The Riverbank Filtration Tunnel and Pump Station in Louisville, Kentucky is an innovative project to provide clean drinking water to the Louisville metro area. The project involves using the natural filtration of a sand and gravel aquifer beneath the Ohio River to provide an economical source of clean water. Four 13-ft diameter caissons approximately 100-ft deep form the collecter wells, and each has a number of horizontal ‘laterals’ consisting of approximately 200 to 250-ft long 12-in steel well screens. The water is then collected into a 4-ft drop shaft into a 10-ft diameter tunnel constructed by Tunnel Boring Machine that conveys the water to the pump station. Check out the ASCE link below to view a video overview of the project. The Tunnel Boring Magazine Cover Story 04-09 link has more info on the project as well. [Source: ASCE. Image: Tunnel Boring Magazine Cover Story 04-09]
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Feb. 7 Bertha update: Two factors contributed to tunnel stoppage
WSDOT released an update on February 7 with some conclusions regarding the blockage that has stopped the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel Boring Machine, Bertha’s progress since December 6. Now they don’t think it was necessarily the well casing after all.
They cite two factors that contributed to the blockage. First, the cutterhead was clogged with material. You can see an cool short video of a worker unclogging the cutterhead. Not terribly dramatic, but still cool. The second factor was increased temperatures inside the equipment. STP discovered damage to a seal that protects the machine’s main bearing. They are still determining how the repairs will be done.
If you want to follow the chronology of this issue, read below for summaries and links to previous updates from WSDOT. And Check out the videos too! [Source: WSDOT]
Historic Pennsylvania Tunnel Reopens with Help From NCFI’s TerraThane Polyurethane Foam
MOUNT AIRY, NC—A $2 million tunnel construction project on the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) is reopened to the public with help from a geotechnical polyurethane foam called TerraThane, by US company, NCFI Polyurethanes.
The GAP rail-trail is 150 miles of hiking and biking between Cumberland, Md, and Pittsburgh, Pa. created along the former railway line. In Cumberland, the GAP joins the C&O Canal Towpath, creating a continuous 335-mile long trail experience all the way to Washington, DC. It’s become a favorite biking destination for people from around the Mid-Atlantic states. One of its main tunnels, the Pinkerton Tunnel, an 849-foot former Western Maryland Railway tunnel, has been closed since 1975 due to erosion and unstable conditions. The Allegheny Trail Alliance, the organization that built and now maintains the 150-mile GAP, and the Somerset County Rails-to-Trails Association (SCRTA), wanted the tunnel reopened and helped fund the project.
[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release from GeoPrac sponsor, NCFI Polyurethanes (makers of TerraThane). [/Editor]
Second Issue of International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories [Official This Time]
The International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories has formally announced their second issue. Apparently when I posted about it previously, they had only two of the four papers.
This second issue contains four case histories that come with additional downloads. In particular, check out Dr. Edmund Medley’s Paper on the 2006 Hawaii Earthquakes. He has some neat photos including some in 3-D (more about his 3-D photos).
- Design Process of Deep Soil Mixed Walls for Excavation Support: Example of paper with digital data
- Effect of Dredging and Axial Load on a Berthing Structure
- Geological Engineering Reconnaissance of Damage Caused by the October 15, 2006 Hawaii Earthquakes: Example of an Online Database
- Lack of Maintenance Compromises Tunnel Structural Safety