Misplaced Pages

#815184

49-463: The tunnel was formed by a miniature tunnel boring machine (TBM), which was built in Vancouver at a cost of $ 258,000. Excavation was undertaken from both ends with the intention of meeting in the middle. The machine was later abandoned and excavation was carried out manually due to the soft rock clogging the teeth and gears and causing motor burn outs. The contractor quit and the water district completed

98-616: A boring diameter of 6.67 m (21.9 ft). The medium was water saturated sandy mudstone, schistose mudstone, highly weathered mudstone as well as alluvium. It achieved a maximum advance rate of more than 345 m (1,132 ft) per month. The world's largest hard rock TBM, known as Martina , was built by Herrenknecht AG . Its excavation diameter was 15.62 m (51.2 ft), total length 130 m (430 ft); excavation area of 192 m (2,070 sq ft), thrust value 39,485 t, total weight 4,500 tons, total installed capacity 18 MW. Its yearly energy consumption

147-457: A leading shield that advances with the cutting head and a trailing shield that acts as a gripper. The two shields can move axially relative to each other (i.e., telescopically) over a limited distance. The gripper shield anchors the TBM so that pressure can be applied to the cutter head while simultaneously the concrete lining is being constructed. In hard rock with minimal ground water, the area around

196-435: A plug to form in the screw. The cutter head is filled with pressurised slurry, typically made of bentonite clay that applies hydrostatic pressure to the face. The slurry mixes with the muck before it is pumped to a slurry separation plant, usually outside the tunnel. Slurry separation plants use multi-stage filtration systems that separate spoil from slurry to allow reuse. The degree to which slurry can be 'cleaned' depends on

245-480: A rotating drum with metal tines on its outer surface, or a rotating circular plate covered with teeth, or revolving belts covered with metal teeth. However, these TBMs proved expensive, cumbersome, and unable to excavate hard rock; interest in TBMs therefore declined. Nevertheless, TBM development continued in potash and coal mines, where the rock was softer. A TBM with a bore diameter of 14.4 m (47 ft 3 in)

294-402: A single cylindrical shield after the cutting head. A permanent concrete lining is constructed immediately after the shield, and the TBM pushes off the lining to apply force to the cutter head. Because this pushing cannot be done while a next ring of lining is being constructed, the single-shield TBM operates in alternating cutting and lining modes. Double Shield (or telescopic shield) TBMs have

343-800: A speed and safety not previously possible. The Channel Tunnel , the Thames Water Ring Main , sections of the London Underground , and most new metro tunnels completed in the last 20 years worldwide were excavated using this method. EPB has historically competed with the slurry shield method (see below), where the slurry is used to stabilize the tunnel face and transport spoil to the surface. EPB TBMs are mostly used in finer ground (such as clay) while slurry TBMs are mostly used for coarser ground (such as gravel). Slurry shield machines can be used in soft ground with high water pressure or where granular ground conditions (sands and gravels) do not allow

392-434: A true plow , which does primary tillage and leaves behind a rough surface, whereas the second is a secondary tillage tool. Before invention of the modern tractor, disc harrows typically consisted of two sections, which were horse-drawn and had no hydraulic power. These harrows were often adjustable so that the discs could be changed from their offset position. Straightening the discs allowed for transport without ripping up

441-546: Is a smaller equivalent to a general tunnelling shield and generally bore tunnels of 1 to 1.5 meters (3.3 to 4.9 ft), too small for operators to walk in. Behind all types of tunnel boring machines, in the finished part of the tunnel, are trailing support decks known as the backup system, whose mechanisms can include conveyors or other systems for muck removal; slurry pipelines (if applicable); control rooms; electrical, dust-removal and ventilation systems; and mechanisms for transport of pre-cast segments. Urban tunnelling has

490-481: Is also one of the many soil cultivation implements alongside tilers and moldboard ploughs. It consists of many carbon steel discs, and sometimes longer-lasting boron steel discs, which have many varying concavities and disc blade sizes and spacing (the choices of the latter being determined by the final result required in a given soil type) and which are arranged into two sections ("offset disc harrow") or four sections ("tandem disc harrow"). When viewed from above,

