Tunnels: Rock Tunnelling

TUNNELS
ROCK TUNNELLING We anticipate the possible complications that could arise

during construction and account for them during the
WSP works in all forms of rock tunnelling, from drill preparation of design and construction documents, as well as
and blast, tunnel boring machines, roadheaders, and by overseeing construction.
mined caverns.
DRILL AND BLAST
Rock tunnelling is a specialty that is incorporated across all
of our market sectors, including transportation, roads and Drill and blast is an excavation method used frequently in
highways, rail and transit systems, underground stations, hard rock tunnelling because its flexibility allows for
water and waste water conveyance, power and energy, and different layout setups. WSP has used drill and blast to build
underground storage facilities, including petroleum and tunnels with diameters up to 30m wide, mostly supported by
nuclear waste repositories. steel bolts and fiber reinforced shotcrete (sprayed concrete).
We use controlled blasting techniques in our design to
Our engineers have extensive experience in all aspects of
control over-break, reduce vibration, and to aid the stability
rock tunnelling and mined caverns projects, from conception
of the remaining rock formation.
and feasibility studies, to detailed design and construction, as
well as the operation and rehabilitation of the facilities When vibrations or a damage zone in the rock is not feasible,
throughout their life cycle. We have been involved in rock the method can be supplemented with wire sawing. In these
tunnel design in most major cities the world over, including cases, a wire is fed through drilled holes and drawn along the
every major underground transit system in the United actual surface without causing vibrations. One major project
States. recently completed using drill and blast technique was the
Stigbergsgaraget Parking Garage in Stockholm, a finalist in
WSP is accustomed to adapting traditional design and
the 2016 ITA Tunnel Awards.
construction techniques to specific site situations, and
developing innovative techniques and approaches for
projects that demand solutions beyond standard practice. We
have experience across various geological settings and
different geographies on all six continents.
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TUNNELS
TUNNEL BORING MACHINES (TBM) By adjusting the construction sequence expressed mainly in
The main types of tunnel boring machines used in rock are round length, timing of support installation and type of
Main Beam Open Face Gripper TBMs, best for hard and support, it allows for tunneling through a variety of ground
competent rock, and shielded or double shielded TBMs like conditions. For the Eurasia Tunnel, the NATM method was
Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) and Slurry TBMs that are best used for construction over 1km of tunnel in poor rock
for highly fractured rock. condition and with limited cover. Similarly presently in San
Francisco, Chinatown Station is being constructed in poor
In San Francisco, an Earth Pressure Balance TBM was used to
rock conditions using the NATM method.
construct the two tubes of the Central Subway Tunnel. In
Istanbul, a Mix-Shield Slurry TBM was used in the highly ROADHEADERS
fractured Trakya formation to build the Eurasia Tunnel,
A roadheader is used as a mechanized method of cutting that
which won the ITA project of the Year in 2015. For the Port of
has more precise cutting, less vibration, and no overbreak.
Miami Tunnel, an Earth Pressure Balance TBM mined the
Recent developments allowed the excavation of rock tunnels
tunnel in Karstic limestones, which required the significant
in very hard rock. The basic cutting tool is a very large
use of grouting for ground improvement.
milling head mounted on a boom, which is in turn mounted
NEW AUSTRIAN TUNNELING METHOD on tracks or within a shield. The cross section can be cut to
almost any desired shape to better distribute the stresses in
The New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) – known in the
the rock mass.
United States as the Sequential Excavation Method (SEM),
and in the United Kingdom as a Sprayed Concrete Liner (SCL) In New York City, roadheaders were used for the
- is based on the understanding of how rock reacts to the construction of the East Side Access Project in New York on
creation of a tunnel. NATM offers the flexibility to build rock with compressive strength in excess of 140 MPA (20,000
tunnels of almost any size or shape, however curvilinear psi), as well as for sections of the Lane Cove Tunnel in
(oval) is preferred to allow smooth stress redistribution. Sydney, Australia.
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TUNNELS
GROUND WATER CONTROL ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

Pre-grouting is frequently used to handle water leakage in
Our geologists are experienced in all stages of geological
rock tunnelling. Long holes are drilled ahead of the
surveying, from investigation to construction, as well as
excavation and filled with grouting paste by pressure. This
beyond to maintenance, across all project types. Software
grout spreads along the joints around the tunnel, which
like MicroStation and Surpac are used to analyze structures,
minimizes the inflow of water into the tunnel.
rock types, and hydraulic properties.
WSP also has extensive experience working with the Water
Our expertise includes: geotechnical baseline investigations,
Framework Directive and we are able to undertake detailed
geotechnical baseline reports, mining structural geology,
appraisal of water resources (hydrology and flood prediction)
industrial minerals, tunnel surveys, and geotechnical
and groundwater flow (hydrogeology), through detailed
mapping.
computer modelling and advanced risk assessment
procedures. SERVICES PROVIDED BY WSP
Our hydrologists and geochemists work closely with our rock Rock tunneling requires an interweaving of knowledge rock
engineers, primarily on cases involving joint water tracking, mechanics, engineering design, and construction practice
hydraulic testing, and 3D ground water flow. and techniques. We have experience in all rock tunnel
construction techniques including drill-and-blast, New
ROCK MECHANICS
Austrian Tunnelling Method, Tunnel Boring Machines, and
Our engineers have a wide range of expertize in the field of roadheaders.
rock engineering and tunnel design for rock tunnels. Using
The use of different construction methods usually results in
numerical analysis and 3D geological modeling, rock
different rock stabilization techniques and different support
mechanical experts provide innovative technical solutions
system. Sometimes all these methods are used on the same
for our clients. We use software like MicroStation, AutoCAD,
project. For the Follo Line in Oslo, Norway and the #7 Subway
and Surpac for 3D modelling, as well as Phase 2 and FLAC for
Line Extension in New York City, both TBM and drill and
numerical analysis. Services we can provide in rock
blast are used.
mechanics are divided into surveys, design, technical
solutions, tunnel maintenance service, and cavern WSP provide complete services related to rock tunnels under
maintenance service. various surface conditions, in mountainous or urban areas, in
seismic zones, and for all market sectors.
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TUNNELS
Some of the services we provide are: 6 Program management and construction engineering
1 Geotechnical investigations, analyses, and reporting including constructability analysis, construction
including GDR and GBR staging and sequencing, value engineering, risk
2 Design of rock tunnels, caverns, shafts at various analyses and management, construction management
depth up to several hundred meters from conceptual and field inspection services, claim avoidance,
design through development of tender documents or project control and management.
detailed design documents
3 Design of rock tunnels in difficult ground conditions
including squeezing and swelling grounds, mixed
face conditions, high hydrostatic pressure, limited
cover, and karstic grounds
4 Design of the tunnel initial support, waterproofing,
and final liner
5 Environmental services related to rock tunneling
including vibration control, ground borne noise,
impact on water regimes, and sustainability
wsp.com

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TUNNELS

ROCK TUNNELLING We anticipate the possible complications that could arise

GROUND WATER CONTROL ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

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