Fast and Safe through Wuxi
May 13, 2013
Tunneling and gallery techniques » Jacking by machine » Tunnel boring machine
Eight tunnel boring machines from Herrenknecht excavated almost 16 kilometers of tunnel in only 20 months, crossing beneath the emerging metropolis of Wuxi. The machines mastered challenging tunnelling stretches with small overburdens. The last breakthrough, for the time being, was celebrated on March 3, 2013. The first two metro lines in the 3000 year old town on Taihu Lake near Shanghai are expected to start operation in 2014. A total of 5 metro lines are planned.
A total of 8 Earth Pressure Balance Shields (Ø 6,370 – 6,390mm) from Herrenknecht have tunnelled through the underground since July 2011 to construct the first two metro lines in the 4-million strong metropolis of Wuxi in the east of China. For the construction of Wuxi's first two metro lines, they excavated a total of almost 16 kilometers.
On March 3, they completed their mission with the final breakthrough of the S-730 tunnel boring machine. With top performances of more than 33 meters a day and 164 meters a week, the TBM made its way through the ground excavating a diameter of 6.39 meters. Thus, 2,508 meters of tunnel for metro line 2 were built in only 10 months.
Before that the machines also mastered challenging tasks when constructing the metro tunnels for line 1. The S-663, a compact Earth Pressure Balance Shield with a diameter of 6.37 meters, drove only a few meters beneath residential and commercial buildings. On December 7, 2012, the machine achieved final breakthrough. Right at the start of tunnelling, on May 24, only 7 meters of soil were above the machine, and the distance to the foundation pillars of the building above were only 3.7 meters. Therefore, the ground, consisting of strongly aquiferous clay, was treated with a special frost procedure. Following a smooth start, the machine quickly crossed beneath the building.
Wuxi with its more than four million inhabitants, situated in the east of China near Shanghai, is investing a great deal in the construction and extension of efficient public transport systems. At least 5 metro lines are to cross the city in future. The two metro lines 1 and 2 with a total length of 58.5 kilometers are expected to start operation by the end of 2014. Line 1 will cross the city from north to south, and line 2 from east to west. Herrenknecht received orders for 5 EPB Shields for the construction of line 1, and orders for 3 machines were placed for the construction of line 2. The machines were assembled by the local branch Herrenknecht (Wuxi) Tunnelling Equipment Co., Ltd.
China's economic growth and the increasing urbanization have led to a high demand for efficient underground traffic and supply infrastructures. Chinese tunnel engineers have completed a total of 400 kilometers of metro tunnels safely and quickly using Herrenknecht technology since the first project in Beijing in 2000. Around 100 further kilometers are currently under construction.
Wuxi Metro Line 1 and Line 2 | |||
Machine data | Project data | ||
Machine type: | 8 x EPB Shields | Tunnel length, total: | 15.66km |
Diameter: | 6,370 – 6,390mm | Geology: | Wuxi Clay |
Installed power: | 600 – 675kW | ||
Client: Wuxi Metro Group Co., Ltd | |||
Customers: Shanghai Mechanized Construction Co. Ltd.; Shanghai Baoye Construction; China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co. Ltd.; China Railway 19th Bureau Group Co. Ltd.; China Railway 1st Group Co. Ltd. (CREC); Wuxi HongYuan Construction Group Co. Ltd., China Railway Tunnel Group 3 Bureau |
More News and Articles
Mar 27, 2024
News
USU Study Looks at Water Main Break Rates in the U.S. and Canada
Report Highlights Correlation Between Material and Diameter
Mar 26, 2024
News
Update BE-21: New Material in Course and Modules on Trenchless Pipe Installation
Online training on the topic of pipeline installation in civil engineering: Trenchless technology for underground drainage construction can be a resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, time-saving, and cost-effective alternative to open cut methods. The UNITRACC e-learning course "Utility Tunnelling" has been enhanced …
Mar 25, 2024
Article
Bacteria as a new weapon in wastewater treatment
In early November, San Diego based startup Aquacycl officially opened its first European office and test center at the Water Campus in Leeuwarden. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM) …
Mar 22, 2024
News
A superior HDD offering
Building on its relationships with leading horizontal directional drilling companies, TRACTO Australia has delivered three new rigs to operator Superior HDD.
Mar 20, 2024
News
New portable water filtration technology could improve access to clean drinking water worldwide
The University of Texas at Austin has developed an injectable water filtration system with the aim to aid the over two billion people worldwide who are without clean drinking water.
Mar 18, 2024
News
Global Student Innovation Challenge Calls on Next-Generation Leaders to Tackle Water Security
High School and University Students Worldwide Invited to Expand Water Access and Community Resilience
Mar 15, 2024
News
New water treatment wins Prestigious Award
Introducing a advancement in water treatment, developed by Cardiff University researchers in collaboration with Origin Aqua, the FreeOxTM technology has garnered acclaim by winning a prestigious challenge award at the World Water Tech Innovation Summit. This single-step process not only …
Mar 13, 2024
News
Satellite-based river monitoring technique could provide early warning of flooding
A satellite-based method for monitoring the flow of rivers from orbit could provide a valuable early warning system for flood risk, University of Glasgow researchers have claimed.
Mar 11, 2024
News
Revitalising infrastructure with HDD
Through the use of horizontal directional drilling, TasWater is delivering a new sewer pipeline to improve sewer and stormwater transfer capacity in Launceston, Tasmania.
Mar 06, 2024
News
Picking up the pace on climate action: Building momentum from COP28
At the halfway point of the Paris Agreement, the legally binding international treaty on climate action, average global temperatures are already hitting 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels and future projections are stark. At COP28 in December, we could not escape the reality …
Mar 01, 2024
News
Luminescent sensor detects ‘forever chemical’ pollution in water
Researchers in the UK and Germany have developed a new approach for detecting pollution from ‘forever chemicals’ in water through luminescence.
Feb 28, 2024
Article
BETT installation demonstrating GHG emissions reduction of wastewater treatment
This study presents BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) as a new wastewater management solution toward the Net-Zero future. The results reported herein were collected from a BETT pilot system installed at a large brewery in Los Angeles, CA, United States processing …
Contact
Herrenknecht AG
Achim Kühn
Schlehenweg 2
77963 Schwanau
Germany
Phone:
+49 (0) 7824 / 302-5400
Fax:
+49 (0) 7824 / 302-4730