EPB Technology

EPB Technology opens up the soft ground Tunnelling Range

Continual improvement in TBM design resulting in a safer work environment, more effective excavation of a wider range of geology, more reliable machines and higher rates of excavation is the target where TBM Technology is going on. The following article shows some solutions.

EPB design and assembly are governed by multiple variables, no matter the machine diameter – a sentiment that rings true for a large Robbins EPB TBM currently being assembled at Mexico City’s new metro Line 12. The 6.2 km long machine-bored tunnel will cut commute times in the southeast area of the city, reducing a 3-hour public bus ride to just 25 minutes on the subway. Due to launch in late 2009, the 10.2 m diameter behemoth will be Mexico’s largest-ever TBM, dwarfing a 6.5 m machine used several years prior. A specially designed cutterhead can handle boulders up to 800 mm in diameter, while...

Desiree Willis, Technical Writer, Robbins, Kent, WA/USA
Shinichi Konda, Chief EPB Engineer, Robbins, Kent, WA/USA

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