UNDERGROUND ISSUE 19 INNOVATIONS SPRING 2011 NEWS FROM ROBBINS STARTUP AT SLEEMANABAD The 10.0 m (32.8 ft) Robbins Hybrid EPB was launched on March 14, 2011 following Onsite First Time Assembly (OFTA) in Madhya Pradesh, India. nsite First Time Assembly (OFTA) of a 10.0 m (32.8 ft) mode. In longer sections of rock, the machine can be converted ORobbins Hybrid EPB was completed in Madhya Pradesh, to a hard rock Single Shield setup by switching out the screw India on March 14, 2011. A commissioning ceremony marked the conveyor with a TBM belt conveyor. launch of the TBM at the 12 km (7.5 mi) long Sleemanabad Car- Excavation began on March 31 in soft ground conditions. Ole rier Canal, a water transfer project that will bolster both irriga- Pederson, Robbins India Site Manager, cited the remote project tion and drinking water supplies in the arid region. location and transport of parts as challenging aspects. Local The project also marks the first time OFTA has been used support is easing these difficulties while providing an economic on a hybrid EPB. The Robbins-developed method allows TBMs boost to the area. “The launch of this project has brought work to be initially assembled on location, rather than in a manufac- to some of the local farmers in the region, who are perform- turing facility. Critical subsystems, such as the electrical and hy- ing support functions at the jobsite. Parts delivery and food at draulic systems, are tested before being shipped to the jobsite. the jobsite are also being provided by local businesses,” said The unique machine is a fully functional hard rock Single Pederson. Shield and soft ground EPB TBM, built to bore in long sections The Sleemanabad Carrier Canal is part of the larger Bargi of 180 MPa (26,000 psi) UCS jointed rock and marble, inter- Diversion Project, a major trans-valley canal stretching 194 km spersed with clay with gravel. The machine is the first of its type (120 mi) from the existing Bargi Dam on the Narmada River to produced by Robbins—in sections of soft ground, the machine arid areas. The completed Bargi Diversion Project will trans- runs as a standard, pressurized EPB with shaft-type screw fer 152 cubic meters (40,000 gallons) of water per second conveyor. When short sections of rock or mixed ground are to Katni, Satna, Panna, and Jabalpur districts, irrigating over encountered, the machine can be run in non-pressurized open 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of land. News from Robbins SPRING 2011 Issue 19 MAMMOTH TBM MAKES INITIAL BREAKTHROUGH AT NIAGARA 14.4 m (47.2 ft) diameter behe- in the difficult ground, crews under- A moth, the world’s largest hard took significant measures to safely rock TBM, completed an initial break- scale down loose rock from the tunnel through at Canada’s Niagara Tunnel crown, as loose rock was not permit- Project on March 1, 2011. The Robbins ted behind the final concrete lining. A Main Beam machine entered a pre- redesigned ground support system existing grout tunnel excavated using was employed, consisting of spiles, drill and blast. The TBM, for contrac- rock bolts, wire mesh, steel straps, and tor Strabag AG, is continuing an- shotcrete. other 300 m (985 ft) up to the intake Once in better ground, the TBM The world’s largest hard rock TBM, a 14.4 structure to make a final breakthrough excelled--achieving a landmark month m (47.2 ft) diameter Robbins Main Beam, in mid-May. of 467 m (1,535 ft) in July 2009. The completed an initial breakthrough on March “We have a group of up to 500 rate is a record for TBMs in the 14 to 1, 2011 at Canada’s Niagara Tunnel Project. people directly and indirectly involved 15 m (46 to 49 ft) diameter range. with the project. Their determination, While the tunneling portion of the hard work, and willingness to work project is nearly complete, two years as one team while keeping focused of work still remain. Approximately FOUR EPBS to get the job done safely have all 30% of the continuous concrete lining contributed to this project’s success,” was finished during tunneling, with FAST-TRACKED FOR said Ernst Gschnitzer, Project Manager about two thirds of the work to be NANJING METRO for Strabag. completed. The completion of the project The final 12.8 m (42 ft) diameter Nearly 750,000 people currently ride comes after multiple highs and lows, tunnel will be fully lined with both 600 the rails daily on two existing metro from significant over-break to a mm (24 in) thick continuous concrete lines in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, world record. Poor rock conditions and a polyolefin waterproof membrane China. That number is slated to dra- in Queenston shale at the beginning to prevent