By Ashley Karen
PORR and Gülermak Joint Venture contractor has finished boring the central 1.5km length of the 3.2km long, two-lane bi-directional tunnel on the Świnoujście Road Link in Poland after the breakthrough of its 13.46m diameter China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co. Ltd. (CREG) slurry TBM ‘Islander’.
As reported, for excavating through the ground conditions of fine sand and fine-medium sand with gravel, fine-medium sand with gravel and over-consolidated sandy clay with gravel and chalk, the tunnel boring machine is equipped with essential technologies that contain the intelligent diagnosis of its cutter status, the online measurement of fundamental parameters of the cutters under strong impaction, early warning of cutter head clogging and ground conditions during excavation, high water pressures, and heavy wear environments (detectable wear accuracy ±2mm, temperature -20 – 120℃, rotation speed 0-500r/min, load 0-80t), whilst accurately determining abnormal damage to disc cutters like uneven wear and cutter edge damage.
The TBM operator claimed: “The intelligent cutter status diagnosis system has now become the direct basis for cutter change with high accuracy. With scientific and timely guidance of cutter changes, it indirectly saves more than $1.5M in overhead cost and 600 hours, as the cost and time of working in the excavation chamber is reduced. In addition, it reduces the risk of workers entering the excavating chamber and improves the safety and quality management of construction.”
Świnoujście is located on 44 islands, with only three inhabited: Uznam, Wolin, and Karsibór. Approximately 80% or 41,000 residents live on Uznam Island, where most of the tourism industry is concentrated. Transporting between Uznam and Wolin islands is now by ferry, which uses outdated vessels and takes 40 minutes. When the Świnoujście Road Link is operational, the travel time is said to be decreased to only 4 minutes.
