British Tunnelling Society

BTS Young Members: Microtunnelling & Pipejacking A talk on Microtunnelling and Pipejacking, concentrating on Case Studies of previous UK projects, and the advantages and limitations of this tunnelling technique.

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Harding Memorial Lecture Underground Infrastructure in the UK – meeting the future needs of society The UK is at a tipping point in economic infrastructure. We led the world in industrial development but as a result now have some of the oldest and most complex infrastructure in the world. It is increasingly in need of repair and replacement, and at the same time further infrastructure is needed to help provide growth, jobs and exports. The importance of infrastructure and the benefits of tunnelling are being recognised by our government. We need to rise to the challenge and get engaged!

The lecture will look at the drivers of change in our industry, and some of the success stories of recent times. What is the shape of our industry in the future, and how do we need to change in response? What technological advances and directions of research should the country take?

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BTS Young Members: Influences on the global tunnel market nfluences on the Global Tunnel Market including echnology, politics and global challenges. Regions where activity is growing include the Middle East, South America and India. The market has never been as buoyant as it is now and, it is postulated, will ?be for the foreseeable future.

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London Tideway Tunnels
The Thames Water Lee Tunnel – London's deepest and largest The 7.2m ID, 6.9km long Lee Tunnel is under construction in East London between the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works and the Abbey Mills Pumping Station complex. With depths ranging from 65m and 80m, it is London's deepest tunnel. When completed in 2015, it will reduce by 40% the foul water discharges to the River Thames system in London. The presentation will include the design and construction of the double lined shafts, novel aspects of the main, and many other interesting facets of this huge and exciting project.

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URUP' Ultra Rapid Under Pass (an innovation in tunnelling shield technology)
'URUP' tunnelling, developed by OBAYASHI in Japan, is an innovative shaft-less shield technology. The TBM is launched/arrives at ground level and drives under shallow cover without ground treatment. The result is significant cost savings, reduced construction time and reduced environmental impact.
The critical issues in 'URUP' technology are tunnel face stability and ground movement control. Innovative methods are used that have been developed through extensive technical research and development.
The new concept was proven through a verification project and adopted by several projects in Japan, which have been successfully constructed. These projects involved circular TBMs with diameters ranging from 2.1m up to 13.6m, an oval shape open-face TBM and a rectangular TBM.
The presentation will describe how the URUP concept was developed, mechanisms of ground control under shallow cover and review projects where it has been successfully used.

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This talk aims to provide practical information on the use of numerical simulation and analysis for tunnel design and construction. The focus of the talk will be on practical aspects of applying numerical analysis to tunnelling problems.

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Tunnel Design Under Explosion

BTS Young Members "International Tunnelling Conference for Young Engineers 2012"
The British Tunnelling Society Young Members are pleased to hold their first afternoon conference sponsored by the Institution of Civil Engineers. For further information, please click here

Please note that whilst there is no charge for the event, advance registration is necessary - to register, please click here

The conference will be followed by the AGM and BTSYM meeting "The Design and Construction of SCL and Segmental Lined Tunnels".

BTS Young Members: AGM and The Design and Construction of SCL and segmental lined tunnels The Young Members AGM will be followed by a talk aiming to provide practical information on the design and construction of the differing tunnel supports, looking at design assumptions, the construction advantages and disadvantages, and the main aspects of quality control. For further details, please click here

Fire in tunnels under constructionFire in tunnels under construction (in bold) A fire in a tunnel under construction or more particularly the smoke from such a fire has the potential to lead to multiple fatalities. Fortunately whilst there have been one or two spectacular fires in European tunnels in recent years, no one has been killed or injured. This meeting will review recent fires which occurred during tunnel construction, including at Storebelt in Denmark and on the A86 in Paris, before describing the expectations of the emergency services, and the requirements of Standards such as BS 6164 and prEN16191 (which not only require fire protection systems but are now also asking for refuge chambers). For further information, please click here

Debate – This house believes tunnel projects in the UK are overstaffed and over specified
The debate will be held using parliamentary debating rules with 12 mins each for proposer and seconder for and against the motion, followed by a debate open to the floor, a summing up, and a vote. For further information, please click here