Variable Density TBM – Combining

Two Soft Ground TBM Technologies

By Karin Bäppler, Frédéric Battistoni, Werner BurgerMarch 22, 2018

The interest in today’s underground tunnel construction projects, in

particular for clients and project financiers, is to complete the tunneling
structures safely, on time and within the given cost frame as cost and time
overruns weaken the confidence of clients and authorities and finally the
confidence and acceptance of large-scale projects among the public.
That’s how flexible, future-orientated solutions such as mechanized
tunneling technology are becoming increasingly important to clients in
achieving the targeted quality and functionality of a project on time and
within budget.

As today’s projects are more and more designed and implemented in

regions and geological conditions that would have been inconceivable a
decade ago, specially adapted machine concepts are required to safely
excavate the infrastructure below surface where needed regardless of
subsoil conditions. Thus, tunnel structures are increasingly planned in
heterogeneous geologies with sections that can comprise solid rock
conditions, soft and water-bearing soils and/or mixed-face conditions
composed of rocks and soils. Such conditions demand a specially adapted
machine design to safely and reliably excavate and line the tunnel without
the need for long conversion times.

This paper highlights the new generation of soft ground machines that
combine the two basic soft ground technologies in one and the same
machine. With the design of the new generation of multi-mode soft ground
machine it is possible to smoothly switch between the different modes
(EPB and Slurry) in the tunnel by maintaining permanent and full control of
face pressure, and without the need for excavation chamber interventions.
This new machine generation is called Variable Density TBM and offers
maximum safety and flexibility in the choice of tunnel face support and
discharge of muck.

Figure 1 – Multi-mode TBM for Socatop, slurry and earth pressure mode.
Development of Multi-mode Soft
Ground TBMs
The first multi-mode TBM was designed back in the 1980s for a tunneling
project that was built in variable ground conditions comprising stable to soft
rock, mixed face and water-bearing soils. Since then the technology has
been continually refined and updated to the high degree of maturity of
today’s available machine design, the Variable Density TBM (K. Bäppler,
W. Burger, 2016).

In 2000, a multi-mode TBM was successfully applied for the road tunnel
project Socatop in Paris. The project comprised the construction of the A86
West Tunnel that forms the final link of the 80-km A86 ring road around
Greater Paris. The tunnel has been built to relieve traffic congestion and
improve traffic links between the suburbs of Paris. The multi-mode TBM
that was used for the construction of this tunnel had a diameter of 11.56 m
and was at that time the first innovative TBM that could be operated in
EPB and slurry mode.

The tunnel was built by three of the biggest construction and road industry
companies in France – Vinci, Eiffage Construction and Colas. To justify the
significant effort of a machine design that is capable to completely change
from EPB to slurry mode in the tunnel there must be special project
conditions. The Socatop project featured such conditions. The tunnel has a
length of 10 km of which approximately 60% of the subsurface conditions
are soils suitable for the use of an EPB shield. The remaining 40% of the
alignment comprised an optimum condition for a TBM operation with a
slurry supported tunnel face. The TBM and tunneling concept for the
project considered in particular that the respective geological formations
occurred in long associated sections. Both slurry shields and EPB shields
are operated with a filled excavation chamber and a controlled support
pressure for the tunnel face. The major differences between the two
operation modes are the properties of the chamber filling such as viscosity,
shear strength, density and the type of chamber and face pressure control.
With slurry shields, the face pressure is controlled by a remote pressurized
air bubble that is in most cases provided by separating the excavation
chamber in two compartments by means of a submerged wall. With an
EPB shield the face pressure is controlled by the advance speed and muck
extraction volume via the screw conveyor speed.

The design of both cutting wheel and excavation chamber does not require
any compromises between the operation modes. The major mechanical
differences are muck transportation and muck handling systems in the
excavation chamber and in the tunnel. Slurry shields use a closed,
pressurized slurry circuit with a slurry treatment plant at surface; EPB
shields use a screw conveyor for controlled muck extraction out of the
excavation chamber and an open tunnel transport system with muck cars
or conveyors. The generous amount of space available with the large
diameter soft ground TBM for the Socatop project allowed the parallel
arrangements of both muck removal systems in the invert area of the
excavation chamber with some minor functional compromises. If slurry
operation was required in prevailing geological conditions with possible
blocks, boulders or larger stones, a jaw crusher could be moved in from a
parking position and activated in front of the suction grid. This required a
manual intervention and additional mechanical effort to change the
operation mode. With TBM diameters smaller than 8 m this becomes even
more difficult.

