Underground Singapore 2016

Challenges in Tunnelling through Bukit Timah Granite

Formation in Singapore
C.B. Ma and M.M. Sahabdeen
Mott MacDonald Singapore Pte Ltd.

W. Lian
SP Power Assets Ltd. Singapore.

ABSTRACT: There are many potential geotechnical and machinery risks in tunneling through Bukit
Timah Granite Formation. Problems, such as excessive vibration at cutterhead, dropping of parts into
chamber, damage of cutting tools, insufficient overcut, excessive water ingress at fractured rock zone,
mixed face are some of the main challenges to the tunneling works. Tunnelling between Marymount
shaft and Ang Mo Kio shaft is the first tunnel drive for the North-South Transmission Cable Tunnel
Contract 3 (NS3) where majority of full face Bukit Timah Granite was encountered. The experience
and difficulties faced during this drive are discussed in this paper.

1 INTRODUCTION

SP Power Assets Ltd (SPPA) launched cross island transmission cable tunnels, in six packages, in
September 2012. Two cross-island cable tunnels, north-south and east-west respectively (Figure 1),
are being constructed approximately sixty (60) metres underground are to provide this long-term solu-
tion to the on-going upgrading and renewal of the power cable grid infrastructure in Singapore.

Figure 1: The Alignment of Singapore Power Transmission Cable Tunnel

 Mott MacDonald Singapore Pte Ltd is the Engineer, representing the client SPPA and Qualified Per-
son Supervision (QPS) for the north-south cable tunnel project. The Contract NS3 covers the cable
tunnels from Ang Mo Kio Shaft to May Shaft, and was awarded to Hyundai Engineering & Construc-
tion Co. Ltd (HDEC) on 17 September 2012. The scope comprises the design, construction and com-
pletion of 7.3km long tunnel with an internal diameter of six (6) meters using three (3) slurry tunnel
boring machines (TBM) and associated works including an equipment and a semi-equipment building
at Marymount and May shaft respectively. The first tunnel drive from Marymount shaft (MRM) to
Ang Mo Kio shaft (AMK) was launched in June 2014. The TBM runs northwards along Upper Thom-
son Road at 43m to 59m depth (to the axis) within the built-up urban environment. After boring 2.767
kilometers in Bukit Timah Granite formation, the TBM successfully docked into Ang Mo Kio shaft in
December 2015.

The main challenges of the tunnel drive from MRM shaft to AMK shaft consisted of high wear and
damage to TBM cutting tools, slurry treatment plant (STP) equipment as well as slurry transportation
system (STS) and associated logistics. The TBM also drove through a tight curve with limited overcut
in hard rock and experienced high water ingress during few cutterhead interventions (CHI). The expe-
rience and measures implemented to overcome these challenges and the performance of the machine
are discussed in this paper.

1.1 Geological condition along tunnel alignment

A slurry mixed shield TBM manufactured by Herrenknecht was used to bore through the varying
weathering grades of Bukit Timah Granite Formation (GI/GII, GIII and GIV) from 43m to 59m below
ground level with overlying Fill, Kallang Formation and Bukit Timah Granite Formation (GV to
GVI) at various depth as shown in Figure 2. TBM encountered full face rock of Bukit Timah Granite
Formation (GI/GII, GIII) for most of the alignment and a short stretch of mixed face with GIV.
120 120
Ang Mo Kio Shaft Marymount Shaft
110 Granite GVI 110
Fill Fill Fill
100 E Clay F1 Clay 100
E Clay Granite
90 Granite GVI Granite GVI 90
GV Granite
Granite
80 Granite GIV Granite 80
Granite Granite GIV
70 GIII Granite GV 70
GIII GIII Granite
60 GIII GIV Granite GII/GI 60
GIII GIII
50 Granite GII/GI 50
40 Granite GII/GI 40
30 30
Figure 2: Geological Profile along Tunnel Alignment from Marymount to Ang Mo Kio Shaft

The in-situ permeability tests show the range of 7 x 10-6 m/s to 1 x 10-7 m/s for the Bukit Timah Gran-
ite (GI~GIV) at the stretch from MRM to AMK drive. However, the high permeability value at certain
location reveals the presence of fractured rock zone in the ground where water can flow through the
network of connected discontinuities including the GI/GII zones.

