Tunnel Construction

Transit / Metro
Rail
Highways
Water and Sewer
Utilities
Hydro
Mining
Special projects

Tunnel Methods
Conventional
Mechanised excavation / Road headers
Drill and Blast (D&B)

Mechanised
Open face TBM Gripper & Open shield
Closed face TBM Slurry, EPB & Dual mode

Specialty
Microtunneling
Immersed Tube
Cut and Cover

Tunnel liner
Conventional Tunneling
None Rock
NATM Shotcrete / Mesh / Bolts
Cast in Situ RC

Mechanised Tunneling

None
Shotcrete / Bolts - Cast in Situ
Tunnel Pre Cast Rings / Segments
Pre Cast Pipes

Related Construction
Ground Treatment

Grouting
Deep soil mixing
Freezing
De Watering

Shaft Construction

D wall / Secant Piles

Soldier pile / Steel sheets
Caisson Precast or Cast in Situ
Open excavation Sloped / Shotcrete, Mesh, Bolts

Pre Construction
Tunnel Requirement
Geotechnical Survey
Topo Survey
Building Survey
Traffic / Road Survey
GEOTECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS GENERALLY
DETERMINE TUNNEL METHODOLOGY

Method Choice
Dry or Very Low Permeability Rock - Non Urban
Road Header <60mpa (shielded or un shielded)
Drill & Blast
TBM Open Gripper Shielded Gripper

Primary Support
Rock Bolts
Sprayed Concrete / Mesh

Final Liner
None
In Situ cast RC Liner
Pre Cast Segment Rings (Fractured Rock)

Drill & Blast

Road Headers

Rock Tunnel

Forepoling Umbrella

Drilling face for D&B or grouting

Rock Tunnel Road header

Rock Bolts and Sprayed Concrete

Sprayed Liner and Bolts

Cavern and Tunnels

T5 Rail Tunnel - Manipur

Tunnel Final Liner

Cast In Situ Formwork

Steelwork for Cast in Situ Liner

Method Choice
Dry Rock or Very Low Permeability Urban (No Blasting)
TBM Open Gripper type , Open Shielded ( Longer Lengths)
Road Header - <60mpa
Drill & Chemical splitting ( Short Lengths)

Primary Support
Rock Bolts
Sprayed Concrete / Mesh
Pre Cast segment Rings (Final Liner)

Final Liner
None
In Situ cast RC Liner

Unshielded Rock TBM

Gripper Open Cutter
For massive rock

Gripper Shield with Face Support

For fractured Blocky rock face
Back mounted cutters

Open Shielded Rock TBM

Double Shield
Gripper RockTBM

Single Shield Rock TBM

Method Choice
Rock Water High Permeability All areas
TBM- Shielded Closed Face (EPB and Slurry)

Primary / Final Support

Pre Cast RC tunnel lining

Options for Short tunnels

Ground treatment ahead of excavation (De watering,
Grouting)
Sprayed Concrete / mesh / Bolts - Primary Liner
Cast in Situ Final liner

Closed Face Rock TBM

Slurry Rock TBM

Dual Mode TBM

Dual Mode TBM :Open Rock and Closed EPB

also Slurry / EPB available

Method Choice
Soft Ground Dry (Urban, Non Urban)
Short Drives Consolidated Ground (Clay, Silt)
Back Hoe type Excavator
NATM Primary support (Shotcrete , mesh, Lattice Girders)
Cast in Situ Final Liner
Forepoling and grouting may be required
Long Drives
TBM EPB - Shielded , Open or Closed
Liner- Pre Cast Segmental Rings
Small Dia. <3m
Pipe Jacking Open face shield / EPB
Hand Mine or mechanical excavation
Pre Cast Jacking Pipes

NATM Soft Ground

Showing Shotcrete and lattice Girders

EPB TBM

Open Face Pipe Jacking

Open Shield powered Cutter

Method Choice
Soft Ground Wet Unstable High Permeability

(Sand, Silt)
TBM Shielded Closed Face Slurry (EPB - Clay)
Liner Pre Cast Segmental Tunnel Rings

Small Dia. <3m

Microtunnelling Slurry
Pre Cast Pipes

RC Reinforced Concrete
PC - Polymer Concrete
VC - Vitrified Clay
Composite - Fiberglass