Although the Socatop project was to stay a one-of-a-kind solution for a

rather long time, it showed conclusively that a complex combination of
different technologies can make sense if the project circumstances are
right.

In May 2013, Bouygues Civil Works Florida successfully completed the

excavation of the Port of Miami road tunnel in Florida. The project
comprises 1.2-km long twin-tube tunnels that cross the shipping channel
and cruise ship terminal with their ends curving off to tie-in the existing
road alignments on Watson and Dodge islands. The tunnels accommodate
two traffic lanes, curbs, walkways, ventilation fans and additional safety
features.

Tunnelling for the Miami Port Tunnel in the Biscayne Bay was realized in
porous and variable subsoil conditions of mainly sand and limestone and
chloride groundwater. Due to high ground permeability in the porous
formation and environmental concerns related to possible loss of slurry into
the Biscayne Bay aquatic preserve, an EPBM (Ø12.87m)
from Herrenknecht was selected to excavate and line the twin tube
tunnels. The TBM could be adapted to deal with the variable ground
conditions of locally high permeability where it was required to control the
water and extract the rock at the tunnel face. The machine could be
operated both in EPB mode with material discharge through the screw
conveyor onto a continuous conveyor muck handling system and in a
water controlled process (WCP) mode with hydraulic mucking as the
machine crossed beneath the channel and entered into the highly
permeable rocks.
The WCP mode bypasses the discharge gate and the muck is processed
directly from the screw conveyor through a crusher and into a slurry
pipeline to get pumped to a separation plant on surface. The system does
not incorporate a crusher in the excavation chamber as done in a standard
slurry machine. The cutterhead tool configuration is designed to limit the
particles that can enter the excavation chamber to a size suitable for the
installed screw conveyor. The WCP mode as designed for the EPBM that
excavated the Port of Miami tunnels is a simplified system or preliminary
step in the development of the Variable Density TBM where a rotary
crusher-slurryfier box was designed in combination with the screw
conveyor outlet. The rotary crusher-slurryfier box has to be moved into a
parking position before the belt conveyor can be put in operation.

Figure 2 – Functional Principles used for The “WCP – Mode” on the Port of Miami TBM.

Variable Density TBM, a new

generation of multi-mode soft ground
TBM
The demand of today’s specific project conditions where frequent changes
of soils, rocks and mixed face conditions of soils and rocks at the tunnel
face are more and more common and this beneath the groundwater table
had led to the development – also for small to medium sized TBMs – to
change between operation modes, e.g. from a slurry supported face to an
earth pressure supported face and this with full control of the face pressure
also during the transition between modes.

This new generation of multi-mode TBMs, the Variable Density TBM,

combines the individual advantages of each system in one machine. The
development of the Variable Density TBM was focused on the goal to
change between the closed operation modes (slurry and earth pressure
face support) in the tunnel without any need of mechanical modification in
the excavation chamber or behind the gantry in the tunnel area. The
Variable Density TBM can be operated as classic Slurry TBM with an air
bubble system to control the face pressure and in a full EPB mode. The
change between the modes can be done gradually under permanent and
full control of the tunnel face pressure and without any need of chamber
interventions. This machine can also be operated using a high density in
the excavation chamber that would be too dense for classic slurry
operation but that would be too fluid for a classic EPB operation.

RELATED: 5 Herrenknecht TBMs Ordered for Sydney Metro

If the Variable Density TBM is fully equipped it would require two muck
transportation systems in the tunnel. In a classic Mixshield mode (air
bubble for active face pressure control) a closed slurry circuit is required
and if operated in a full EPB mode (dry system) muck cars or continuous
conveyors are required. The Variable Density TBM can also be operated
with classic earth pressure support in the excavation chamber and closed
conveyance in the tunnel, e.g. in contaminated soils. In dependence on the
specific project conditions one of the two systems may be selected to be
the high performance primary system and the other, the secondary system
of reduced performance. For all operation modes of the Variable Density
TBM the muck is extracted from the excavation chamber via a screw
conveyor. The further processing of the muck depends on the operation
mode in place and the choice of logistics for material conveying. This can
be changed from hydraulic transportation through pipes to belt-conveyor
transport or muck car haulage.

Figure 3 – Variable Density TBM, different tunneling modes for optimum adaptability in difficult soft ground.

