thats
because Robbins innovations
arent mere imitations. Theyre
continuous improvements in
TBM design, driven by real
challenges and lessons
learned on more than 700
projects worldwide. Learn more.

www.TheRobbinsCompany.com.

Robbins Innovations.indd 1

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