Clem7 tunneling complete with final breakthrought
Jun 23, 2009
Tunnelling on the Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7) in Australia is complete after the second tunnel boring machine broke through at Woolloongabba on 26.05.2009. The breakthrough represents an important milestone for the CLEM7 with both 4,000-tonne boring machines (named Matilda and Florence) having completed their historic 4.3 kilometre journey from Bowen Hills to Woolloongabba. RiverCity Motorway Group CEO Flan Cleary said the successful completion of tunnelling on the CLEM7 represented one of Brisbane’s greatest ever engineering achievements.
Matilda Milestone Dates:
- 29 May 2007: Matilda completes factory acceptance test in Germany
- 22 Sep 2007: Matilda arrives in Brisbane
- 4 Dec 2007: Matilda starts tunnelling (Start Up Ceremony)
- 14 Jan 2009: Matilda breaks through at Shafston Avenue, Kangaroo Point
- 26 May 2009: Matilda breaks through at Gibbon Street, Woolloongabba
Facts and figures
- Diameter of cutter head: 12.4 metres
- Number of cutters: 78
- Weight of a single cutter: 230 kilograms
- Total cutter head power: 4,200 kilowatts
- Cutter head rotation: Up to 4.5 revolutions per minute
- Available hydraulic force to push cutter head: 2,400 tonne (you would need approx. 100 Qld Rail locomotives to create the same push) Total weight: 4,000 tonne (this equals about 12 fully loaded and fuelled Boeing 747 or 400 Brisbane city buses)
- Total length (at full extension of cylinders): 261 metres
- Maximum excavation rate: Up to 2 metres in 30 minutes = 20 tonne of rock per minute (i.e. this would load a semi trailer in a bit more than a minute)
Number of roadheader cutter picks used by the end of the project: 100,000
Total amount of shotcrete used in the tunnel: Over 65,000m3
Total amount of concrete used for smoke ducts and cross passages: 30,000m3
Total amount of concrete used for lining segments: 120,000m3
Total amount of steel used in the tunnel: More than 15,000 tonnes
Total amount of recycled concrete backfill used in the tunnel: 100,000 tonnes
Amount of pea gravel used in the tunnel: 40,000 tonnes
Peak workforce: 1,600 workers (Nov 2008)
Total town water saved across the project: 1,500 mega litres
Origins of Matilda
Matilda was the name chosen from 600 entries received from members of the public who attended our tunnel boring machine open day on 4 November 2007.
Operation of the tunnel boring machines
A crew of up to 22 workers was required to keep each tunnel boring machine operating. The crews worked on a shift rotation, working underground for 12 hours at a time. The tunnel boring machine contained worker facilities such as a kitchen and toilets.
The crew contained:
Tunnel boring machine pilot – The pilot is stationed in the operating cabin. He uses a video camera to view all operations and has a computerised console to control the movement of the machine.
3 x ring builders – work behind the cutting face operating the ring erector, creating the permanent lining of the tunnel.
2 x crane operators – assist with the transportation of segments and other material.
5 x pea gravel and grout pump operators – pump pea gravel and grout between the segments and rock face to fill any void, making the tunnel water tight.
5 x culvert crew workers – place the concrete culverts and backfill to create the cable tunnel underneath the road surface.
2 x scabling machine operators – look after the ventilation within the tunnel. The ventilation system extends as the machines moves along.
3 x service crew – install the pipes, such as water and communications that feed the tunnel boring machine. These pipes also extend as the machine moves along.
At least one floater – provide support, including maintaining supplies.
Disassembly of the tunnel boring machines
It took almost three months to assemble each of the massive 12.4 metre high tunnel boring machines at O’Connell Terrace in Bowen Hills. Now that their work is coming to an end it will take a similar amount of time to disassemble, clean and remove each component from the Gibbon Street worksite.
The majority of the machine components will be transported underground via the completed tunnels to either Ipswich Rd in Woolloongabba or Bowen Hills. The larger sections of the machine, some in excess of 150 tonnes, will be removed via the purpose built shaft at Gibbon Street and packed onto trailers.
In addition work to remove the TBM shed at O’Connell Terrace, spoil handling silos, the conveyor system and other site services are all underway.
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