The largest tunnel boring machine ever produced in China , named “Jianghai” and with an impressive diameter of 16.64 metres, a weight of around 5,000 tonnes and a length of 145 metres , has just left the assembly line in the city of Changsha, Hunan province.
This monumental machine was jointly developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corp Ltd and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co Ltd, both parts of the state-owned China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC). This drilling rig has been specifically designed to build a highway tunnel under the Yangtze River, connecting the cities of Nantong and Suzhou in Jiangsu province.
China’s largest tunnel boring machine faces geological challenges
The Jianghai tunnel boring machine, whose name means “River and Ocean,” is equipped with cutting-edge technology that will allow it to traverse complex terrain. Due to the presence of groundwater and soft soil in the project area, conventional excavation techniques were not feasible.
According to the project’s chief engineer, You Shaoqiang, the machine will advance at a rate of 12 to 16 meters per day , with the excavation of the 11.2-kilometer tunnel under the Yangtze expected to take about two and a half years to complete.
Jiangsu relies on precision in Yangtze tunnel
The Yangtze River Tunnel Project is a critical section of a 39-kilometer highway aimed at improving connectivity in Jiangsu province. According to Wang Jun, deputy director of Jiangsu’s transportation project bureau, the tunnel represents a key advance in the region’s road infrastructure. The machinery features sludge monitoring and precision cutting systems , which are critical to protecting structures along the river.
According to Fan Ruiqiang, a senior engineer at CRCC, it took the research team more than two years to finalize the design of the Jianghai, which also incorporates an intelligent system based on a database of previous experiences, allowing the operator to receive real-time suggestions for dealing with construction problems.
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Source and photo: China.org.cn
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