TBM launches in Hiroshima
26 September 2018Japan – A 13.7m diameter slurry TBM made its first cut into hard rock on September 18 in Hiroshima, manufacturer Robbins announced today.
The TBM will bore 1.4km of tunnel for the Hiroshima Expressway Line 5 project through granite with rock strengths up to 130 MPa UCS.
The contractor, a joint venture of Obayashi-Taisei-Kosei, had an eight month timeline to assemble the machine, which they accomplished successfully.
According to Robbins, there were restrictions on delivering the TBM so it had to be divided into small transportable weights and sizes, then assembled onsite, in order to meet controlled transportation limits within the city.
The TBM was outfitted with 20-inch pressure compensating cutters, which utilize a patented design to effectively operate under high pressure.
The TBM is the country’s first foreign-made large diameter Slurry TBM to excavate hard rock, Robbins said.
