Tunnel excavated material

Conventional drill and blast

The material excavated by conventional blasting techniques is coarser than that generated by tunnel boring machines (TBM).

The quantity of explosive used during an underground construction is up to 30 % greater than that utilized during an open-air rock excavation, because conveyor belts cannot transport debris larger than 250 mm. Thus, the raw material first have to be precrushed before being transported out of the tunnel.

The use of a larger explosive quantity can introduce cracks in the stone.

Mechanical driving with tunnel boring machines

Mechanical driving is ideally described as a continuous process of loosening, loading and transport of raw material. In reality, the mechanical excavation is interrupted by the complicated maintenance of the TBM and the constantly changing geological conditions.

The raw material excavated mechanically is fine-grained and almost depleted in coarse components. The size distribution of TBM materials is uniform and constant.

B+ G monitors and assesses the spoil in an on-site laboratory to guarantee that only appropriate raw material are reused.