December 2000 saw the delivery of two Lovat TBMs, one to Spain and the other to Russia. Both machines are scheduled to start construction in March 2000.
The first was bought by ACS, Proyectos, Obras y Construcciones SA of Madrid, Spain. The 2.4m diameter refurbished ME96SE TBM will be used to bore the 1.9km long Colector San Felix tunnel in Murcia, Spain. The tunnel will be bored through silty clays, clayish silts, sandy silts and silty fine sands. A variable speed cutterhead has been chosen with a ripper and scraper teeth configuration to deal with the low compressive strength rock. The TBM will be capable of negotiating a minimum radius of curvature of up to 70m. Using an arm segment erector it will provide a primary lining of gasketed prefabricated concrete segments, 1m long and 0.15m thick, leaving the tunnel id of 2m.
The second machine is the Lovat RMP105SE, sold to Mostovik of Omsk, Russia. The 2.7m diameter TBM will excavate the 2.1km long Blue Stream Gas Pipeline tunnel on the Black Sea Coast, Russia. The tunnel will run through mostly sandstone with UCS’s varying from 140MPa – 172MPa. Also expected along the tunnel alignment are marls, argillates and gravel conglomerates. To combat the hard rock, Lovat has equipped the machine with a mixed face cuttinghead loaded with backloading disc cutters interchangeable with backloading ripper teeth. Lining will comprise 1m long by 0.2m thick prefabricated concrete segments leaving the tunnel with an id of 2.2m.
