TML REIGNS IN ITS NEW UNDERWORLD

This article describes TransManche Link's achievement in constructing a massive crossover cavern for the two running tunnels of the Channel Tunnel. The cavern is 156m long, 18m wide, and 15m high. It was built by the New Austrian Tunnelling method, whose essential principal is to make suitable adjustments to control the redistribution of stress in the ground as the tunnel advances. After each advance of the excavation, the ground is supported by a relatively thin lining of shotcrete, and the rock mass is reinforced by rock bolting. The crossover cavern was constructed from the service tunnel, before the running tunnel drives reached its location. This minimised the risk of delays to constructing the running tunnel, by building the cavern round them, and also provided enough time to complete and fit out the cavern in the overall construction programme. Due to its size, the cavern had to be excavated in several stages: (1) drilling probeholes, to locate any wet or poor ground; (2) constructing two side wall drifts; (3) constructing the crown heading; (4) excavating the central bench; (5) cutting away the shotcrete lining forming the sidewall drifts' inner sides; and (6) excavating and concreting the invert's remaining central section. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00107859
• Corporate Authors:

  Reed Business Information, Limited

  Quadrant House, The Quadrant
  Brighton Road
  Sutton, Surrey  United Kingdom  SM2 5AS
• Publication Date: 1990-9-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 18-19
• Serial:
  • CONTRACT JOURNAL
  • Publisher: Reed Business Information, Limited
  • ISSN: 0010-7859

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Tunneling
• Identifier Terms: Channel Tunnel; New Austrian Tunneling Method
• ITRD Terms: 3666: Construction method; 5155: Excavation (process); 3363: Fixed link (transmaritime); 8036: France; 3374: Tunnel; 8119: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00617619
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1991 12:00AM