539-494: Is the preferred method of incorporating both agricultural lime (either dolomitic or calcitic lime) and agricultural gypsum , and disc harrowing achieves a 50/50 mix with the soil when set correctly, thereby reducing acid saturation in the top soil and so promoting strong, healthy root development. Lime does not move in the soil, and this poses a critical challenge to sustainable zero-till farming , especially considering that chemical fertilizers are generally used by farmers around

SECTION 10

#1732844034816

588-464: The Alps , Maus had it built in 1846 in an arms factory near Turin . It consisted of more than 100 percussion drills mounted in the front of a locomotive-sized machine, mechanically power-driven from the entrance of the tunnel. The Revolutions of 1848 affected the funding, and the tunnel was not completed until 10 years later, by using less innovative and less expensive methods such as pneumatic drills . In

637-628: The Mersey River . The Hudson River Tunnel was constructed from 1889 to 1904 using a Greathead shield TBM. The project used air compressed to 2.4 bar (35 psi) to reduce cave-ins. However, many workers died via cave-in or decompression sickness. During the late 19th and early 20th century, inventors continued to design, build, and test TBMs for tunnels for railroads, subways, sewers, water supplies, etc. TBMs employing rotating arrays of drills or hammers were patented. TBMs that resembled giant hole saws were proposed. Other TBMs consisted of

686-479: The Fréjus Rail Tunnel, by using less ambitious methods). Wilson's machine anticipated modern TBMs in the sense that it employed cutting discs, like those of a disc harrow , which were attached to the rotating head of the machine. In contrast to traditional chiseling or drilling and blasting, this innovative method of removing rock relied on simple metal wheels to apply a transient high pressure that fractured

735-521: The Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok link in Hong Kong. TBMs typically consist of a rotating cutting wheel in front, called a cutter head, followed by a main bearing, a thrust system, a system to remove excavated material (muck), and support mechanisms. Machines vary with site geology, amount of ground water present, and other factors. Rock boring machines differ from earth boring machines in the way they cut

784-519: The United States, the first boring machine to have been built was used in 1853 during the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel in northwest Massachusetts. Made of cast iron, it was known as Wilson's Patented Stone-Cutting Machine , after inventor Charles Wilson. It drilled 3 meters (10 ft) into the rock before breaking down (the tunnel was eventually completed more than 20 years later, and as with

833-472: The caisson, requiring workers to be medically cleared as "fit to dive" and able to operate pressure locks. Open face soft ground TBMs rely on the excavated ground to briefly stand without support. They are suitable for use in ground with a strength of up to about 10 MPa (1,500 psi) with low water inflows. They can bore tunnels with cross-section in excess of 10 m (30 ft). A backactor arm or cutter head bore to within 150 mm (6 in) of

882-528: The construction of a tunnel under the English Channel and the British Parliament supported a trial run using English's TBM. Its cutting head consisted of a conical drill bit behind which were a pair of opposing arms on which were mounted cutting discs. From June 1882 to March 1883, the machine tunneled, through chalk, a total of 1,840 m (6,036 ft). A French engineer, Alexandre Lavalley , who

931-439: The cutter head and extraction screw to ensure that the muck is sufficiently cohesive to maintain pressure and restrict water flow. Like some other TBM types, EPB's use thrust cylinders to advance by pushing against concrete segments. The cutter head uses a combination of tungsten carbide cutting bits, carbide disc cutters, drag picks and/or hard rock disc cutters. EPB has allowed soft, wet, or unstable ground to be tunneled with

980-437: The cutter head of a TBM can be unpressurized, as the exposed rock face can support itself. In weaker soil, or when there is significant ground water, pressure must be applied to the face of the tunnel to prevent collapse and/or the infiltration of ground water into the machine. Earth pressure balance (EPB) machines are used in soft ground with less than 7 bar (100 psi) of pressure. It uses muck to maintain pressure at