Twin Tunnel EPB TBM

Slurry TBM

Slurry System
Solids Removal

RC Segmental Ring Tunnels

Ring Erector

Primary & Final Liner

Segmental tunnel
Segment Transport
to TBM

Microtunneling/ Pipe Jacking

Microtunneling TBM

Method Choice
Cut and Cover
Generally for shallow tunnels with less than 1 x Dia cover
Temporary ground support
Sloped excavation Stable Ground and Space
Piles (Soldier, Secant) steel sheets
Bolts and Shotcrete in Rock

May require De Watering system

Immersed Tube
For Shallow Water Crossings

Cut & Cover Tunnel

IMT Advantages

IMT Stages

Excavation

Box Construction

Floatation

IMT Immersion

Lowering into Excavation

Tunnel Shafts

Secant Piles

D wall Metro Shaft

Tunnel Shafts

Shaft Segments

Caisson

Different !!

Station TBM ?

Largest TBM 17.6m

WHAT IS MICROTUNNELLING
REMOTE CONTROLLED PIPE JACKING
ACCURATE GUIDANCE +/- 15mm
CONTROL OF GROUND & WATER
PRESSURE

AUTOMATED SPOIL REMOVAL

NO SIZE LIMIT

( 3600mm OD)

Slurry Microtunneling- All Ground

Ideal Conditions
Typical 120 -1000 +m
Wet, running sand to

clay and small gravels

Below the water table

Carbide bits or
backhoe teeth

Rock with disc cutters

SOFT GROUND TUNNELING

Microtunnelling System

Microtunnelling Boring Heads

1200 TON JACKING

Heads
Soil
Mixed Face
Rock
Varying degrees of success
with:

Building Foundations
Garbage dumps
Wood/Piles
Ships
Caverns/Voids

DN1200 With Access Mixed

Face

Slurry Microtunneling in
Hard Rock
Single disc or

two-row tungsten
carbide cutters

Premature wear of

cutting tools due to

slurry

Less efficient

excavation method

As Complex ?
DN1800

Unlined Shaft

7m Dia Shaft 30m Deep

Shaft In Canal - Bangkok

Site Set Up

Microtunnelling Shaft Set Up

Computer Control System

Active Targeting Systems

ThActive target system uses the beam of the laser to calculate the vertical and
horizontal angle of the laser beam to the MTBM
Using the target data and the steering ram position, the computer system calculates
the anticipated MTBM position ten feet forward.

Separation Plant

On Line On Grade

Slurry Microtunneling
Advantages

Ability to hold line and grade

Allows excavation below the water table
Slurry is an efficient means of spoil transfer
Typically allows installation of the final product pipe
Remote control man entry for maintenance only

Disadvantages

Total site equipment cost is very high

Not required if above water table or in low permeability ground
Limited amount of contractors increases prices
Face access to change tooling
Requires specialized technical training

Longest 2880m

Delhi - Interceptor Sewer

Aim to reduce effluent in the Yamuna river (flows to the
Ganges) is unable to support any life due to pollution

Client is Delhi Jal Board (DJB) with Engineers India Ltd

(EIL) as the GC with CH2M- DPR, Design and Tender

57.6Km Interceptor Sewer, 6 Pump Stations, 132

Interceptor Chambers & 16km of Rising Mains.

D&B + Operation for 10years

Tendered as 6 Contracts awarded to 3 Contractors for
$323m after a reverse auction

Delhi- Interceptor Sewer P2&3

Interceptor Alignment

DN2400 MT Site

Cast In Situ Caisson Shafts

Drain Crossing

HDPE Lined SS Collars

2400 MTBM

9m Jacking Shaft

Manhole Construction

Cuttack MT Project
Cuttack Odisha Sanitary Sewer Project JICA funded
255 Km (Extended to 400Km) of Property connections
Old Central City Area Very Congested
Trenchless Technology for 18 routes (10km) 150-600mm
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Successful Bidder
Michigan Engineering MT Subcontractor
AECOM DDC for the Microtunnelling

Cuttack Microtunnelling
Slurry and Auger systems allowed
Ground: Alluvium deposits of sand - with silt and clay, high
WT 1-2m below GL, N 1-20

Invert levels from 1.5 to 5m below GL

Short distances between shafts 20-80m
Very tight space, required small shafts and small equipment
footprint

Pilot tube method chosen due to small dia. pipes (5km of

DN150-200) small shafts & site footprint, speed of
construction.

Cuttack MT Routes

Crowded Streets

2nd Phase +Water Seals

3rd Phase RC Pipe DN250

DN150 RC Jacking Pipes

THANK YOU