8th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day
At the end of June 2023, the 8th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day took place at the WBI Center in Weinheim, Germany. This year, the very well-attended event focused on approval procedures and contractual design, traffic tunnel construction, as well as sustainability and life cycle assessment in tunnel construction. It is organized annually by WBI GmbH, sponsored by the German Railway (DB Netz AG) and supported by the German Engineering Association (Arbeitskreis Bautechnik of the Württembergische Ingenieurverein).
Walter Wittke Prize 2023
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Walter Wittke opened the 8th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day in Weinheim
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
The Walter Wittke Prize 2023 was awarded to Yota Togashi PhD, PEJp, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Japan. He received the prize for his dedication to research on anisotropic joint rock masses and the valuable results of his work – especially for the determination of five elastic constants for transversely isotropic rock mass with the aid of only one triaxial test and providing the evidence that uniaxial compressive strength, deformability and anisotropy of Tuff depend on the water content.
Approval Procedures and Contractual Design
In this session, Deutsche Bahn‘s „Rail Partnership Model“ was presented. Dr. Katja Hüske from DB Netz AG explained that the partnership model is particularly suitable for complex projects. An integrated team of planners, clients and contractors is to be formed at an early stage so that all those involved can optimally contribute their expertise to the joint solutions finding process.
The Hamburg Port Authority is also conducting pilot projects with an alternative contract model, the „Integrated Project Alliance“ (IPA), in order to gain experience with collaborative project management and to prevent disputes between parties involved in technically complex large-scale projects that lead to additional costs and extended deadlines.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Blaschko, CEO of Wayss & Freytag AG, looked at the same problem from the contractor‘s point of view. He addressed, for example, the differences in the principles of pricing and the proof of the skills required for project implementation and the pooling of risks. According to Blaschko, joint project implementation requires project staff on the part of the client, the planners and the contractors who have the mutual understanding and the will to cooperate and make joint decisions.
The Rock Mechanics and Tunneling day is held annually. It is organized by WBI GmbH, sponsored by the German Railway (DB Netz AG) and supported by the German Engineering Association (Arbeitskreis Bautechnik of the Württembergische Ingenieurverein)
Credit/Quelle: WBI/Fotostudio Fischer
Traffic Tunnel Construction
Four lectures dealt with various aspects of traffic tunnel construction. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Martin Herrenknecht and Dr. Gerhard Wehrmeyer reported for Herrenknecht AG on the progress made in increasing advance rates in mechanised tunnelling under difficult geological conditions. The various TBM operations during the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel served as an example, including an outlook on the advance of two hard rock machines in the section “H41 Sillschlucht–Pfons”.
Further presentations were dedicated to the challenges of planning the Offenburg Tunnel and the major project of the 2nd Munich main line, with a focus on the complex construction water management in planning and operation and the integrative use of BIM 4D and 5D.
In a joint presentation with DB Projekt Stuttgart–Ulm GmbH and Ed. Züblin AG on the Stuttgart airport tunnel and the underground long-distance railway station, Dr.-Ing. Patricia Wittke-Gattermann from WBI GmbH presented comparisons of measurement results with rock mechanical forecasts based on three-dimensional FE calculations carried out in advance.
Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment in Tunnel Construction
This year‘s technical event addressed the topics of approval procedures and contracts, traffic tunnels, and sustainability and life cycle assessment
Credit/Quelle: WBI/Fotostudio Fischer
Dr.-Ing. Bettina Wittke-Schmitt (WBI) explained life cycle assessment for transport infrastructure projects in her presentation. Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Schöne from Heidelberg Materials AG explained measures for CO2 reduction in the production and use of cement. A different approach to the topic of sustainability in tunnel construction was provided by a presentation on the use of excavated tunnel material as a raw material for the construction industry.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Walter Wittke and Dr.-Ing. Martin Wittke also spoke on the topic of reduced CO2 emissions – with simultaneous cost savings. They contrasted the common practice in Germany of a general two-shell lining in conventional tunnel construction with the option of a single-shell sprayed concrete lining – a solution for which the time has also come in German tunnel construction.
The date for the 9th Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling Day has already been set: it will take place on June 13, 2024 at the WBI Center in Weinheim.
