British Tunnelling Society

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Technical Working Groups

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As part of the Societies objectives of providing its members with up to date information on the technology associated with the creation of Underground space there are three technical working groups presently working on the following subjects.

Following completion of their work the society will aim to publish the findings of the working groups for the use of its members.

Best Practice Guide to Tunnel Monitoring
Chairman Damian McGirr

This sub-committee has been set up to review the state of the art for monitoring underground construction and to develop best practice guidance for clients and project managers who need to procure monitoring systems as parts of their underground construction projects.

This guidance will focus on the principles which must be adopted to ensure that such systems are safe, effective and efficient. The guidance will not be prescriptive in terms of detail design, which it is recognised changes relatively rapidly with changes in technology. The guidance document will aim to provide a high level checklist of the features which should be present in a “best practice” system.

The scope of the project is to include geotechnical and structural monitoring relevant to underground construction. Underground construction is taken to include bored tunnels and other deep excavations such as shafts and deep boxes which may give rise to similar monitoring issues. The project will focus particularly on the purpose of such monitoring and how the monitoring system should be designed and managed to best achieved the client’s objectives.

The project will consider both the monitoring of new underground works (for construction verification and control) and the monitoring of existing infrastructure affected by underground construction (for infrastructure protection). It will also consider the need to integrate monitoring information with works progress data to facilitate interpretation.

The project will address the need for effective management of, and timely response to, all types of monitoring data. The report will specifically address the issues which arise due to the quantity and complexity of data on generated by some modern construction activities, and specifically in tunnelling control systems

Timbering Guidance

The BTS are presently in discussion with a number of members regarding the formation of this working group.

It is intended that the working group will produce a historical review of Timbering methods which will detail the methods and uses of timber in the temporary support of underground excavations.

The guide will not provide advice on the actual design of these temporary works but merely try to define good practice in the use of timber

Update and review of BTS Tunnelling Specification
Chairman Michael Francis