Topcut underground

摘要

A Topcut concrete processor from Wimmer Hartstahl GmbH proved the ideal solution during renovation work on the Tanzberg road tunnel in Austria, which consists of two side-by-side 2.5 km long tunnels. At the beginning of 2008, it was decided to upgrade the north tunnel ventilation system and German contractor Tieber was brought on to remove the intermediate deck. This was achieved through the use of a process Tieber had developed for work carried out in 2004 on the Amberg Tunnel on the Rhineland motorway. This involved the use of the Topcut to break up the heavily reinforced concrete deck, which was between 150 and 200 mm thick. The resulting debris fell into a specially fabricated hopper manufactured by Tieber, and was then transferred onto trucks for removal off-site. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the amount of equipment required for the job, reducing the impact to the remaining structure of the tunnel.