The test results of Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and Point Load Index (PLI) for Bukit Timah
Granite formation from the soil investigation bore holes along the tunnel drive are tabulated in Table
1. The strength of GI-GIII rock ranges from 54.7MPa to 74.9MPa with a typical UCS value of
22.6MPa for GIV. However, it was recognized in the Geotechnical Interpretative Baseline Report
(GIBR) that much stronger rock would be encountered potentially in excess of 250 MPa and that
proved to be the case.

Table 1. UCS of Bukit Timah Granite GIV to GI (Contract NS3) (From GIBR)
Weathering Direct UCS (MPa) UCS from PLI (MPa) UCS Combined
Grade Range Average No. Tests Range Average No. Tests Average (MPa)
GIV 3.7-57.7 22.9 13 3.7-41.4 22.2 9 22.6
GIII 10.6-127.3 56.4 34 17.4-93.8 59.4 18 57.4
GIII 3.1-114.6 54 108 3.1-107.4 55.9 59 54.7
GI 12.2-133.1 74.7 76 25.6-109.4 75.4 35 74.9
The Cerchar abrasivity tests performed along Contract NS3 indicate the Cerchar index from 1.30 to
6.41 with an average of 3.44 which generally represents a high abrasiveness of the rock. The results
are summarized in Table 2. Abrasion Cutter Steel (ACS) test and Equivalent Quartz Value (EQV) test
were undertaken to further assess the potential for cutter wear. The test results show that the ACS
ranged from 0.15 to 13.4 giving average result of 4.64, while the EQV ranges from 22.0 to 58.1 with
an average value of 47.0.

Table 2. Summary of Cerchar Abrasivity Test Result in Bukit Timah Granite (Contract NS3) (From GIBR)

Bukit Timah Granite Cerchar Index

Weathering Grade Range Average No. Tests
GIV to GI Combined 1.30-6.41 3.44 118
GIV 1.80-5.53 3.83 6
GIII 1.40-6.41 3.28 31
GIII 1.30-5.95 3.67 46
GI 1.30-5.70 3.23 35

1.2 TBM Design and Cutting Tools

A mixed shield slurry TBM from Herrenknecht AG (HK), Germany with an external diameter of 6.96
meters, was used for this drive. It is equipped with a jaw crusher in front of the suction port at the ple-
num chamber and two (2) probe drilling machines permanently mounted behind the segment erector.
The main characteristics of the TBM are listed in Table 3. All these features are designed to cope with
the excavation of Bukit Timah Granite.

Table 3. TBM Main Characteristics

_____________________________________________________________________________
Type of TBM Mix Shield Slurry TBM
_____________________________________________________________________________
Excavation Diameter 7.02m, extended up to 7.05m
_____________________________________________________________________________
Length of TBM + Back up 103m
_____________________________________________________________________________
Number of 19 disc cutters 43 (35 single + 4 double)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Cutting wheel Opening Ratio 25.5%
_____________________________________________________________________________
Main Drive Power 5 x 350 = 1750kW electric
_____________________________________________________________________________
Installed Power 3300kVA
_____________________________________________________________________________
Main Thrust Force 50668 kN
_____________________________________________________________________________
Steering Force 40715kN
_____________________________________________________________________________
Normal / Breakaway Torque 4039kN.m / 5453kN.m
_____________________________________________________________________________
Cutterhead Rotation Speed 0 to 6.6 rpm
_____________________________________________________________________________
Max. Operation Pressure 7.0 bar
_____________________________________________________________________________

Gauge Cutter
Pre-Gauge Cutter

Face Cutter

Centre Cutter

Figure 3: Spacing of Disc Cutter (left) and View of Cutter Wheel (right)
The cutting wheel is fixed with 43 disc cutters (35 single + 4 double), 72 scrappers and 12 buckets to
tackle with full face rock and mixed face ground condition as shown in Figure 3. 4 double disc cutters
are installed at center of the cutting wheel with 100mm spacing. In the face area, the spacing is 85mm
and smaller at the gauge area.