First Use of Variable Density TBMs

(Ø6.62m) for Klang Valley MRT Line 1
in Kuala Lumpur
The first Variable Density TBM was used for the 9.5-km long underground
section of the first line of the Klang Valley MRT Project in Greater Kuala
Lumpur. This Metro Line 1 will be operated when commissioned below the
surface as twin tubes running parallel and as stacked tunnel tubes due to
space restrictions in the city area. The tunnel was built in Kenny Hill and
Kuala Lumpur Limestone formation. The soil structure of the Kuala Lumpur
Limestone is demanding due to its characterization of highly erratic karst
features with eroded limestone rock beneath a layer of top soil. For a total
of 8.6 km, six Variable Density TBMs (Ø 6.62m) were supplied to MMC-
Gamuda KVMRT. The remaining section of about 1 km was excavated
using EPB shields. The Variable Density machines were specially adapted
to the specific subsurface conditions with a potential risk of suddenly
encountering cavities. Using then the liquid supported tunnel face principle
with an automatically controlled support pressure through air cushion that
enables a precise control of the face pressure it could happen that the
normal bentonite suspension could drain off continually into the ground or
up to surface. So the idea was raised to use a thicker and heavier
suspension to balance the earth and water pressure at the tunnel face.
Using thicker and higher density suspensions requires design adaptations
such as a High Density Slurry Material (HDSM) mixing plant on surface
where the high density material is prepared.

Based on the positive application of the Variable Density TBMs for the
challenging underground sections in the Kuala Lumpur Limestone
formation of Metro Line 1, four additional Variable Density TBMs were to
be delivered to Kuala Lumpur mid and end of 2017 to excavate and line
approximately 7 km of the new Metro Line 2.

Figure 4 – Variable density technology for Kuala Lumpur.

Variable Density TBM (Ø10.21m) for

Metro Lima Line 2/4
The consortium Consorcio “Constructor M2 Lima” comprising ACS, FCC
from Madrid, Salini from Milan and COSAPI from Lima purchased two
Herrenknecht TBMs, an EPBM and a Variable Density TBM, for the
construction of 35 km of new urban rail for the Lima Metro Line 2 in Peru.
The two TBMs will excavate and line a major east-west axis (Ate-Lima-
Callao) of the Lima-Callao Metropolitan Region.
One section of the new urban rail line of 11.6 km in highly variable
geological conditions that comprise mainly coarse gravel with sand, silty
sands and clay and silt will be excavated by means of a Variable Density
TBM. The machine has a shield diameter of 10.21 m. The Variable Density
TBM can be operated in EPB and slurry mode and can change between
operation modes with a continuous setting of face pressure support
according to the prevailing geology and this without any need of chamber
interventions.

The TBM is designed with a double screw conveyor of DN1150. The twin
screw arrangement has a flat gate between the first and second screw and
a muck discharge gate at the end of the first screw for the discharge of
muck onto a belt conveyor in pressurized or open EPB mode. In slurry
mode the discharge gate of the first screw is closed and the flat gate
between the first and second screw is open thus that the muck can be
discharged into a slurryfier box (capacity of 36 cubic m) that is installed at
the end of the second screw. The slurryfier box contains a stone crusher
(jaw crusher) that reduces larger particles to a size suitable for liquid
transport through the attached slurry circuit to the Slurry Treatment Plant at
surface. In slurry and high density mode the muck transfer along the screw
conveyor is a combination of a mechanical and hydraulic transportation.

In case of required simplified crusher maintenance the screw conveyor flat

gate has to be closed and the slurryfier box can be accessed in free air.

Figure 5 – Variable Density TBM for Metro Lima Line 2/4

Variable Density TBM (Ø7.41m) for
Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Link
Contract 1128
The Shatin to Central Link (SCL) in Hong Kong is a strategic rail line that
stretches from Tai Wai to Admiralty. It connects several existing rail lines
and passes through multiple districts in Hong Kong. When finished it will
serve areas in East Kowloon that currently do not have any MTR service
and will also strengthen the linkage between the New Territories and Hong
Kong Island.

The Dragages-Bouygues JV has won the contract to construct 2×2 tunnels

that will form part of a 6-km long extension of the Shatin to Central Link.
Tunneling works comprise two eastern tunnels (up-track and down-track)
of each approximately 590 m in length that will run from the south
ventilation building and the new Exhibition station on the Shatin to Central
Link and two western tunnels (up-track and down-track) of each
approximately 510 m that will be excavated between Fenwick Pier
emergency egress point and the existing Admiralty station. The up-track
tunnels are deeper tunnels; the down-track tunnels are shallow tunnels. All
tunnels are to be constructed in complex geological conditions that
comprise very variable geology that is mainly composed of completely
decomposed granite (CDG) with the presence of boulders, corestones and
transition zones in mixed face conditions and sections of alluvium and
marine deposits. These heterogeneous conditions along the specific
sections demand the use of two different types of TBMs, a Mixshield with
liquid supported tunnel face and the city’s first Variable Density TBM.

