PLANT AND MACHINERY ARE USED IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

Various kinds of plant and machinery are used in tunnel construction to excavate, support, and complete the tunneling operation. Depending on the type of tunnel being built (e.g., a road, railway, subway, water supply, etc.) and the geological conditions on the building site, different equipment may be employed

Boom Placer (36/4)

Boom placer is used for concrete pouring at different levels with the application of hydraulic jacks. Here ‘36’ is the reach in meters and ‘4’ states the arms. 36m reach is distributed over 4 arms and in compact Z- folding this has astounding advantages.4-arms boom is easy to handle and it provides diversity in application. It can be operated manually or remotely.

Typical data-

Self-weight- Less than 26 tonnes
Folding type- 4-arm Z-folding
Vertical Reach- 35.6 m
Horizontal reach- 31.4 m
Depth of reach- 23.9 m
End hose length- 4 m
Hopper capacity – 1 cum
Delivery rate- 60 cum/hr.

Hydra

capacity- 15 tonne
Length of arm- 50 ft.
permissible vertical angle- 62˚

capacity can be varied by lifting it from different points throughout its arm
length.

Hydra: PLANT AND MACHINERY ARE USED IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

ROC (Rock on Crawler)

It is a pneumatic driller machine used for drilling vertically and horizontally.

ELECTRIC OVERHEAD TRAVELLER

It is a gantry that is there in the machine hall for the purpose of carrying the Turbines and their parts to the machine hall from the service bay. It is having a carrying capacity of 160 tonnes but for safe working it is 140 tonnes.

Impactor

It is an electrical tool that is used to Tight the Stool Bolt below the invert for its support. It costs about 1.5 lakhs. It is used in the gantry for the lining purpose

Shotcrete Machine

A shotcrete machine is a type of construction equipment used to spray or pneumatically apply shotcrete (sprayed concrete) to surfaces like tunnel walls, slopes, or building structures. It is also known as a concrete spraying machine or gunite machine. Using a high-pressure hose to apply concrete, or “shotcrete,” enables quick and accurate placement of the concrete mix.
The tunnel walls and roof are stabilized and supported by the application of shotcrete (concrete that is sprayed on). They make sure the tunnel was fortified and kept from collapsing.

Wet shotcrete machine capacity – 9 cum/hr.
Air consumption- 7-8 cum/hr.
Maximum transport distance- 200m
Dry shotcrete machine capacity – 5-5.5 cum/hr

Shotcrete Machine: PLANT AND MACHINERY ARE USED IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

Transit mixture (miller)

A transit mixture is used to transport the concrete from batching plant to the site. It keeps on revolving which prevents the concrete from setting.
Capacity- 6 cum

Dumper (HYVA)

Dumper is a truck used to transport loose material (such as sand, gravel, or demolished waste) for construction.
Capacity- 14 cum

Excavator

Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper, bucket, and can on a rotating platform. It is used for digging trenches, foundations, and material handling.
Bucket capacity- 0.9 cum and 0.5

Wheel Loader

A loader is used to move aside or load materials.
Capacity -3.1 cum

Gantry

It is an arrangement of different mechanical parts used for vertical lifting of loads.
Capacity – 10 tonne

Grouting Machine

To fill cavities and stabilize the ground around the tunnel, grouting is a technique utilized. In the building of tunnels, several grouting tools like grout pumps and injection systems are employed.

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

Large machines called TBMs are made to dig tunnels through a range of ground conditions, from mild soils to hard rock and everything in between. They have a revolving cutter head that rips through the earth, and a conveyor system is used to remove the excavated debris from the tunnel.

Tunnel Lining Machines

The last concrete segments that make up the tunnel’s inner lining are installed using tunnel lining machines after the excavation is finished.

Monitoring Equipment

The stability of the tunnel is monitored using a variety of tools and instruments both during and after construction. These could consist of geotechnical sensors, inclinometers, and ground settlement monitors.