The 19 cutting disc ring is made of high quality steel with special heat treatment which gives better
shock resistance in the mixed face condition, more wear resistance and rolling distance. In addition,
the heavy capacity bearing and the very stiff 4.75 shaft allow loading to an individual disc cutter up
to 315kN. These features improve the performance of machine during the mining through challenging
ground conditions.

2 TBM OPERATION PARAMETERS

The TBM operation parameters, which were closely monitored during TBM mining, include but not
limited to, face pressure, thrust force, shield articulation contact force, cutter torque, jack speed, pen-
etration rate and cutterhead rotation speed. There were other parameters to monitor the consequences
of excavation, such as Advance Excavation Management (AEM) system (excavation volume, total
weight and dry weight), weighing bridge, muck pit volume measurement, overcut measurement, net
jack stroke, grout volume and pressure. The typical TBM operation parameters adopted in the tunnel
drive between MRM to AMK are tabulated in Table 4.

Table 4. Typical TBM Operation Parameters

Weighted
S/No. Operation Parameter UNIT Range
Average
1 Thrust Force kN 15000 ~ 32000 20000
2 Contact Force (Articulation) kN 12000 ~ 23000 15000
3 Face Pressure (Axis) bar 2.8 ~ 5.0 3.5
4 Advance Speed mm/min 0 ~ 24.0 13.6
5 Cutterhead Rotation Speed Rev/min 0.7 ~ 4.4 3.5
6 Penetration Rate mm/min 0 ~ 8.0 4.0
7 Cutterhead Torque kNm 400 ~ 2000 900
8 Grout Volume m3 6.6 ~ 9.4 7.4
9 Grout Pressure bar 3.5 ~ 5.0 4.0

Thrust force, face pressure and cutterhead rotation speed are some of the main active parameters
which are controlled directly by the TBM operator. Whereas, the remaining parameters are reactive
parameters that are subjected to the ground condition, performance of cutting tools and can only be
controlled indirectly by making adjustment on active parameters.

2.1 Face pressure

For mining in full face Bukit Timah Granite, face pressure is a critical parameter in managing ground
water ingress. As the tunnel drive between MRM and AMK is at approximately 60m depth where hy-
drostatic pressure can be up to six (6) bars, water ingress into TBM chamber was significant at few
areas when highly fractured rock was encountered. Thus, high face pressure was maintained in some
circumstances to reduce water ingress to control surface settlement, due to consolidation. However,
the higher face pressure slows down the TBM advance speed which has impact to the cutters and ma-
chine wear and project programme. Consequently, the site team reviewed the ground condition care-
fully together with instrumentation monitoring results and adjacent structures and other TBM parame-
ters in order to achieve the optimum solution with respect to advance the TBM and settlement control.

In addition, the face pressure is also required to facilitate the transportation of rock fragments from
TBM chamber into Slurry Transportation System (STS) and services to reduce the vibration of TBM
body during mining in hard rock.
2.2 Thrust force and Contact force
Total thrust force includes effective contact force of disc cutters, force acting on bulkhead due to
presence of face pressure, friction on TBM shield, towing force of backup gantries and loss of hydrau-
lic pressure in hoses. It is a key indicator of ground condition, while subjected to face pressure and
TBM shield friction as well.

Contact force is presented as shield articulation contact force in Herrenknecht system which is detect-
ed by articulation jacks at TBM front shield. The difference between thrust force and contact force in-
dicates the extent of skin friction at TBM middle shield and tail skin which is at the range of
3000~6000kN typically. This allows the site team to understand the position of TBM shield with re-
spect to the clearance of the ground and becomes important when TBM negotiates at tight curves.

