Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok TBM explained

The Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok TBM otherwise known as Qin Liangyu or more formally, the Mixshield S-880 was the world's largest tunnel boring machine launched in June 2015 by Herrenknecht in Germany.[1] [2] The TBM was used to drill a 5 km tunnel connecting Tuen Mun to the Hong Kong International Airport, part of the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link project. The cost of the tunneling machine itself was around HK$ 18.2 billion (US$ 2.3 billion)[3]

Specifications

The machine had a diameter of 17.6m (57.7feet),[4] 0.1m (00.3feet) more than Bertha, the previous largest tunnel boring machine.[5] [6] Outside of its cutting diameter, it had an overall length of 120 metres (393 ft 8 in) and weighed 4,850 tonnes (5,346 US-tons).[2]

Operations

The machine would excavate a 5 km-long underwater tunnel, working at pressures as high as 5 bars. The drilling had taken place in depths of up to 50 m below sea level.[7]

By 25 March and 3 November 2015, the TBM's shield was converted into one the much smaller 14-m to complete the rest of the tunnel alongside another Herrenknecht TBM.[2] The two 14-m TBMs broke through to complete the tunnels on 27 February 2019.[2]

The tunnel boring project began in October 2018 after the cutterhead conversion and was completed by the end of 2020.[8] Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok was disassembled after the completion of the tunnel.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 5 Biggest Tunnel Boring Machines in the World. ASME.
  2. Web site: Largest tunnel boring machine. Guinness World Records.
  3. Web site: Start-up for world’s largest TBM. Construction Briefing.
  4. Web site: Herrenknecht, Pioneering Underground Technologies. Visit of Herrenknecht AG by KIVI Engineering Society TTOW. Martin Forster, Technical Manager Sales Traffic Tunnelling. Schwanau, 22.09.2016. COB.nl .
  5. Web site: bouygues confirms largest tunnel boring machine launch. 9 June 2015. geeplus.co.uk. 2015-12-11.
  6. Web site: Long-Term Relations Between Joint Venture Partners – A Supplier’s Perspective. eic-federation.eu. 2015-12-11.
  7. Web site: Hong Kong mega-machine explanations. Shani . Wallis. Peter. Kenyon . TunnelTalk. 25 September 2014 . 2015-12-11.
  8. Web site: World's Biggest Tunnel Boring Machines. Constructionsht.

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