Search Results: 'Institution of Civil Engineers'

Robert Mair – Interview
28 February, 2024
Few in the tunnelling world are known to the general public, fewer still are profiled in a broadcast programme such as on BBC’s prestigious ‘The Life Scientific’ on Radio Four. In fact, only one has been accorded that mark of public recognition and interest – Robert Mair, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at Cambridge University, and recent Master of Jesus College there, and is past-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Delving Deep: Rethinking Underground Use
27 February, 2024
Rethinking Our Cities using the Underground Space’ was the important theme of a dedicated collaborative event hosted in Porto, Portugal, by the Portuguese tunnelling society (CPT), in Nov 2023, and moderated by ITACUS Co-chair Antonia Cornaro, Expert Underground Space with Amberg Engineering as well as lecturer on Planning of Underground Space at ETH Zurich. In this article, she describes and summarises the key points of the interesting discussion.

North Bristol relief sewer
27 November, 2023
Tunnelling challenges on the North Bristol Relief Sewer (NBRS) Project were presented and discussed at the BTS Meeting in May by Dominic Barlow, Senior Project Manager, and Adam Evenden, Project Engineer, of J Murphy and Sons Ltd. This report on the meeting was prepared by Dominic Barlow and Adam Evenden

From Gold Mine to Hydroelectricity – Kidston Pumped Storage Project
26 September, 2023
At the annual joint BTS and MinSouth meeting, held on 9 February at the Institution of Civil Engineers, in London, Clare Önal – a Principal Engineer with the tunnels team of Mott MacDonald – gave a presentation on the conversion of an abandoned gold mine at Kidston in Queensland, Australia, to a pumped storage hydroelectric (PSH) scheme. Andrew Hindmarch, Senior Principal Tunnel Engineer of Mott MacDonald was the rapporteur

Forecasting tunnelling progress using AI
25 August, 2023
The Harding Prize Competition is named after the founder of the British Tunnelling Society, Sir Harold Harding, and is for entrants under the age of 33. Shortlisted papers were presented to the BTS evening meeting on 13 April, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, in London. Jake Rankin, data scientist with J Murphy & Sons Ltd for this project, was voted winner of the 2023 Competition with a paper entitled ‘Artificial Intelligence for Forecasting Tunnelling Progress’. It is published here with the author’s permission

Grey cast iron linings – new structural insights
24 July, 2023
The Harding Prize Competition is named after the founder of the British Tunnelling Society, Sir Harold Harding, and is for entrants under the age of 33. Shortlisted papers were presented to the BTS evening meeting on 13 April, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, in London. Agustín Ruiz López, postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College, London, was a runner-up in this year’s Competition with a paper entitled ‘New insights into the structural behaviour of grey cast iron tunnel linings’. It is published here with the author’s permission

Geopolymer concrete in tunnelling
24 July, 2023
At the monthly BTS meeting at the Institution of Civil Engineers, in London, in March 2023, John Day, Chief Technical Officer of Wagners EFC Pty Ltd, Charles Allen, Director of OTB Concrete, and Richard Sutherden, Engineering Director with Murphy for the HMJV (Hochtief- Murphy Joint Venture) provided perspectives on the use and future potential of geopolymer concretes, and the Earth Friendly Concrete in particular, in underground applications

Pressure ring launch system at Silvertown
26 June, 2023
The Harding Prize Competition is named after the founder of the British Tunnelling Society, Sir Harold Harding, and is for entrants under the age of 33. Shortlisted papers were presented to the BTS evening meeting on 13 April, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, in London. Ricardo Manias García, senior mechanical engineer with Riverlinx CJV, was a runner-up in this year’s Competition with a paper entitled ‘The Pressure Ring Launch System at the Silvertown Tunnel Project’. It is published here with the author’s permission.

Rod Young – Interview
13 June, 2023
Rod Young is the Chair of the British Tunnelling Society (BTS). Unlike many of his predecessors, his speciality is in microtunnelling. He talks to Julian Champkin about the importance of small-bore, and his hopes for the post-Covid BTS

Kate Cooksey Interview
30 August, 2022
Kate Cooksey has completed one of the most unusual and challenges periods for any chair of the BTS. With much success achieved despite the trying times, she talks about the journey with Julian Champkin

Steps forward in SCL sustainable tunnels
30 August, 2022
Ross Dimmock, vice president for tunnelling at Normet, gave an online talk for the BTS lecture in January to discuss the advancing performance of sprayed concrete lining (SCL) technology in underground construction, including progress to support sustainability

Research to reduce carbon in SCL
03 August, 2022
Research recently complete on low carbon sprayed concrete (LCSC), including work for HS2,is summarised by participants Chris Peaston of Peaston Concrete Consultancy, Chris Goodier, Sergio Cavalaro and Zhi Hu of Loughborough University, Michael Sataya of Arup, Stuart Manning of Shotcrete Services, and John Reddy of Ecocem

Tunneller, lawyer and inventor
17 March, 2022
John Bartlett was a founder member/chairman of the British Tunnelling Society. He invented the bentonite tunnelling machine, designed the UK stretch of the Channel Tunnel and provided critical input into many other projects. Julian Champkin offers this appreciation of his life

Ivor Thomas Interview
21 February, 2022
Past BTS Chair Ivor Thomas has spent a lifetime in civil engineering construction. He spoke to Julian Champkin about the past and future of tunnelling, the need to enthuse the public – and the exciting challenges that the new generation of tunnellers will face

Harding prize gains momentum for 2022
28 December, 2021
Young tunnel engineers can raise their profile and make their work visible to the civil engineering community by entering the Harding Prize, named after the founder chairman of the Society, Sir Harold Harding

BTS launches Harding prize for 2022
29 November, 2021
Young tunnel engineers can raise their profile and make their work visible to the civil engineering community by entering the Harding Prize, named after the founder chairman of the Society, Sir Harold Harding

Band of brothers or distant cousins?
30 April, 2021
Martin Knights FREng, former ITA President, compares the functions and fortunes over the past 50-odd years of the British Tunnelling Society and the International Tunnelling Association

Tales of tunnelling
23 March, 2021
The British Tunnelling Society was inaugurated exactly 50 years ago. Julian Champkin talked to its members about the society and its immense contribution to tunnelling

A good dose of fibre
11 June, 2020
Steel fibre-reinforced concrete and its historic use in metro tunnels was the subject of discussion at a seminar hosted by steel-fibre maker Bekaert. Paola De Pascali reports

Tunnel construction impacts on utility pipelines
12 February, 2019
The lecture was presented at the Institution of Civil Engineers on 19th January 2017. Dr. Barry New was introduced by Lord Robert Mair. This paper is based on the lecture and contains further supporting material and analyses.