2.3 TBM Advance Speed, Penetration and Cutter Torque

The penetration rate denotes the production or advance rate of the cutterhead which is measured in
mm per revolution of the cutterhead. The high penetration will result in high advance speed with the
same cutterhead rotation speed, while, the degree of wear and risk of damage on disc cutters will in-
crease considerably as well. At NS3, the penetration rate was maintained at the range of 2~5mm/rev.

Given similar rock condition, penetration rate and cutter torque should follow the similar values to
maintain good working condition of the cutting tools, however if a divergent trend is seen this indi-
cates that damage to disc cutters has occurred. As mentioned, cutter torque is a reactive parameter that
reflects the conditions of cutting tools with respect to the ground condition. Hence, it is a key parame-
ter to monitor condition of cutting tools during TBM mining. Generally, there were three typical signs
that we had encountered indicating the occurrence of damage to cutting tools;

1) Cutter torque increases with deceasing penetration rate as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Cutter torque increases with deceasing penetration rate

2) Spike of cutter torque occurs and continues as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Spike of cutter torque occurs and continues

3) Cutter torque fluctuates in large range as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Cutter torque fluctuates in large range

In all three cases, excavation needs to be stopped as soon as possible to carry out the intervention
works so as to check and minimize potential damages.

Cutter torque can reach as high as the breakaway torque when the TBM hits very hard objects or ob-
stacles are trapped in between the rock face and cutterhead. There was a case where all five safety
pins of cutter drive motors were triggered due to high torque (breakaway torque) occurring at the
TBM main drive during mining as shown in Figure 7. It was found during the CHI that some bite cut-
ters were damaged and had dropped into the bottom of the excavation chamber causing the damage.

Figure 7: Breakaway Torque

3 TBM, STP AND STS MAINTENANCE

3.1 Cutterhead Intervention (CHI)

The heavy wear and tear on cutting tools and equipment in hard ground tunneling has led to the fre-
quent CHI and downtime. There were 125 CHI through the tunnel drive, in average, every 16 rings
(22m) per CHI. The time spent for the CHI and maintenance works (including rectification of fault on
TBM, STP and STS system) was about 34% of total period of tunnel drive, this is more than mining
time of 30.88% as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Tunneling Cycle Time

The works involved in CHI were not only to change cutting tools, but also to check ground conditions
and maintain equipment and sensors such as stone crusher, overcut measurement device and other
plants such as STS and STP and extension of services etc.

3.2 Consumption of Disc Cutters

With the average progress rate (Figure 9) of 150m per month (with 230m per month at peaks) through
a very hard and abrasive Bukit Timah Granite rock, the disc cutter consumption was considerably
high. More than 2170 disc cutter replacements (1227 repaired + 943 new disc cutter) were carried out
over the boring of 2767m long tunnel drive, which averages out at a repaired or new disc cutter at eve-
ry 1.28m of advance. This required a very effective and efficient logistical supply chain to ensure
seamless process of refurbishment and delivery of disc cutters in order to progress the tunnel without
delay.

Figure 9: Tunneling Progress Rate

3.2.1 Damage of Cutting Tools

Through the CHIs, we have seen that many parts of the TBM cutterhead have become loose and lead
to damage of disc cutters and dropping of buckets and scrappers (Figure 10) due to numerous reasons,
summarized as follows:

Uneven load acting on disc cutters.

Excessive vibration resulting in loosening and dropping of cutting tools.
Mining long distance without maintenance.
Cutter bearing damage due to long service time.
Improper operation of TBM.

