GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC

PUNE
(An Autonomous Institute of Government of Maharashtra)

A MICROPROJECT REPORT ON
Railway and Tunnel Engineering (CE 5103)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Mr. Dinesh Bhandare
(Lecturer)
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SUBMITTED BY
Aditya Kalyan Sathe (2001056)
Shreeyash Santosh Sawant (2001057)
Pranav Shankar Shelar (2001058)
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
(Academic Year: 2022-23)
Government Polytechnic Pune-16
(An Autonomous Institute of Government of Maharashtra)
Department of Civil Engineering

Certificate

This is to certify that, Micro Project report titled “A report on Micro-

tunnelling” is submitted in partial fulfilment of the award of ‘Diploma
in Civil Engineering’ by GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC PUNE and is a
record of students work carried out under the guidance of concerned
faculty at Government Polytechnic Pune during Academic year 2022-
2023.

Guide H.O.D. Principal

Mr. Dinesh bhandare Prof. V.G. Tambe Dr. V.S. Bandal
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Micro-Project titled “A report on Micro-tunnelling”

under the course on Railway and Tunnel Engineering (CE
5103) is completed under the guidance of subject guide, Mr.
Dinesh Bhandare Lecturer in Civil Engineering. I take this
opportunity to express my gratitude towards her. I am
thankful to Head of Civil Engineering Department to make
available the opportunity and facilities towards the
completion of the project and report. I also thank all those
whose constant support, constructive suggestions and
encouragement made the completion of the project
possible.
 ABSTRACT

Tunnels projects are constructed to facilitate the execution of

underground works with minor disturbance on surface structures
and traffic. This is deemed important especially in downtown cities
where disturbances should be minimized to assure flowability on
surface and underground infrastructures. Micro-tunnelling
involves the use of a remotely controlled, guided pipe-jacking
process in order to support excavation face. Microtunneling aids in
avoiding the need of open trench for pipe laying, which causes
extreme disruption to the surrounding. This paper presents a tool
for planning micro tunnels projects using computer simulation.
The proposed tool aids contractors in planning microtunneling by
estimating their associated time and cost of construction. There are
six models that are coded in the proposed tool in order to capture
the construction of microtunnels and shafts. The tool breaks down
microtunnels projects into microtunnels segments and shafts
which constitute several construction zones. An application
example is presented to demonstrate the features of the proposed
tool.
DEFINATION AND PRINCIPAL:

Microtunneling is a process that uses a remotely controlled

Micro tunnel Boring Machine (MTBM) combined with pipe
jacking technique to directly install product pipelines
underground in a single pass. The jacking pipe is pushed behind
thrust boring machine from a starting shaft or Launch shaft by
the main jacking station located in drive shaft up to the target
shaft or reception shaft. At the same time an unmanned, remote
controlled microtunneling machine carries out the excavation
at the tunnel face, the excavated material to be transferred by
hydraulic conveying system (Slurry system) outside the tunnel
and to the separation system at ground level. All these activities
can be done while the operator is inside the control cabin
monitoring and controlling the parameters.

APPLICATION:
The major applications for pipe jacking and Microtunneling
Include new sewerage and drainage construction, sewer
replacement and lining, gas and water mains, oil pipelines,
electricity and telecommunications' cable installation, and
culverts.
The technique can be used to negotiate obstacles such as
motorways, railways, rivers, canals, buildings and airfields in
the path of pipe laying projects; to minimize the surface
disruption frequently associated with open cut pipe laying
methods in urban areas; or simply to provide a permanent
underground tunnel construction.
Construction methods are available to cope with both cohesive
and non-cohesive soils in dry or water bearing conditions.
WHY MICROTUNNELING?

➢ No major trench excavation & backfilling.

