A fire resistant tunnel expansion joint system for installation between substrates of a tunnel. The system includes a fire protection barrier applied at a predetermined thickness to the substrates and a fire resistant tunnel expansion joint. The tunnel expansion joint includes a core and a fire retardant infused into the core. The core is configured to define a profile to facilitate the compression of the tunnel expansion joint when installed between the substrates. The fire protection barrier and the fire resistant tunnel expansion joint are each capable of withstanding exposure to a temperature of at least about 540 C. or greater for about five minutes.

A Tunnel Digging Machine (TDM) is a shield machine to excavate tunnels with almost any desired cross sections including rectangular, square, sub/semi-rectangular, sub/semi-square, horseshoe/U-shaped, elliptical, circular, sub/semi circular and such sections through a variety of soil and rock strata. The TDM can be designed to dig through anything from hard rock to sand with large range of width and height configurations. The TDMs can limit the disturbance to the surrounding ground and produce a tunnel lining. The TDMs may be used as an alternative to the current conventional Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) or continuous miners. The major advantage of the TDMs over the TBMs will be their higher speed (higher advancement rate), fully sealable face, flexibility in the desired cross-section and reduced construction costs due to the mentioned higher speed, efficiency and optimized cross-section.

A fire and/or water resistant expansion joint system for installation between substrates of a tunnel. The system includes a fire resistant coating applied at a predetermined thickness to achieve a substantially uniform layer on the substrates and a fire and water resistant expansion joint. The expansion joint includes a core having an edge, wherein the substantially uniform layer of the coating extends along the substrates of the tunnel to the edge of the core, and a fire retardant infused into the core. The core is configured to facilitate the compression of the expansion joint system when installed between the substrates. The coating and the fire and water resistant expansion joint are each capable of withstanding exposure to a temperature of at least about 540 C. or greater for about five minutes.

A system for lining a perimeter surface of an excavation; the perimeter surface defined by a solid structure; the perimeter surface lined by means of precast concrete panels which are affixed to the solid structure.

A flexible seal system for provision of a substantially watertight seal between adjacent concrete panels; said system comprising a first flexible seal member proximate a first end of one said concrete panel; said first flexible seal member including a surface component extending over a portion of an outer surface of said concrete panel; said surface component extending from at least one anchor component projecting from said surface component and embedded within said concrete panel; said first flexible seal member further including an overlap component extending from said surface component beyond said first end of said concrete panel; and
a second flexible seal member proximate a second opposite end of an abutting said concrete panel; said second flexible seal member including a surface component extending over a portion of a surface of said abutting concrete panel; said surface component of said second flexible seal member extending from at least one anchor component projecting from said surface component and embedded within said abutting concrete panel; and
wherein the overlap component of the first flexible seal member is structured and selected in use to overlap the surface component of the second flexible seal member sufficient to permit welding of at least a portion of said overlap component of said first flexible seal member to at least a portion of said surface component of said second flexible seal member so as to form a continuous welded seal between and along the length of said first flexible seal member and said second flexible seal member.

The Helical segmental lining is an invention in tunneling industry wherein segments are designed in helical shape that are connected by interlocking system. The proposed helical tunnel lining method allows for segment erection and excavation to be completed concurrently and continuously by Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which will result in increasing the tunneling speed. The segments have tongue projection on the two trailing sides (circumferential and radial) and similar groove recess in the opposite two leading sides. This forms a tongue-and-groove joint at both circumferential and radial joints. The system allows for optional post-tensioning (PT) strand to be inserted into the leading circumferential side of the segments. The optional PT strand is fitted into a continuous groove located at the leading circumferential side of the segments. The system has solutions for the alignment curves and turning of the helical segmental lining, sealing of the system as well as terminating the strand and beginning another due to limitation of the strand length. The method is eliminating bolt connection between segments and increase tunnel advancement rate. The system allows for using typical (identical) segments.

A gasket for concrete structures such as tunnel segments includes a gasket body having a bottom face configured to be positioned against a surface of an associated tunnel segment. First and second anchor members protrude from opposed side edges of the gasket adjacent the bottom face of the gasket. The anchor members are configured to attach the gasket to the tunnel segment during casting of a precast concrete member. The gasket body forms a groove in the concrete member and the anchor members form side channels in the groove. Should a defect be found in the original gasket, the gasket body can be removed from the groove of the concrete member relatively easily, even in the field, and a replacement gasket having corresponding anchor members can be snapped into the groove.

A cast-in-place gasket construction for concrete structures such as tunnel segments includes a gasket body having a bottom face configured to be positioned against a surface of an associated tunnel segment. First and second gasket portions of the construction extend in different directions and are connected to each other at a first joint. The gasket portions are made of an elastomeric material having a first durometer on the Shore A hardness scale. The joint comprises an elastomeric material having a second and lesser durometer on the Shore A hardness scale. A method for replacing a damaged frame-like gasket construction is also disclosed.

A tunnel system includes at least two adjacent tunnel lining systems and a sealing system. Moreover, the tunnel lining systems can include plural tunnel lining segments.

A sealing profile for embedding into a moulding of curable material, in particular a concrete or plastic moulding, and to a sealing arrangement comprising such a sealing profile. The object of the present invention is to provide a sealing profile for embedding into a moulding of curable material that can be anchored into the moulding in particular such that displacements of the seal in its seat occur to a significantly lesser extent, if at all, when installing or assembling the mouldings. The object is achieved by a sealing profile (1) with a profile region (2) having a profile region surface (4) which is directed towards the moulding (3) after embedding the sealing profile (1). The profile region (2) has, at least in a subregion (6), fibres (5) which are fixedly connected to the sealing profile (1) and extend beyond the profile region surface (4).