1029-434: The cutter head to support the walls until permanent tunnel support is constructed further along the machine. The stability of the walls also influences the method by which the TBM anchors itself in place so that it can apply force to the cutting head. This in turn determines whether the machine can bore and advance simultaneously, or whether these are done in alternating modes. Gripper TBMs are used in rock tunnels. They forgo

SECTION 20

#1732844034816

1078-489: The cutting discs would travel over almost all of the rock face that was to be removed. The first TBM that tunneled a substantial distance was invented in 1863 and improved in 1875 by British Army officer Major Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont (1833–1895); Beaumont's machine was further improved in 1880 by British Army officer Major Thomas English (1843–1935). In 1875, the French National Assembly approved

1127-801: The disturbance to the surrounding ground and produce a smooth tunnel wall. This reduces the cost of lining the tunnel, and is suitable for use in urban areas. TBMs are expensive to construct, and larger ones are challenging to transport. These fixed costs become less significant for longer tunnels. TBM-bored tunnel cross-sections range from 1 to 17.6 meters (3.3 to 57.7 ft) to date. Narrower tunnels are typically bored using trenchless construction methods or horizontal directional drilling rather than TBMs. TBM tunnels are typically circular in cross-section although they may be u-shaped, horseshoes, square or rectangular. Tunneling speeds increase over time. The first TBM peaked at 4 meters per week. This increased to 16 meters per week four decades later. By

1176-506: The edge of the shield. After a boring cycle, the shield is jacked forward to begin a new cycle. Ground support is provided by precast concrete, or occasionally spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) segments that are bolted or supported until a support ring has been added. The final segment, called the key, is wedge-shaped, and expands the ring until it is tight against the ground. TBMs range diameter from 1 to 17 meters (3 to 56 ft). Micro tunnel shield TBMs are used to construct small tunnels, and

1225-460: The end of the 19th century, speeds had reached over 30 meters per week. 21st century rock TBMs can excavate over 700 meters per week, while soil tunneling machines can exceed 200 meters per week. Speed generally declines as tunnel size increases. The first successful tunnelling shield was developed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel to excavate the Thames Tunnel in 1825. However, this

1274-414: The four sections would appear to form an "X" which has been flattened to be wider than it is tall. The discs are also offset so that they are not parallel with the overall direction of the implement. This arrangement ensures that the discs will repeatedly slice any ground to which they are applied, to optimize the result. The concavity of the discs as well as their offset angle causes them to loosen and lift

1323-695: The ground; also, they were not as difficult to pull. Overuse of disc harrows in the High Plains of the United States in the early 20th century may have contributed to the " Dust Bowl ". Modern disc harrows are tractor -driven and are raised either by a three-point lift or hydraulically by wheels. The large ones have side sections that can be raised vertically or that fold up to allow easier road transport or to provide better storage configurations. Primary heavy duty disc harrows of 265 to 1,000 pounds (120 to 454 kg) per disc are mainly used to break up virgin land, to chop material/residue, and to incorporate it into

1372-604: The head tank near Sooke Lake, which maintains a constant pressure to the Japan Gulch UV Plant near Goldstream Provincial Park . This tunnel can convey 580 million litres/day, 10 times greater than the Sooke Flowline, and provides water to all municipalities, except Sooke and the Highlands. Its final cost was $ 5.6 million. The Sooke Flowline had been leaking and was vulnerable to blow downs and rock slides. Every January,

1421-401: The lighter types of harrow, such as chain and tooth harrows. Therefore, in these regions, the phrase "plowing, disking, and harrowing" refers to three separate tillage steps. This is not any official distinction but is how farmers tend to speak. It is also common, at least in the United States, to consider disc plows to be a separate class of implement from discs (disc harrows). The first is

1470-626: The primary tillage tools that are used to break virgin ground, to incorporate residue into the soil in preparation for a ripper / subsoiler , and to break up a compacted soil in order to increase soil aeration and to promote soil permeability in lower levels of the soil profile. Prior to a planting operation, a secondary disc harrow with narrow disc spacing of 8", 9", and even 10" with disc sizes ranging from 20", 22", 24", to 26" can be used. Other similar secondary tillage tine implements or rotary harrows are also widely used. When choosing secondary tillage equipment, soil type as well as soil moisture content at

1519-414: The project must accommodate measures to mitigate any detrimental effects to other infrastructure. Disc harrow A disc harrow is a harrow whose cutting edges are a row of concave metal discs, which may be scalloped or set at an oblique angle. It is an agricultural implement that is used to till the soil where crops are to be planted. It is used to chop up unwanted weeds or crop residue . It

Kapoor Tunnel - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-407: The relative particle sizes of the muck. Slurry TBMs are not suitable for silts and clays as the particle sizes of the spoil are less than that of the bentonite. In this case, water is removed from the slurry leaving a clay cake, which may be polluted. A caisson system is sometimes placed at the cutting head to allow workers to operate the machine, although air pressure may reach elevated levels in

1617-471: The rock. In 1853, the American Ebenezer Talbot also patented a TBM that employed Wilson's cutting discs, although they were mounted on rotating arms, which in turn were mounted on a rotating plate. In the 1870s, John D. Brunton of England built a machine employing cutting discs that were mounted eccentrically on rotating plates, which in turn were mounted eccentrically on a rotating plate, so that

1666-417: The soil that they cut. A discer is an evolved form of a disc harrow, more suitable to Saskatchewan prairies, where it was developed in the 1940s. It does not leave ridging and it is lighter to pull, so it can be made bigger. After the 1980s their domination started to fade. In various regions of the United States, farmers call these implements just discs (or disks), and they reserve the word harrow for

1715-587: The special requirement that the surface remain undisturbed, and that ground subsidence be avoided. The normal method of doing this in soft ground is to maintain soil pressures during and after construction. TBMs with positive face control, such as earth pressure balance (EPB) and slurry shield (SS), are used in such situations. Both types (EPB and SS) are capable of reducing the risk of surface subsidence and voids if ground conditions are well documented. When tunnelling in urban environments, other tunnels, existing utility lines and deep foundations must be considered, and

1764-417: The surface of the soil results in much of the applied nitrogen being tied up by residual plant material; therefore it is not available to germinating seeds. Disc harrows are also generally used prior to plowing in order to make the land easier to manage and work after plowing. Applying a disc harrow before plowing can also reduce clogging and allow more complete turning of the soil during plowing. A disc harrow

1813-439: The task in 1967. On completion, the tunnel was an engineering success. Even without modern laser technology, the tunnel was joined only 6 in (152 mm) off line. The project was almost incident free with the only major injury occurring when a worker's eye was damaged while drilling into a hole containing an undetonated stick of dynamite. The project was a challenging feat due to a variety of factors: The tunnel runs from

1862-406: The top soil. Lighter secondary disc harrows help completely incorporate residue left by a primary disc harrow, eliminate clumps, and loosen the remaining packed soil. The notched disc blades chop up stover left from previous crops, such as cornstalks. Disc harrows incorporate remaining residue into the top soil, promoting the rapid decay of the dead plant material. Applying fertilizer onto residue on

1911-588: The tunnel face. Main Beam machines do not install concrete segments behind the cutter head. Instead, the rock is held up using ground support methods such as ring beams, rock bolts, shotcrete , steel straps, ring steel and wire mesh. Depending on the stability of the local geology, the newly formed walls of the tunnel often need to be supported immediately after being dug to avoid collapse, before any permanent support or lining has been constructed. Many TBMs are equipped with one or more cylindrical shields following behind

1960-401: The tunnel face. The muck (or spoil ) is admitted into the TBM via a screw conveyor . By adjusting the rate of extraction of muck and the advance rate of the TBM, the pressure at the face of the TBM can be controlled without the use of slurry . Additives such as bentonite , polymers and foam can be injected ahead of the face to stabilize the ground. Such additives can separately be injected in