➢ Less surface disruption.
➢ No traffic obstruction or road closures.
➢ Less inconvenience for residents and shops.
➢ Less amount of excavation to be handled and disposed. No
Requirement to dewater.
➢ No effect on the ground water.
➢ No requirements for utility diversions in urban areas.
➢ No Noise and dust pollution.
➢ No expensive reinstatement cost of asphalt or other
surface.
➢ Can always take the short cut route.
➢ High accuracy installation in line, level, gradient.
➢ Less environmental disturbance to sensitive areas.

MACHINERY EQUIPMENTS:
➢ Micro Tunnel Boring Machine "MTBM". Control Cabin.
➢ Guidance System. Jacking Frame.
➢ Slurry Conveyance System.
➢ Separation Plant
➢ Lubricant Mixing & Injection Plant.
➢ Electric Generator. Lifting Equipment.
➢ Mobile Store & work shop.
TUNNEL BORING MACHINE:
The Micro Tunnel Boring Machine with liquid conveyance system
are applicable in almost every kind of geology, especially in
non-cohesive ground material, even hard rock. The ground is
excavated by a rotating cutting wheel in full section, thereby the
tunneling machine is continuously advanced by hydraulic
jacking cylinders. The driven cutting wheel can rotate in both
direction. This offer the possibility to correct or to compensate
a roll of the machine which occur as a reaction to the torque of
the cutting wheel.
 METHOD OF OPERATION –
MICROTUNNELING

SOIL DIGESTION AND SLURRY CIRCULATION

The MTBM excavates spoil at the face of the bore while simultaneous
pipe segments are installed in the launch shaft and thrust forward by
the hydraulic cylinders on the jacking frame. The MTBM’s rotating cutter
head is steerable, and bi-directional for precise ground excavation. The
forward advancement of the pipeline combined with the rotating action
of the cutter head excavates the soil and forces the cuttings into the
cutter head’s crushing cone and pulverizes them into smaller particles
for transport through the slurry lines. MTBMs are capable of crushing
cobbles up to 28% of its outside diameter. Slurry is formed by mixing
the ground-up cuttings with water by injecting water or a water with a
bentonite clay mix in the MTBM’s crushing cone. Inside the crusher
cone, cobbles breakdown, are mixed with slurry and pass through the
slurry inlet holes for transport into the slurry return lines (see Figure
7). Feed, return and booster pumps keep the slurry traveling to a slurry
separation tank, slurry tank or settlement pond where it is separated
and recirculated back to the cutter head in a closed system (see Figure
8). The slurry balance system is deployed immediately at launch to
prevent material from entering the MTBM’s inner chamber. Operators
carefully monitor the face pressure by simultaneously assessing a
combination of spoil, groundwater volume, and slurry feed and return
flow rates using sensors, flow meters and pit valves in the closed loop
slurry system. Balancing the input and output of the slurry by volume
and pressure is vital for effective and accurate advancement and to
avoid overloading the cutter head or removing too much soil thereby
causing settlement.
Lubricant Mixing & Injection Plant:
The lubricants of the jacking wall is very important to keep the pushing
force low as possible to allow advance the line from the main jacking
station, for this reason we are using a Bentonite powder to produce a
lubricant. The Bentonite mixture acts as lubricant and tunnel support
medium in the pipe jacking process. The suspension is mixed in a special
jet mixer plant at job site and is pumped via Bentonite pump through
Bentonite hoses into the tunnel. There the suspension is pressed through
injection nozzles in the machine can into the annulus gap which is
created by the diameter difference between the tunneling machine
cutting wheel and the concrete pipes, In case of long drives and suitable
tunnel size for man entrance extra automatic Bentonite lubricant station
can be added to jacking pipes at selected intervals to insure continuous
lubricant to the full tunnel line, the station powered by compressed air
and controlled from operation panel through special control cable.

Lifting Equipments:

A crane with suitable lifting capacity will be located on the construction

site full time to be used in thefollowing activity.

➢ Mobilizations and set up of tunneling equipment.