Figure 10: Grinding of rock

Normally higher thrust force will result in higher effective contact force of each disc cutter, speeding
wear. While, the varying surface condition of rock face (fractures, mixed face, etc.) will produce an
uneven distribution force on the different disc cutters. Planes of weakness in the rock mass and mixed
face produce heavy impacts on the cutterhead and vibration to the machine. In addition, steering of the
TBM also creates uneven load on the cutterhead. Thus, the momentary load on a single disc cutter
may reach as much as several times of the average distribution load. These contribute to damage to the
disc cutter as well as variable wear patterns.

Mining in homogeneous GI/GII rock, the impact of vibration on the machine can be very significant
and cause some parts to be loosened or dropped which substantially reduces the lifespan of cutting
tools and even cause damages to the other tools. The dropped parts are either trapped in between the
rock face and cutterhead or fall into the bottom of excavation chamber causing further damage to oth-
er tools if mining continues, (refer to Figure 11). This damage can extend very fast to adjacent cutters
if the cutterhead keeps on rotating. To minimize the vibration on the cutter wedge lock system, an ad-
ditional cross bar was fitted to restrain the movement of wedge block as shown in Figure 12 (right). In
addition, buckets were welded in groups to prevent individual buckets from dropping.

Figure 11: Dropped Parts Fish-out from Chamber (left) and Cutter Damaged with Loosened Wedge Block (right)

Figure 12: Cutter Flat with Missing Blocks (left) and Additional Wedge Lock System - Cross Bar (right)

In other cases, once one of the cutters is damaged during mining, the risk of damage to the adjacent
cutters is subsequently increased due to the additional load being taken by the adjacent cutters to
break the rock that should have been cut by the damaged cutter. This is very much a chain reaction.
Thus, the TBM must be stopped at the soonest possible, whenever any sign of damage on cutting tools
is observed.

In general, the contractor always intends to make full use of cutting tools before abandoning them.
There were many refurbished cutters being used for mining. The refurbishment of the cutter involves
the changing of the cutter ring and maintenance of cutter bearing. The cutter bearings have a tendency
to degrade over time due to oil leaking or slurry becoming trapped in the bearing as shown in Figure
13. Once the bearing is damaged it does not rotate and the cutter rapidly can become flat.
Figure 13: Oil Leak at Cutter Bearing (left) and Cutter Bearing Damaged (right).

Changing of damaged cutters, especially flat gauge cutters, is difficult due to the significant reduction
of cutting diameter. The protruding rock has to be hacked off before installing new cutter and on re-
suming mining the TBM operator must be very careful when rotating cutterhead as new cutter could
be easily damaged in uneven rock face with high thrust force, due to high impact loads. Therefore, it
is advisable to change cutters in group rather than individual to avoid uneven force when resumed
mining.

3.2.2 Gauge Cutters

The configuration and maintenance of gauge cutters are utmost critical for tunneling in hard ground as
shown in Figure 14. It was observed that the gauge cutters especially the outer 4 gauge cutters had a
much higher wear rate and risk of damage than the other disc cutters during mining of Bukit Timah
Granite. Therefore, the outer 4 gauge cutters were changed at almost every CHI regardless of its con-
ditions.

Gauge cutters are subject to a high risk of damage if any cutting tools or parts drop into the chamber.
The damage typically starts with the outer cutters and extend inwards as mining continues. The dam-
age on gauge cutters reduces the cutting diameter of cutterhead and thus may result in the TBM be-
coming stuck in hard rock. The consequence of this is significant with large potential delays and addi-
tional cost to the project to free the machine and therefore this risk must be avoided by careful TBM
maintenance.

Figure 14: Gauge cutter in good condition (left) and damaged (right).

There were cases that all 10 gauge cutters were flat and the TBM had to work very hard to maintain
progress in the challenging ground conditions. There was such a case when the TBM was negotiating
a tight curve in Bukit Timah Granite GII. In order to ensure sufficient clearance for TBM to progress,
sufficient time and manpower was required to break the surrounding rock of TBM shield. Subsequent-
ly the TBM progressed at a very low speed (less than 1mm/min) with high thrust force (more than
30000kN) as shown in Figure 15.
Figure 15: High Thrust Force with Low Advance Speed

As a consequence of this to avoid future trapping of TBM shield and also allow more clearance of ne-
gotiation in tight curve, TBM cutting diameter was extended from 7020mm to 7050mm by replacing
thicker c-clamps at outer gauge cutters.

