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46-534: Microtunnel boring machines (MTBM) are similar to larger tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The MTBM and jacking frame are set up in a shaft at the required depth. The operator monitors the MTBM's location, orientation and hydraulic devices via a computer console, a CCTV camera or Gyro unit. Some systems use video cameras in the jacking shaft and at the separation plant. Gyro Control have generally replaced cameras for location and digital feedback. In most microtunneling operations

92-616: 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

138-457: 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

184-435: 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

230-590: A political role in the Belgian Revolution of 1830. After studying at the Athénée de Namur , Henri in 1827 started work for the Société de Luxembourg as a mineralogist. In 1833 he conducted a study for the route of a stretch of a planned Meuse-Moselle canal that was never completed. He went on to work as manager of a coalmine until becoming interested in steam locomotion. From 1835 he worked on Belgian railways, and designed

276-619: A railway elevator in the Loire Valley. In 1845 Maus was recruited by King Charles Albert of Sardinia to assist in designing a line running from Turin south-eastwards to Genoa on the Mediterranean coast and north-westwards to Chambéry in Savoy. The stretch between Turin and Chambéry required construction of a 12.8-kilometre railway tunnel through the Alps, longer than any existing tunnel, which with

322-480: 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)

368-402: 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

414-800: 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

460-546: 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

506-459: Is reduced so prevent more than 10mm subsidence. As much as hundreds of tons of force may be required to push the machine and liner forward. The jacking frame containing hydraulic rams produces these forces. The entrance shaft must be strong enough to support the forces it generates. In addition to the jacking frame, smaller jacks, called “interjacks”, may be inserted between sections of tunnel liner. These push two liner sections apart. Friction on

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552-464: 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

598-628: 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

644-617: The covering of the Senne , and also became a member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium . As a consultant he advised on plans to provide clean water to the city of Brussels, and to build a bridge over the Rhine at Basel (the Wettsteinbrücke ). In 1869 he chaired the committee of inquiry into a typhoid epidemic that had hit Brussels. Maus sat on prize-awarding juries at

690-474: The inclined elevator that enabled trains from Liège to climb 110 metres over a distance of 4.3 kilometres to Ans on the plateau above the city, making rail links from Liège to Brussels and Antwerp practicable. The elevator was taken into use on 1 May 1842, and was internationally regarded as a breakthrough in railway engineering. In 1842 it led to Maus being seconded from the Belgian railways to France, to build

736-479: 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

782-521: 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

828-519: 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

874-522: The available tunneling techniques would have taken over 30 years to build. In response to this problem, Maus invented a hydraulically powered tunneling machine. The railway between Turin and Genoa was completed in November 1853, but work on the line between Turin and Chambéry was suspended until after the Second Italian War of Independence , when Savoy was ceded to France and the project was resumed under

920-472: 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

966-528: 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

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1012-439: 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

1058-437: 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

1104-434: 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

1150-489: 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

1196-801: 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

1242-506: 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

1288-460: 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

1334-585: The leadership of Germain Sommeiller . On 17 September 1871 the first train travelled through the Fréjus Rail Tunnel . Maus had, meanwhile, returned to Belgium in 1854. He declined the position of chief railway engineer to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , and in 1857 was reappointed as a full-time functionary of the Belgian state. In 1864 he was seconded to the city of Brussels for preliminary works relating to

1380-498: The liner sections between the interjack and the tunnel entrance helps to prevent the liner from sliding out backwards. So while the liner behind the interjack does not move, those sections in front of it receive additional pushing force. San Francisco startup Petra demonstrated a thermal drilling robot that can tunnel through Sioux Quartzite , "the hardest rock on earth" that would normally require dynamite. It can create 18–60 in (460–1,520 mm) diameter tunnels. It disintegrates

1426-409: The machine is launched through an entry eye and pipes are pushed behind the machine. This pipe jacking process is repeated until the MTBM reaches the reception shaft at the far end. The speed of the advancing machine is limited to the speed at which the pipe is inserted into the entry eye via the hydraulic rams in the jacking frame. The friction of the ground around the pipe increases in proportion to

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1472-541: The project must accommodate measures to mitigate any detrimental effects to other infrastructure. Henri Maus Michel Henri Joseph Maus (1808–1893) was a Belgian engineer, the inventor of the first tunnel boring machine . Maus was born in Namur (then in Sambre-et-Meuse , French First Empire ) on 22 October 1808, the grandson of a German who had settled in the city around 1750. His father, Jean-Michel Maus, played

1518-407: 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

1564-602: The rock with a hot, high-pressure spallation head. The machine combines remote control and machine vision and can reverse out of the tunnel. It is claimed to cost 30-90 percent less than other microtunneling methods. 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

1610-471: 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

1656-587: 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

1702-588: 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

1748-401: 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

1794-479: The tunnel length. Two practices can minimize this friction. First, over-cutting is used to provide a gap between the inner edge of the tunnel and the outer edge of the liner. The gap is 1 ⁄ 2 to 1.5 inches (13 to 38 mm). A lubricant , often bentonite slurry , is injected into this gap. The pressure of the lubricant prevents the gap from collapsing. Depending on the geology a 35mm overcut may create ground subsidence. For road and rail crossings, this 35mm

1840-411: 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

1886-411: 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

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1932-656: 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

1978-587: 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

2024-473: 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)

2070-509: 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

2116-528: 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

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