2009-567: The tunnel is shut off and the city transfers over to the district's secondary Goldstream system. Workers walk the 8.8 km (5.5 mi) route to look for cracks and other defects. Tunnel boring machine A tunnel boring machine ( TBM ), also known as a "mole" or a "worm", is a machine used to excavate tunnels . Tunnels are excavated through hard rock, wet or dry soil, or sand , each of which requires specialized technology. Tunnel boring machines are an alternative to drilling and blasting (D&B) methods and "hand mining". TBMs limit

Kapoor Tunnel - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-411: The tunnel, the way they provide traction to support the boring activity, and in the way they support the newly formed tunnels walls. Shielded TBMs are typically used to excavate tunnels in soil. They erect concrete segments behind the TBM to support the tunnel walls. The machine stabilizes itself in the tunnel with hydraulic cylinders that press against the shield, allowing the TBM to apply pressure at

2107-411: The use of a shield and instead push directly against the unreinforced sides of the tunnel. Machines such as a Wirth machine can be moved only while ungripped. Other machines can move continuously. At the end of a Wirth boring cycle, legs drop to the ground, the grippers are retracted, and the machine advances. The grippers then reengage and the rear legs lift for the next cycle. A single-shield TBM has

2156-626: The world. In the event of a wildfire, farmers will often use a disc harrow to quickly create a firebreak between fields or around structures by circling a structure or a field, thereby tilling under flammable stubble, stover, or residue to deprive the advancing fire of fuel. Once worn down too small to be of further use in harrows, the hardened steel discs have been adapted to form the blades of hand tools for wildland firefighters, farmers, and trail-building crews. The heavy duty disc with large diameter disc blades of 26", 28", 30", 32", 36", and 40", and with increased disc spacings of 10", 14", and 18" are

2205-656: Was about 62 GWh. It is owned and operated by the Italian construction company Toto S.p.A. Costruzioni Generali (Toto Group) for the Sparvo gallery of the Italian Motorway Pass A1 ("Variante di Valico A1"), near Florence. The same company built the world's largest-diameter slurry TBM , excavation diameter of 17.6 meters (58 ft), owned and operated by the French construction company Dragages Hong Kong (Bouygues' subsidiary) for

2254-587: Was also a Suez Canal contractor , used a similar machine to drill 1,669 m (5,476 ft) from Sangatte on the French side. However, despite this success, the cross-Channel tunnel project was abandoned in 1883 after the British military raised fears that the tunnel might be used as an invasion route. Nevertheless, in 1883, this TBM was used to bore a railway ventilation tunnel — 2 m (7 ft) in diameter and 2.06 km (6,750 ft) long — between Birkenhead and Liverpool , England, through sandstone under

2303-473: Was manufactured by The Robbins Company for Canada's Niagara Tunnel Project . The machine was used to bore a hydroelectric tunnel beneath Niagara Falls . The machine was named "Big Becky" in reference to the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric dams to which it tunnelled to provide an additional hydroelectric tunnel. An earth pressure balance TBM known as Bertha with a bore diameter of 17.45 meters (57.3 ft)

2352-569: Was only the invention of the shield concept and did not involve the construction of a complete tunnel boring machine, the digging still having to be accomplished by the then standard excavation methods. The first boring machine reported to have been built was Henri Maus 's Mountain Slicer . Commissioned by the King of Sardinia in 1845 to dig the Fréjus Rail Tunnel between France and Italy through

2401-528: Was produced by Hitachi Zosen Corporation in 2013. It was delivered to Seattle , Washington , for its Highway 99 tunnel project . The machine began operating in July 2013, but stalled in December 2013 and required substantial repairs that halted the machine until January 2016. Bertha completed boring the tunnel on April 4, 2017. Two TBMs supplied by CREG excavated two tunnels for Kuala Lumpur 's Rapid Transit with

#815184