British Tunnelling Society

JULY EDITION OF TUNNELS & TUNNELLING INTERNATIONAL We are pleased to share below a pared-down version of the July 2024 edition of the official British Tunnelling Society publication - Tunnels and Tunnelling International. The edition features insight on technical mechanised tunnelling, with a lead piece focussed on HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd's longest tunnel under Chiltern Hills, as the two TBMs on the job both complete bored tunnelling. Detailed technical insight on hard rock TBM performance prediction with regression models is also shared by Alireza Salimi, Jamal Rostami, Christian Moormann, and Jafar Hassanpour. A brief overview is also offered regards the highly informative ITAtech guides covering TBM Chemical Consumables and TBM Services. Finally, Henrik Bygbjerg and Qusai Alasad of Danfoss Fire Safety A/S, discuss high-pressure water-mist suppression systems in fire-safety designs of road tunnels as seen in India. Also included is the full 2024 Tunnels and Tunnelling International Buyers Guide. See it here: https://lnkd.in/gmh-fNNK Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

In Memory of Olivier Vion. Former Executive Director of ITA. It is with great sadness that the British Tunnelling Society expresses it's condolences at the loss of Olivier Vion, former Executive Director of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) and member of the British Tunnelling Society. Olivier's impact on the international Tunnelling community is indelible. Through many decades in service of the ITA, Olivier enabled this important NGO to achieve great things. We give thanks for Olivier Vion and his legacy and fondly remember an energetic and passionate person who will be sorely missed from our global family. 

TBMS AT HALFWAY POINT FOR HS2’S NORTHOLT TUNNEL Tunnelling on HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd’s Northolt Tunnel under London has reached the halfway mark. Four TBMs are building the 13.5km tunnel that will carry high-speed trains between HS2’s super-hub station at Old Oak Common, west London, and the outskirts of the capital at West Ruislip. The machines will excavate 27km of tunnel overall – two bores over the 13.5km length – making it the second longest tunnel on the new railway after one recently excavated beneath the Chiltern Hills. The first machine, TBM Sushila, was launched eastwards from West Ruislip in October 2022. It was followed one month later by TBM Caroline, which is excavating the adjacent tunnel. Both will complete 8km of the route, finishing their journeys at the Green Park Way vent shaft in Greenford – just over halfway – where they will be lifted out. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eTaD3eku Video courtesy of HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

ITACET LUNCHTIME LECTURE SERIES SEPTEMBER 2024 The next Lunchtime Lecture Series, as organised by ITACET Foundation for Continuous Education and Training on Tunnelling and Underground Space Use in September, will focus on EPB tunnelling. Scheduled for September 10th the lecture’s full topic is EPB tunnelling: environmental aspects and re-use opportunities of the conditioned muck. The rapid development of mechanised tunnelling in the last decades has increased the tunnelling community’s focus on the environmental aspects of tunnel construction. The excavation carried out by using EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) machines often requires the use of foaming agents, specific products that are added to the medium intended to be excavated, to make the excavation process possible. The produced muck can be considered more than a simple “landfill material” and its re-use is strongly suggested in view of sustainable excavation and circular economy principles. However, the correct management process should be followed. This process should consider the presence of the used additives in the mucking itself. The episode will feature the following speakers and topics: - The conditioning phase in EPB tunnelling and the issue of muck disposal – Prof. Carmine Todaro - Environmental aspects of the conditioning phase, chemical profile of foaming agents and the biodegradation process: the Italian approach before muck re-use – Prof. Anna Barra Caracciolo - Muck: raw material for industrial production; mineralogical and chemical analysis and its use on construction sites - Prof. Dr. Robert Galler Register to attend the online webinar here: https://lnkd.in/eT4Zv3iZ Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

Dr. Evert Hoek passed away peacefully on the morning of Saturday, July 6, 2024. He was much loved by his family and admired and valued as a friend, teacher, and colleague. A true giant in rock mechanics, rock engineering and life, and he will be missed greatly. Everyone at the British Tunnelling Society conveys their condolences and best wishes to his friends and family.