leakage. Other construc- matically increase with the municipal of the TBM drive required the tun- tion includes the outlet structure, government’s extensive plans to nel alignment to be raised by 45 m gates, and cofferdam, which are ex- improve access across the Yangtze (150 ft) into more stable rock. While pected to be complete in 2013. River Basin by 2030. Construction of new rail lines has already begun, with the majority of work proceeding as TBM tunneling. RECORD RATES FOR ROBBINS AT Robbins is providing four 6.5 m (21.4 ft) diameter EPBs for two dif- ferent metro lines. The two pairs of ZHENGZHOU METRO EPBs will excavate Line 3 Lot 11 and Line 10 Lot 5, for the China Railway oft ground tunneling has made a Construction Corporation (CRCC) S speedy entrance in Zhengzhou, 13th Engineering Bureau and 23rd China. The metro’s first TBM, one of Engineering Bureau, respectively. two 6.3 m (20.7 ft) diameter Robbins Both sections of tunnel will be EPBs for Zhengzhou’s Line 1, achieved a excavated in similar mixed ground project record of 720 m (2,362 ft) in one conditions including clay, sand, month. Daily rates have been as high as 22 rings (33 m/108 ft) in two 10-hour pebbles, and weathered rock. Mixed shifts. The rates are not only a project ground cutterheads on both ma- record amongst nine other machines, but chines will utilize 17-inch single and also rank as some of the highest rates ever twin disc cutters, as well as carbide recorded for Chinese EPB TBMs in the knife bits. The TBMs will also be de- 6 to 7 m (20 to 23 ft) diameter range. signed with high-speed, high-torque “Several factors have resulted in the screw conveyors for swift excavation high advance rates, including optimized in the varied geology. EPBs, relatively good ground conditions, All four Robbins machines will strong technical support, and an expe- be manufactured and assembled One of two Robbins 6.3 m (20.7 ft) diameter rienced crew,” said Steven Zhu, Robbins at a facility in Jiangsu Province and Robbins EPBs boring China’s Zhengzhou Project Manager. The Robbins machines launched by the end of 2011. Metro Line 1 achieved intermediate break- were launched in November and Decem- through on March 29, 2011. ber 2010, in conditions including soft, powdery soils. News from Robbins SPRING 2011 Issue 19 Left: A 6.2 m (20.3 ft) Robbins Double Shield overcame tough ground conditions, breaking through in March 2011. Above: A 10.0 m (32.8 ft) Double Shield is currently excavating the main rail tunnel for Complex #3 in Sochi, Russia. TOTAL SUPPLY FOR VIETNAM’s LoNGEST TUNNEL Kon Tum Province, central Vietnam, ROBBINS DOUBLE SHIELD CROSSES is the location of the unique Thuong Kon Tum hydroelectric project, set to THE FINISH LINE IN SOCHI go online in five years. The scheme will draw water from the DakNghe River, requiring a 17.4 km (10.8 mi) n early March 2011, a 6.2 m (20.3 ft) to provide field support to the contrac- long tunnel that will be the longest diameter Robbins Double Shield tor’s team while the machines were I ever constructed in Vietnam. broke through in Sochi, Russia. The ma- boring. They agreed and they have been The tunnel will be bored with chine completed a 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long onsite ever since,” said Vadim Bocharov, the second Robbins machine to op- section of tunnel that will ultimately General Director for the project. erate in the country, a 4.5 m become part of the transportation infra- The 6.2 m (20.3 ft) Robbins TBM (14.8 ft) diameter Main Beam TBM. structure for the upcoming 2014 Winter achieved high rates despite difficult Other Robbins supplies include the Olympic Games. conditions. The tunnels run through back-up, cutters, spare parts, and The TBM advanced through difficult mixed ground including massive to a continuous conveyor system for ground at average rates of 100 to 120 m completely fractured limestone with muck removal. (330 to 390 ft) per week for contractor clay seams. The tunnel will be excavated in OJSC Bamtonnelstroy, a division of the In May 2010, the machine was granite, biotite, gneiss, and basalt SK Most Company. stopped after encountering a significant up to 200 MPa (29,000 psi) UCS. The completed section of fault zone consisting of broken rock and Some water inflows and up to 42 tunnel will ultimately become a service running soft ground. Field service per- fault lines are expected. To combat tunnel for Complex #3—a section of So- sonnel and crew successfully freed the the difficult ground conditions, sup- chi’s transportation infrastructure under machine by excavating a bypass tunnel port including rock bolts, mesh, ring construction, which includes road and around the TBM, freeing the cutterhead.