Perfect Tunnelling in All Conditions.

Pipe jacking consists in using a hydraulic press-aided tunnelling machine positioned at the front end of the pipeline to tunnel the pipeline out of the start shaft in the direction of the target shaft. The distance to the target shaft may be up to 2,000 meters or more, depending on the rated width, the geology, the constituent materials of the pipes and the number of intermediate jacking stations.

Lining construction consists in lining the tunnel with annular steel-reinforced segments - called linings - immediately after the tunnelling activity and while still protected by the shield skin. Linings come in various geometrical shapes and in most cases they are screwed into position only temporarily. Linings can be either watertight or water-permeable.

If the tunnel is passing through robust, solid rock, gripper machines are used, resulting in higher tunnelling speeds, although the crucial factor here is the time needed for securing the rock faces.

There are now many more application options for Microtunnelling systems, thanks to the protective pipe arch method. In this method, the actual tunnel is excavated by mining under the protection of the previously effected pipe jacking. The pipe arch method represents the safest and most efficient method of creating large-diameter tunnels across short distances.

Shaft sinking with vertical shaft sinking units places great demands on the shaft lining as regards precision, efficiency and safety. There are various ways of cladding the inside of the shaft, depending on the project requirements - for example, prefabricated concrete segments, concrete mixed in situ, steel segments or, where the soil is free of groundwater, rock anchors, steel matting and shotcrete.

When drilling horizontally, use of the method known as Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a rapid, cost-effective and environmentally friendly means of laying pipes and pipelines under rivers, roads and other obstacles.