Features Archive
Archive of features from the global tunnels industryFeatures By Date
October 2021
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Tunnelling the Thames
Sagar Sheth, Principal Tunnelling Engineer, and Richard Miller, Head of Tunnelling, both of Ramboll UK, describe the design checks and assurance services, risk and stakeholder management they provided during the construction of Tideway
CSO capture for cleaner water
Jon Sickling, Tunnel Shafts Delivery Manager, Watercare Services, and Stefano Vittor, Construction Manager, Ghella-Abergeldie JV, outline details of New Zealand’s largest wastewater project – Auckland’s new Central Interceptor
Set in stone
For centuries the home of quarrying and more recently mining of the eponymous stone, Portland, England could become home to an exciting new visitor attraction housed in a mine and demonstrating the potential of underground space. George Demetri reports
A challenge packed drive
Erez Allouche, Matthew Devitt and Tyler Horton of Stantec Consulting, and Keivan Rafie of Hatch (Vancouver) discuss the relocation of a gas pipeline microtunneled through complex soils and beneath twin railroads, a river and multiple utility lines
Digging the deal on infrastructure
George Demetri takes a look at the state of US infrastructure, the possible causes of its lacklustre performance and how it may be improved, taking in along the way the views of some high-profile engineers and consultants
September 2021
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Jerusalem caverns present challenges of biblical proportions
Based on a presentation by Dr Roberto Schuerch of Pini Swiss Engineers, technical journalist Roland Herr gives an overview of an outstanding underground project brimming with engineering challenges
Tackling Toronto’s CSO Woes
Toronto’s sewers are overloaded. Combined sewer overflows frequently spill into Lake Ontario, local rivers and streams. A major clean-up involving three separate tunnelling projects and more besides, is in progress. Julian Champkin reports
Closed form tunnel analysis methods
In the first of a series of articles, Stephen Doran looks at closed-form tunnel analysis methods, their background and how they can provide an insight into the underlying assumptions used in software
Tunnel vision
TunnelSkills – the national specialist training forum for the UK tunnelling industry – specialises in the application of immersive learning and new technology to improve training, learning and recruitment in the sector
NATM through challenging fault zones
Ryo Kashiwagi of Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) discusses the challenges from tunnelling the double-track Shinkansen railway which is close to an existing highway tunnel in an extremely soft fault crush zone
Sustainable solutions
Arnaud Hochart, geotechnical and monitoring manager at Implenia, discusses the technical challenges encountered on Lyon’s Metro B Line extension, including the open-pored, high-permeability alluviums with the associated risks of slurry loss and ground instability
A focus on efficiency within tunnel ventilation
Worldwide, electric motors represent around 50% of global electricity consumption (EU). The need to achieve a more sustainable environmental future clearly requires focus on the subject of motor efficiency. Any gains in motor efficiency will have a directly influence on the fight against climate change through reducing global electrical consumption and related CO2 emissions.
August 2021
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Cool talk on Hinkley Point C
Matthew Fowler of Balfour Beatty gave June’s British Tunnelling Society online lecture on the offshore cooling water tunnels at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the offsite construction of some of the critical components. Report by Ana Barbosa of Jacobs
Learning from Istanbul
Prof Dr Nuh Bilgin, Chairman of the Turkish Tunnelling Society, and Sinan Acun, TBM Group Manager, Kolin-Kalyon-Cengiz Joint Venture discuss the lessons learnt in the complex geology of two EPB-TBM drives to the new Istanbul Airport
Spraying for success
Dr Alun Thomas of All2plan Consulting outlines some of the rudiments of sprayed concrete and gives a few tips that could prove useful to young engineers – and maybe to those not so young
Testing time for FRS permanent sprayed concrete linings
Benoit de Rivaz of Bekaert outlines a few test methods used to evaluate the behaviour of fibre-reinforced shotcrete for permanent sprayed concrete linings and how their results can optimise design and construction processes
Water mist systems and Road tunnel ventilation
Ingo Riess of Riess Ingenieur, Zurich, Switzerland, discusses the benefits and effects of water-mist systems on tunnel fires in road tunnels
Keeping tunnels safe
The critical role played by certified smoke extraction motors in keeping tunnels safe is explained by Pekka Uusitalo, Key Account Manager for ABB Motors and Generators
July 2021
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Getting the right fix
Panos Spyridis, engineer and professor of fastening and assembly technologies at the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, clarifies various aspects of the design, specification and installation of fixings for tunnel projects
Delivering Selina
Shannon O’Keeffe, Senior Tunnel Agent for Costain Engineering looks at the complex logistics that were initiated to ensure the successful delivery of a TBM to a Thameside site for the boring of Tideway (Eastern Section)