HS2’S OLD OAK COMMON BOX EXCAVATION COMPLETED Excavation of the box structure at HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd’s Old Oak Common station in west London has been completed. The excavation has taken three years, after permanent construction to form the walls of the box began in June 2021. The vast underground box has a 1.8km-long fibre-reinforced concrete diaphragm wall around it, and 1.3 million tonnes of London clay have been removed. HS2’s station construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture (BBVS JV), working with specialist structures contractor Expanded , completed the excavation. The project’s 1,500th apprentice, 19-year-old Miguel Jardim, removed the last of the London clay from the box. HS2 says it is on track to meet its target of 2,000 apprenticeships. The excavation was completed section by section within the box, starting from the west and the east of the structure and meeting in the middle. The box is 20m deep and a reinforced concrete base slab up to 2m deep is being poured throughout. Some 32,000 tonnes of steel rebar, assembled by hand on site, have been used in the box, alongside 160 reinforced concrete columns which have been installed inside the outer wall to help support the structure. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eSxf5gP8 Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

BTSYM CONFERENCE 2024: BOOKINGS OPEN The British Tunnelling Society Young Members Conference 2024 is scheduled to take place at Arup Offices, 80 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 4TS on Friday 13th September 2024, 08:30 to 17:30 with evening social to follow. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eWnt6V-j Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

ICYMI: BTS LECTURE – KIDSTON PUMPED STORAGE PROJECT Did you know that the British Tunnelling Society archives all of their evening lectures on YouTube as a free to access educational resource? In February 2023 Clare Onal of Mott MacDonald delivered an in-depth presentation on the Kidston Pumped Storage Project. Kidston will be the world's first conversion of a gold mine into a hydroelectric pumped storage facility –setting a benchmark for similar conversions globally. The Kidston pumped storage project will be the first pumped hydro plant to be built in Australia since 1984. This transformative project by renewable energy and storage company Genex Power will be the cornerstone of a renewable energy zone (REZ) that will provide clean, cheap and firm power to the area. The existing site comprises two gold mine pits with more than 100 years of operations. These pits will be converted into the top and bottom reservoirs for the Kidston pumped storage project. Significant underground infrastructure, including a large powerhouse cavern, waterway shafts and tunnels to allow the transfer of water between the reservoirs will need to be engineered. Check out the full presentation here: https://lnkd.in/gYKpnCXn Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

BTS CONFERENCE 2024 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN The British Tunnelling Society 2024 Conference and Exhibition is the largest gathering of tunnelling professionals in the UK. Taking place on October 8th – 9th, 2024 at the QEII Conference Centre, Westminster, London, this event is an essential meeting point for everyone involved in the design, construction and operation/maintenance of today’s underground infrastructure. We have decided to focus on the future at our 2024 event, and will be shining the spotlight on innovative technologies, including the much misunderstood sector of AI in tunnelling, the effect of underground construction on the environment and how to minimise its impacts, alongside the usual mix of projects and new developments that are pushing the limits of engineering. Register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/dki7C5G3 Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

REGISTRATION OPENS FOR WTC2025 Registration is now open for World Tunnel Congress 2025 (WTC 2025). Very Early Bird registration is available at a rate of SEK7,800 until November 30, 2024. Following that, the Early Bird rate of SEK9,000 will be available until January 31, 2025. Standard registration rates will be applicable until May 8, 2025. Detailed pricing and registration information can be found on wtc2025.se [https://www.wtc2025.se] WTC2025 will feature technical tours showcasing Sweden’s rich history and innovation in tunnelling. The tours include visits to one of the world’s longest traffic tunnels, a historic mine, urban development projects, and a glimpse into Sweden’s explosive past. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eSmkZYV4 Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling