THE UNIVERSITY OF LAHORE

DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY

PRESENTED BY: UZAIR MUKHTAR

PRESENTED TO: KHURAM RIAZ

REGISTRATION NO.

BSCET01183135

ASSIGNMENT 2

TYPES OF TUNNELS

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 What is tunnel?

A Road Tunnel is defined as enclosed roadways with vehicle access that is restricted to

portals regardless of type of the structure or method of construction.

 USES

Tunnels are used for highway traffic, railroads, and subways; to transport water, sewage, oil, and

gas; to divert rivers around dam sites while the dam is being built; and for military and civil-defense

purposes.

 SHAPES

There are three shapes of highway tunnels:

1. Circular Tunnels.

2. Rectangular Tunnels.

3. Horseshoe/ Curvilinear Tunnels.

The shape of the tunnel depends on the mode of construction and the ground conditions.

 Circular Tunnels, for instance are usually constructed using either Tunnel Boring

Machine Method (TBM) or by Drill and Blast Method.

 Rectangular Tunnels are usually constructed by the Cut and Cover method, by the

immersed method, or by the jacked box tunneling.

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 Horseshoe Configuration Tunnels are usually constructed by the drill and blast in

method, or the Sequential Excavation Method (SEM), also known as the New Austrian

Tunneling Method (NATM).

Types of Tunnels

1. Cut and Cover System.

2. Pipe Jacking System (Micro Tunneling).

3. Shield Tunneling (TBM).

4. New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

5. Immersed-Tube Tunneling System.

1. CUT AND COVER METHOD

Cut-and-cover is a method of tunnel construction where a trench is excavated and roofed

over. Strong supporting beams are necessary to avoid the danger of the tunnel

collapsing.

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 Advantages:

 Economy for shallow depths (4 - 10 m) and for shorter applications.

 Un-sophisticated labor and equipment required.

 Adaptability to different conditions.

 Simple structural & geotechnical analyses required.

 Safe environment (ventilation and fire hazard).

 Disadvantages:

 Possible disturbances to existing facilities.

 Practical limitations of depth.

 Unsuitability under buildings or water.

2. Pipe Jacking System (Micro Tunneling)

 Schematic Representation

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 Microtunneling is a process that uses a remotely controlled, guided Microtunnel Boring

Machine (MTBM) that provides continuous face (ground and water) support combined wit

the pipe jacking technique to directly install product pipelines underground in a single pass

with limited man access.

 Advantages:

 Suitability for almost all types of soil.

 Large depths with unlimited lengths of drive.

 High levels of accuracy and safety.

 Wide choice of pipe and joint materials.

 High construction rates.

 Reduced manpower requirements.

 Reduced environmental disturbance.

 Disadvantages:

 Sophisticated equipment and highly skilled labor.

 Inability to make rapid changes in line or level.

 Very expensive corrective actions, if required.

3. Shield Tunneling (TBM)

The Shield method uses one or two shields (large metal cylinder) to cut out a tunnel

through the soft ground. A rotating cutting wheel is located at the front end of the

shield. Behind the cutting wheel is a chamber where, depending on the type of the TBM,

the excavated soil is either mixed with slurry (called slurry TBM) or left as is (earth

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 pressure balance or EPB shield). Systems for removal of the soil (or the soil mixed with

slurry) are also present. Behind the chamber is a set of hydraulic jacks supported by the

finished part of the tunnel which are used to push the TBM forward. Once a certain

distance has been excavated (roughly 1.5-2 meters), a new tunnel ring is built using the

erector. The erector is a rotating system that picks up pre-cast concrete segments and

places them in the desired position. Behind the shield, inside the finished part of the

tunnel, several support mechanisms can be found that are part of the TBM: dirt

removal, slurry pipelines if applicable, control rooms, and rails for transport of the

precast segments, etc.

 Advantages:

 Suitability for almost all types of soil.

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 Suitability for wide tunnels (highway, railway, etc.).

 Large depths ( > 10 m), with unlimited lengths of drive.

 Reducing environmental disturbance and utilities diversions.

 Disadvantages:

 Sophisticated equipment and highly skilled labor.

 Inability to make rapid changes in line or level.

 Very expensive corrective actions, if required.

 Difficult structural and geotechnical analyses reqd.

4. New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

The New Austrian tunneling method (NATM), also known as sequential excavation

method (SEM), is a method of modern tunnel design and construction. This technique first

gained attention in the 1960s based on the work of Ladislaus von Rabcewicz, Leopold

Müller, and Franz Pacher between 1957 and 1965 in Austria. The name NATM was intended

to distinguish it from the old Austrian tunnelling approach. The fundamental difference

between this new method of tunneling, as opposed to earlier methods, comes from the

economic advantages made available by taking advantage of the inherent geological

strength available in the surrounding rock mass to stabilize the tunnel .

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 Advantages:

 Best alternative for non-circular roadway tunnels.

 Suitability for almost all stable to strong ground types, including rock.

 Suitability for a variety of soil conditions.

 Small thickness of tunnel lining, reducing the amount of excavation.

 Economy and speed of construction.

 Disadvantages:

 Highly skilled workers and expert engineers.

 Safety measures for shotcrete application.

 Ground water freezing and/or soil strengthening (in case of water-bearing cohesion-less soil).

5. Immersed-Tube Tunneling System

An immersed tube is a kind of undersea tunnel composed of segments, constructed

elsewhere and floated to thetunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together.

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They are commonly used for road and rail crossings of rivers, estuaries and sea

channels/harbours.

 Advantages:

 Economy (most economical alternative for any type of underwater tunnel crossing).

 High construction rates (particularly for steel tube tunnels).

 Wide variety of different conditions.

 Disadvantages:

 Casting basin (for concrete box tunnels).

 Highly skilled and experienced workers.

 Safety measures for underwater construction.