3.2.3 Wearing rate of disc cutters

Given a cutterhead revolution (r), each disc cutter will have different corresponding rolling distance
with respect to the track radius R (mm), the wearing rate coefficient Kc (mm/km) of disc cutter can
be obtained using the empirical formula as follows:

W 10 6
Kc (1)
2R r
where W = actual wear measurement (mm) on disc cutter.

The experiential coefficient Kc (according to the past CHIs) can be used to predict the cutter wear us-
ing the equation below.
6
W Kc 2R r 10 (2)
In other words, given a cutter wear limit WL, we should be able to estimate the remaining permissible
mining distance of TBM after changing disc cutters, which allows us to plan CHI locations ahead.

W 10 6
D 1.4 L (3)
a 2R K r
c ave
where Da = Allowable mining distance (m) from the measurement of cutter wear.
rave = The average revolution of cutterhead per ring (1.4m length) in Bukit Timah Granite
Formation (GI, GII, GIII and GIV).
WL= Cutter wear limit (mm).
R = Track radius of individual disc cutter (mm)

From the records at tunnel drive from MRM to AMK, the average cutterhead revolution per ring in
GIII/GIV is about 300 while it reaches 450 in GI/GII. However, the cutter wear coefficient does not
differ significantly in different weathering grade of Bukit Timah Formation. But it varies with respect
to the position of disc cutters which classified as gauge cutter, pre-gauge cutter, face cutter and center
cutter as shown in Figure 3. The empirical cutter wear coefficient from tunnel drive from MRM to
AMK is tabulated below in Table 5.

Table 5. Cutter Wear Coefficient Kc (mm/km)

Gauge Cutter Pre-Gauge Cutter Face Cutter Centre Cutter
Avg. 0.073 0.042 0.034 0.051
Max. 0.215 0.171 0.100 0.194
Min. 0.009 0.006 0.007 0.016
When all disc cutters start with the same initial conditions, the cutter wear limit is normally governed
by gauge cutters while taking maximum overcut into account. This is to prevent the TBM from being
trapped in hard ground. In this case, the cutter wear limit of gauge cutters was given as 10mm. With
the track radius of 3510mm at outermost gauge cutter and by adopting average cutter wear coefficient,
the allowable mining distance with new cutters is estimated as 29m (approx. 20 rings) in GIII and 19m
(approx. 14 rings) in GI/GII ground condition. This coincides with the experience of CHI intervals
that we have carried out throughout the tunnel drive.

3.2.4 Impact on Cutter Housing

As mentioned earlier, the effect of strong vibration during mining in both homogeneous hard rock and
non-homogeneous rock mass is severe. With different strength and plasticity of the material for the
cutter housing and c-clamps, the constant high impact force during mining will lead to the defor-
mation of cutter housing which then results in further vibration of the cutters, leading to increased
wear or loosening. To minimize the movement and impact on deformed cutter housing, filling of liq-
uid metal into the gap between cutter housing and c-clamp was experimented with, but with very lim-
ited success. Finally, additional wedge block with modified c-clamp were used as shown in Figures 16
and 17.

Figure 16: Deformed Cutter Housing (left) and Modified C-clamp (right).

Figure 17: Additional wedge block

3.2.5 Risk Management

Although many improvements have been implemented objectively to improve the performance of ma-
chine in hard rock tunneling, there are still factors subject to human control on site. These involve
proper operation of machine by using optimum parameters, close supervision and appropriate mainte-
nance works.
Over the 125 CHIs, it was observed that the CHIs conducted with mining distance more than 20 rings
have more severe wear on cutting tools and the time spent to change and repair the TBM parts is
much longer than those with shorter but regular mining distance. In other words, the additional mining
distance is not beneficial in terms of the overall project programme. Therefore the best approach is to
conduct regular and proactive CHI rather than passive CHI. To avoid passive CHI, TBM operation
parameter should be monitored closely by competent personnel and conduct timely intervention for
maintenance. Stopping the TBM on time could be a challenge depending on the ground condition and
TBM location with respect to neighboring structures and services.

