Unique Robbins TBM and Back-Up Will Make Short Work of Hong Kong Tunnels
Aug 06, 2007
In August 2007, a specially designed Robbins TBM will set out on two short drives for a landslide prevention project in Hong Kong. Assembly of the 3.5 m (11.5 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM was completed in July 2007 in the Robbins China manufacturing facility. The machine will bore two headings of 244 m (800 ft) and 165 m (541 ft) without a conventional back-up system for the China State/China Railway JV.
Many of the design elements on the machine for this project are due to site restrictions, including size of the work site. The entire site is just 25 m (82 ft) wide x 27 m (88 ft) long and the tunnel portal is 50 m (164 ft) from busy Po Shan Road. A high-end condominium building less than 50 m (164 ft) from the jobsite necessitated no-blast regulations and required a TBM-driven tunnel in order to minimize noise and vibration.
A specially designed back-up will aid the machine in boring the headings- a hydraulic power pack will be mounted on the rear section of the Robbins TBM, while the electrical transformers and electrical control cabinets will remain at the tunnel portal, connected to the TBM by umbilical cables containing power and electrical control cabling. Muck is removed using a system of muck cars. The TBM conveyor rests on a stationary muck storage car that empties into a bottom conveyor. Muck is transferred from the conveyor to a traveling muck car pulled by a locomotive.
The tunnels are anticipated to be in mostly Grade I rock, predominantly granite and tuff with a UCS of 200 to 300 Mpa (29,000 to 43,500 psi). A conventionally-mined access tunnel will serve as the launch site for the TBM, which will bore the 244 m (800 ft) long High Tunnel before being retracted and rotated to bore the 165 m (541 ft) long Low Tunnel. In order to make the TBM retractable, Robbins designed the cutterhead with bolt-on muck buckets and cutter housings. The reduced machine size will allow for TBM retrieval through the bored tunnel even after ring beams and shotcrete have been applied as temporary support.
Project specifications at Po Shan Road are part of a growing trend in the industry of tunneling in highly urbanized areas. "Restrictions on the use of explosives are becoming more common in high population density locations. Contractors therefore have to find more innovative ways to excavate hard rock in urban environments," said Joe Roby, Vice President of The Robbins Company.
Once boring at Po Shan is complete, several hundred sub-vertical holes will be drilled from inside the tunnel, up-hole. Water will be drained from the hillside into the drainage tunnels via these sub-vertical holes. A modified drill rig and hydraulic hammer rig will drill the holes and slotted drainpipes will be installed. The amount of drainage needed will be continuously monitored using standpipe piezometers fitted with automatic loggers. The meters will transfer data to engineering offices in real-time. Water collected inside the tunnels will be channeled to a nearby public storm water drainage system.
Contact Information:
The Robbins Company
Brianna Home (Marketing Director)
5866 South 194th St.
Kent, Washington 98032 USA
Direct: +1 253 872 4484
eMail: homeb@robbinstbm.com
Web: http://www.robbinstbm.com
Desiree Willis (Technical Writer)
5866 South 194th St.
Kent, Washington 98032 USA
Direct: +1 253 872 4490
eMail: willisd@robbinstbm.com
Web: http://www.robbinstbm.com
More News and Articles
Jul 24, 2024
News
UK utilities place multiple orders for settlement tank technology
Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, and Dŵr Cymru upgrading wastewater sites
Three UK water utilities have agreed orders for the installation of a total of six conical settlement …
Jul 22, 2024
Article
Reusing wastewater, rethinking water: Maharashtra's roadmap
How Maharashtra turns wastewater into a resource
Water resource management is a critical issue globally, and in India, the state of Maharashtra is pioneering efforts to regulate and …
Jul 19, 2024
News
Kansas City advances fire hydrant leak detection technology
An acoustic fixed-base pipe monitoring technology that uses fire hydrants to host multi-sensor devices, has already found more than 30 leaks for Kansas City Water, says Lou Rossetti …
Jul 17, 2024
News
When two bores right a wrong
The Edge Underground team is adamant: there is always a risk of things going wrong on a trenchless project, even for the most prepared contractor.
Experience and having the right equipment can be the difference between …
Jul 15, 2024
News
Adapting to a region’s growing water and wastewater needs
Gippsland Water has completed two major projects to provide local communities with water security. Trenchless Australasia takes a look at the two projects helping increase water supply …
Jul 12, 2024
News
Connections made in Glastonbury
Difficult ground conditions called for a specialist solution when new PE pipes for potable water services had to be installed underneath two, 10-metre road crossings in the grounds of the UK’s ultimate music festival …
Jul 10, 2024
Article
The Water-Energy Nexus: Interdependence and Challenges
Niclas Andersson, CEO of AirWater2All, explains the connection between water and energy. The importance of this connection and the areas in which it needs to be considered are explained …
Jul 08, 2024
News
Minimising cultural impacts with trenchless technology
Yarra Valley Water is leveraging the benefits of trenchless technology to lessen impacts on the Upper Darebin Creek branch sewer project.
The project consists of building a 2.7km sewer pipe …
Jul 05, 2024
News
SprayWall: Reinforcing Underground Infrastructure with Unmatched Strength
In the trenchless technology industry, finding a rehabilitation solution that offers ease of installation and exceptional structural integrity is paramount.
For three decades, …
Jul 01, 2024
News
“Don’t let stereotypes hold you back”
Trenchless Australasia sat down with Rob Carr project manager Marie Piette to discuss her career and work at the microtunnelling contracting company.
From Norway to Cambodia and now Perth, Western Australia, …
Jun 28, 2024
News
Transforming Wastewater: Towards Climate-Neutral Sewage Treatment
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann recently toured the Büsnau Training and Research Sewage Treatment Plant, where a pioneering project led by researchers …
Jun 26, 2024
News
Bothar advances with significant new contracts
Having commenced work on the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline earlier this year, Bothar Boring and Tunnelling has announced the award of further contracts as part of its ongoing collaboration with …
Contact
The Robbins Company
44139 Solon, OH. USA
Phone:
+1 440 248 3303
Fax:
+1 440 248 1702