Handbook of Tunnel Engineering Volume I: Structures and Methods

Abstract

Tunnelling is one of the most interesting, but also the most difficult engineering disciplines. It unites theory and practice into its own construction art. For the weighting of the many influential factors, practice is sometimes more important, and at other times theory, according to ones own state of knowledge. Tunnel engineering is normally performed by civil engineers. Everyone, however, should be aware that knowledge about structural analysis and concrete engineering alone is not sufficient. Geology, geomechanics, mechanical engineering and particularly construction process technology are equally important. 1.2 Historical development Tunnels and caverns already existed in nature before mankind started to create them artificially to meet vital interests. Tunnel engineering in the 20th century could also make use of existing specialised knowledge from mining. One of the founding fathers was Georg Agricola, whose 1556 work De Re Metallica, Libri XII covered mining and metallurgy. Drill and blast The building of significant tunnels in the Alps had already led to a first heyday of tunnelling before 1900, which explains why the railway engineer Franz Ržiha, mining superintendent of the duchy of Braunschweig, considered tunnel engineering as a separate discipline from mining in his 1867 textbook of tunnelling. This heyday continued to the start of the 20th century, after which there were only a few spectacular tunnel projects (Table 1-1) until 1960. The building of the Mont Blanc Tunnel was the start of a new phase in Europe, which continued with the construction of the Tauern Autobahn Tunnels, the Arlberg Tunnel and the new Gotthard Tunnel. The construction of more than a hundred tunnels by the German Railways (Deutsche Bundesbahn, later: Deutsche Bahn AG) continued the development. A new phase opened with the Seikan Tunnel, the Channel Tunnel and the base tunnels throu