New Robbins Support System Gains Ground at West Qinling
Sep 15, 2010
Two Main Beam TBMs Launched with Specialized Designs in China: Ground support has reached new heights in the mountains of Gansu Province. Two 10.2 m (33.5 ft) machines are the first ever Robbins Main Beam TBMs with a redesigned ground support system replacing roof shield fingers. The TBMs were launched to bore the twin 16.6 km (10.3 mi) long West Qinling rail tunnels under high cover.
Ground in the tunnels consists of 30 to 80 MPa (4,300 to 11,600 psi) UCS sandstone and phyllite rock beneath more than 1,400 m (4,600 ft) of cover. The corresponding ground support program consists of continuous mesh and rock bolts, with either ring beams or steel straps, for the length of the tunnel. "We believe this systematic use of mesh with roof bolts and steel straps will be adequate support for the geology," said Brian Khalighi, Robbins Vice President - Kent, WA, USA.
Should extremely poor ground be encountered, the mesh pockets can be relatively easily modified to use the McNally Support System, patented by C&M McNally Engineering of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for exclusive use with Robbins TBMs. The McNally System utilizes steel or wood slats to provide continuous support along the roof area of the tunnel, protecting workers from falling rock.
The two machines, for contractor China Railways 18th Bureau (Group) Co., were assembled at a local workshop and transported to the jobsites, where they were assembled on bridges spanning a deep valley. The first machine, for the Left Line, was launched at the end of June and has excavated over 100 m (330 ft) after being walked through a 2.0 km (1.2 mi) long adit tunnel. The second machine, for the Right Line, was launched on July 17. The TBM tunnels are just 40 m (130 ft) apart and are located approximately 1,000 m (3,280 ft) above sea level, about halfway up Qinling Mountain.
The parallel rail tunnels will be used for freight, and will link the city of Longnan with the towns of Waina, Luotang and Fengxiang within Gansu Province. The West Qinling tunnels are part of the Chinese Government’s Lanzhou to Chongqing Railway, a massive 820 km (500 mi) long scheme that will link the capital of Gansu Province (Lanzhou) with southwestern Chongqing, a mega-city of over 35 million people. The new railway, at a cost of USD $11.3 billion, will shorten transport times from 17.5 hours to 6.5 hours and enable an annual freight capacity of 100 million metric tons (110 million US tons). Trains will run on the double track lines at 160 km per hour (100 mph), with a 50-train daily maximum. The entire railway is expected to open to traffic in 2014.
Contact:
The Robbins Company
Brianna Home
29100 Hall Street
Solon, OH 44139, USA
PH.: 253.872.4484
E-Mail: homeb@robbinstbm.com
Internet: www.robbinstbm.com
More News and Articles
Apr 24, 2024
News
Sustainable drainage solutions: German Start-up transforms urban water management.
Germany boasts a well-established infrastructure for managing rainwater and wastewater, yet many developing countries lack such systems. Addressing this gap, …
Apr 22, 2024
News
HDD tooling that gets the job done
Horizontal directional drilling is a dynamic process that constantly changes and adapts to suit a range of applications across utilities and infrastructure. Operators looking to get the most from their equipment …
Apr 19, 2024
News
WATCH: Overnight with SAERTEX-LINER H20 in São Paulo
Available through Pipe Core, high-quality liner SAERTEX-LINER H20 performed under pressure in São Paulo, Brazil.
Maintaining aging potable water pipe infrastructure is a constant challenge …
Apr 17, 2024
News
Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark
An immersive media experience (IMX) may not be what most people want when they think about industrial wastewater, but that is exactly what visitors can expect when they visit a new installation …
Apr 15, 2024
News
Spotlight on gender diversity at Pipe Core
Since founding in 2008, Pipe Core’s team has grown across all areas of the business and is now in a position where there are more females than males across the organisation. Research published in Harvard …
Apr 12, 2024
News
New Wave of Startups Scale Innovation to Solve Global Water Challenges
Innovators from Around the World Join Xylem’s 2024 Accelerator Program to Deploy Breakthrough Innovations for Utilities and Industrial Users of Water
A new group of startups …
Apr 08, 2024
News
Integrated sustainable electricity and clean drinking water systems
Altitude Water and New Use Energy Solutions have partnered to create integrated, mobile solar-plus-water generation systems that produce sustainable electricity and clean drinking …
Apr 05, 2024
News
How to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Risk in HDD Design
The design of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations often requires an evaluation of the potential for hydraulic fracture of the soil layers through which an HDD passes. Evaluating …
Apr 02, 2024
News
Historic Project Linking Rome and Vatican City Uses Advanced Technology and Local Knowledge to Keep Water Flowing
Relocation of Major Sewer Infrastructure Enables Construction of Pedestrian Link for 35 Million Visitors to the 2025 Jubilee
Water …
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
Utah State University (USU) has published new research on water main breaks in the United States and Canada, examining …
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, …
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) …
Contact
The Robbins Company
44139 Solon, OH. USA
Phone:
+1 440 248 3303
Fax:
+1 440 248 1702