Features Archive
Archive of features from the global tunnels industryFeatures By Date
September 2020
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Silent Sentinels on watch in The Hague
Challenging municipal requirements were met using advanced instrumentation to provide accurate geomonitoring of road tunnels in the Netherlands
Innovation in wireless remote condition monitoring
Simon Brightwell and Markus Rennen of Senceive explain how wireless remote condition-monitoring can provide early warning of a wide variety of subterranean changes in tunnels and so help drive subsequent data-based decisions
Mexico’s Megatunnel
It is the world’s largest sewage project and has faced issues which mega projects of this nature usually face in terms of geology, delivery and budget. But T&T’s Julian Champkin finds that Mexico City’s Emisor Oriente is a triumph nevertheless
Connecting HS2 at Euston
Work on the UK’s new HS2 high-speed rail line is on track. Emma Hale and Christoph Eberle of Mott MacDonald describe one of the line’s first underground structures to be built in London
Improving Shotcrete’s Green Credentials
Sprayed concrete has been used for many years. Yet like all concrete, it has environmental drawbacks. Julian Champkin spoke with Dr Alun Thomas on ways to improve the carbon footprint of shotcrete tunnels
Tunnelling Under Live Loads
Tunnel and Underpass Projects beneath live railroads and highways are among the most sensitive and complicated underground projects in terms of design, construction, monitoring and, most importantly, safety. However, a good number of projects in this category have enough cover (preferably a minimum of a half to one tunnel diameter) to allow conventional tunnelling techniques to be implemented without any major risk to the travelling public.
Building tunnels in the 19th century
In June, Peter Harris, Director Tunnels and Civil Engineering COWI UK, gave to an online BTS audience a fascinating and scholarly presentation on how the Victorians built their tunnels. Ivor Thomas reports
Conexpo 2020
A visit to the Conexpo show in Las Vegas in March saw the US equipment industry in bullish mood, despite concerns about the coronavirus
Tunnel of steel nears completion
Another significant milestone has been achieved in the project to repair the longest tunnel in the world
A lighter look at belting
Jason Schneider of Tennessee-based Cobra America outlines the salient features of a new type of conveyor belt material claimed to result in economies and greater safety for the work force
Building the mixed-ground mega tunnel
Roberto Gonzalez of The Robbins Company outlines the challenges and solutions on Mexico’s Emisor Oriente, one of the country’s most specialised projects with possibly the toughest, most complex conditions ever encountered by EPB TBMs
August 2020
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Muck disposal on a grand scale
Tideway (the so-called ‘super sewer’) is the biggest water infrastructure project in Europe and aims to rid the River Thames of millions of tonnes of raw sewage inflows every year. Julian Champkin reports on the progress so far
Ground freezing
Artificial ground freezing is an environmentally-friendly construction technique which provides temporary excavation support and groundwater control during tunnel construction. This method comes into its own when tunnels and shafts need to be built in difficult geological and hydrological ground conditions.
A Kit of Parts
Precast concrete segments are made to exacting tolerances and demand streamlined manufacture and transportation. Julian Champkin investigates the challenges
Practicality is the word
George Demetri reviews the third edition of a well-established work on groundwater lowering which is to be published this month
Guidance on writing a GBR
New guidelines being drawn up by CIRIA aim to show how geotechnical baseline reports can help manage geological and geotechnical risk, and reduce costs. George Demetri explains
Getting high in Paris
Joseph A Dos Santos of Dos Santos International outlines the principles and benefits of sandwich conveyors and their current use on the Paris Metro expansion
Frozen Assets
Joe Sopko, director at Keller North America, reports on the ground freezing of two shafts on a project involving a 9.7km long, 1,800mm-diameter effluent pipeline tunnelled from an existing sewerage plant to a barrier island outfall structure
Fire performance of concrete tunnel linings
Fire testing of concrete tunnel linings and the effects of explosive spalling were the subject of the British Tunnelling Society talk in March. Rosa Diez of Mott MacDonald reports
July 2020
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Construction claims and dispute resolution
Every time the conditions of a construction project change – whether new ideas develop for implementation, or some unanticipated circumstances occur – the project’s cost and schedule will be affected. These changes and their cause could be interpreted by different stakeholders in various ways. So, there could be conflicts, disagreements and disputes on what portion of the cost and project schedule the contractor needs to be compensated for.