Three sections, the two western tunnels and the up-track tunnel of the
eastern section are planned to be excavated using a Mixshield. The first
Mixshield drive started operation in March 2016. The Variable Density
TBM (Ø7.41m), was launched in August 2016 to excavate the down-track
shallow tunnel section of the eastern tunnels. This section is characterized
by large portions within fill material that is frequently composed of rock fill
blocks in the previous temporary seawall zone. The Variable Density TBM
can continuously adapt to the face density to deal with the demand of the
predicted heterogeneous and shallow ground conditions. The TBM can be
operated both in a slurry and high density mode. The latter mode is used
to cope with the very variable geology associated with shallow cover of
locally less than 1 diameter where possible risks such as blow outs and
settlements might have been an issue in slurry mode. As the TBM can be
operated also with HDSM the Slurry Treatment Plant on surface is
accordingly designed to supply the TBM with HDSM.
Two Variable Density TBMs (Ø7.05m)
for Forrestfield Airport Link in Perth,
Australia
Salini Impregilo S.p.A. and NRW Pty Ltd. JV was contracted to construct
the twin tube rail tunnels for the Forrestfield Airport Link project in Perth,
Australia. The Forrestfield Airport Link is a new rail line including two twin
tube tunnels that have a bored tunnel length of about 7.14 km. This new
rail line will connect Bayswater Junction with Forrestfield. A major section
of the alignment crosses beneath the Perth airport precinct. This includes
sensitive area beneath the airport runways, taxiways and buildings.

The expected subsurface conditions along the bored tunnel alignment are
characterized to be variable, sand, clayey sand and cemented layers with
varying degrees of strength and cementation. The majority of the tunneling
ground is expected to be composed of mixed face conditions beneath the
groundwater table.

With focus on the predicted varying geological units and their varying
strength the application of two Variable Density TBMs is considered. The
TBMs with a diameter of 7.05 m will be operated along the entire tunnel
alignment in closed pressurized mode to guarantee ground stability during
excavation. The machines will be launched at Forrestfield dive portal,
extending westward and ending at the Bayswater dive portal.

The Variable Density TBMs for the Forrestfield Airport project are
configured to operate in closed EPB and in slurry mode with a filled
excavation chamber and a controlled support of the tunnel face pressure.
Both in EPB and slurry mode the muck is extracted out of the pressurized
excavation chamber via the screw conveyor and further processed with
liquid mucking respectively hydraulic material transport via a closed,
pressurized slurry circuit according to the slurry mode or HDSM operation
with a slurry treatment plant at surface. To support the hydraulic muck
transport, the muck is transferred at the end of the screw conveyor into a
slurryfier box to liquefy the excavated material. A roller crusher is installed
in the slurryfier box that processes the material to a size suitable for
hydraulic mucking via slurry circuit.

The two Variable Density TBMs for Perth started tunneling in July and
September 2017.

In the past a large number of tunneling projects were successfully

completed in sensitive areas. The machines applied to date show the
highest technical and quality standards of mechanized tunneling
technology mastering project challenges and individual tasks in the interest
of customers, clients and the environment.
Conclusion
With the first introduction of multi-mode TBM technology in 1980s and the
further development in multi-mode technology with the possibility to
change between various operation modes in the tunnel, e.g. from open to
closed EPB and slurry mode and also to change between the two soft
ground modes, the foundation was laid for the new generation of multi-
mode soft ground TBMs, the Variable Density TBMs. These machines can
smoothly and with continuous setting of the face pressure change between
the operation modes from EPB to slurry, even in small and mid-range
TBMs.

A major technological advantage of these machine types is that the set

face pressure can be kept during the transition of operation mode and the
need for working chamber interventions is avoided. The number of
applications of this new generation of multi-mode soft ground TBMs shows
the advantage of having a safe solution at hand even for potential high risk
areas to support a settlement controlled operation with less impact to man
and environment. Most of today’s tunneling projects feature complex
heterogeneous geology and environment with low overburden or the
demand of crossing beneath important and sensitive structures. With the
state-of-the-art Variable Density TBM technology these projects can be
safely and reliably implemented.