➢ Lowering the Tunneling Machine to the driving shaft
➢ Transport of jacking pipes.
➢ Lowering the jacking pipe in to drive shaft.
➢ Removal of tunneling machine from reception shaft.

Some time we can use gantry crane to be sited over the driving shaft for
continuously use to lower the required jacking pipes.
MICROTUNNEL BORING MACHINES (MTBMS)
Akkerman MTBMs are manufactured in base sizes of 30-114-inches OD,
and are available in center drive models for smaller base diameter
machines, and face-access, peripheral drive models for the largest
diameters. Center drive MTBMs contain a single motor that drives a
planetary gear box, coupled to a drive shaft in the center of the MTBM
(see Figure 2). Face-access, periphery drive MTBMs have interior motors
on the periphery of the gear ring with pinions on a slewing bearing.

Boring process for slurry type MTBM can be described

as follows

1. Excavate and prepare the driving shaft.

2. Set up the control container and any other auxiliary equipment beside
the jacking shaft.
3. Set up the jacking frame
4. Lower the MTBM into the driving shaft and set it up. 5. Set up laser
guidance system and the MTBM in the driving shaft.
6. Set up and connection the slurry lines and hydraulic hoses on the
MTBM.
7. The main jack pushes the MTBM through the launching eye. 8. After the
MTBM is pushed into the ground, disconnect the slurry lines and
hydraulic hoses from the MTBM.
9. Retract the hydraulic jacks.
10. Lower a new pipe segment to the driving shaft. 11. Connect the slurry
lines and hydraulic hoses in the new pipe segment to the ones in the
previously jacked segment (or MTBM)
12. Jack the new pipe segment and excavate, while removing the spoil.
13. Excavate and prepare the receiving shaft.
14. Repeat steps 8 to 12 as required until the pipeline is installed and
MTBM reach reception side.
15. Remove the MTBM from the receiving shaft. 16. Remove the jacking
frame and other equipment from the driving shaft.
17. Grout the annular space between the exterior pipe surface and the
tunnel.
18. In case of sewer applications, install manholes at the shaft locations.
19. Remove shoring, lining, or casing from the shaft and backfill them.

WATER COOLING TANK

The water-cooling tank, positioned alongside the launch shaft, provides

cool water which travels through utility lines to keep the MTBM’s drive
motor and in some applications, the booster pump motor cool, and flush
seals for optimal operation (see Figure 13, previous page). This cool
water flow also assists to cool the tunnel air temperature which helps
with the guidance system’s laser clarity.

MICROTUNNELING GUIDANCE SYSTEM

Design criteria Installation accuracy is maintained using active laser
guidance systems. Navigation control is one of the key elements for
successful microtunneling. The shaft station reference laser is
positioned on line and grade behind the jacking frame and protected
from disturbance. The laser from the shaft station is projected down the
tunnel onto the MTBM’s target. The Akkerman standard active guidance
system includes an active target and the MTBM contains three
inclinometers that read and transmit data to the operator at the control
console. Two inclinometers located in the target and the rear of the
MTBM track roll and incline and a third in the front of the MTBM
assesses incline. Sensors in the target relay this data to the operator’s
control console.
 CONCLUSION

Case histories for three successful microtunnelling projects in

Ireland have been discussed. Simple and intuitivemethods
have been used to quantify and analyse the jacking forces
developed during installation, and the methoddiscussed could
easily be applied to estimating the jacking force for similar
projects in similar ground conditions inthe future. Likely
settlements over microtunnels in Irish glacial tills are
considered minor and agree well withpredictions put forward
by O’Reilly & New (1982) and Mair & Taylor (1997). Some
observations on the vibrationsarising from microtunnelling in
Irish glacial tills have been examined, however further
investigation is required inthis area. Vibrations induced by
microtunnelling machines are not seen as likely to cause
disturbance.
 REFERANCES

1. www.google.com
2. www.slideshare.com
3. www.wikipedia.com