3.3 STS Maintenance

The Slurry Transportation System (STS) plays an important role in slurry TBM operation. The
transport of abrasive Bukit Timah Granite caused heavy wear and tear on both slurry pipes and boost-
er pumps. There were total six (6) pumps aligned in STS system to transport excavated material and
circulate slurry, of these four (4) were discharge pumps that had more frequent breakdowns. The im-
peller and housing of discharge pumps were monitored and changed at intervals based on the past ex-
perience in consideration of ground condition.

Figure 18: Worn-out Impeller (left) and Slurry Pipe (right)

Replacing of leaking slurry pipes was one of the major downtime during TBM mining. To minimize
this, the contractor closely monitored the thickness of slurry pipe and replaced those thin pipes during
CHI. In addition, pipe bends, which were subjected to higher wear, were thickened by welding of ad-
ditional plate so as to last longer. In order to make full use of slurry pipes, the contractor regularly ro-
tated the pipes during shift change or CHI. Furthermore, swapping of the discharge and feeding line
pipes was carried out at the locations of the booster pump to further enhance the lifespan of pipe lines.

3.4 STP Maintenance

Compared to other equipment, the Slurry Treatment Plant (STP) has more frequent but shorter dura-
tion of breakdown. This appeared especially on damage of cyclones which occurred quite often but
the replacement was fast with provision of sufficient spare parts. While breakdown of the vibration
motors and damage of shaker screens took a longer time to repair. These works were normally ar-
ranged during CHI or shift change day to minimize the downtime.

4 WATER INGRESS DURING TBM CUTTERHEAD INTERVENTION

Due to the presence of fractured rock zone, the permeability of Bukit Timah Granite formation can be
very high in some areas. Consequently, high water inflow was expected during CHI at some locations.

Along the tunnel drive, the water ingress observed during CHI was generally below 20l/min. Howev-
er, there was a case of water inflow which was measured at around 200l/min coming mainly from be-
hind the TBM shield. Then, PU grouting through ports at TBM tail shield and secondary grouting at
10 rings behind TBM were carried out to minimize the water inflow and ensure no gaps between the
built rings and ground. However, as grouting works met with limited success, two proposals were dis-
cussed, which is either to continue with the CHI under compressed air or limit the duration of CHI.
Finally, it was decided to limit the duration of CHI within eight (8) hours in view of tunnel face condi-
tions and no critical building or structure nearby. The contractor had to make ready of all required
tools and material so as to complete the change of cutter tools within the specified time.

Upon completion of the CHI, TBM chamber was pressurized close to hydrostatic pressure for mining
of first few rings. The pressure and quantity of backfilling grout were increased accordingly. The
nearby piezometer which showed a drop initially during CHI but rebounded after commencement of
mining and the ground settlement was maintained below the predicted trigger values at the CHI loca-
tion.

Although considerable soil investigation has been carried out along the tunnel drive, the ground condi-
tions were different and changed rapidly. To avoid stopping the TBM at an unfavorable ground condi-
tion, which could be highly fractured rock zone, weak ground or high water ingress location, forward
probe drilling ahead from the TBM as shown in Figure 19 was carried out at the locations where there
was a lack of information of the ground condition. The data retrieved from probe drilling was very
useful in terms of water ingress and estimation of ground condition.

Figure 19: Probe Drilling from TBM (left) and Probe Drilling Diagram (right)

5 CONCLUSION

The tunnel drive from MRM to AMK at NS3 was successfully completed four (4) months ahead of
schedule and without major overhauls and damages to surface structures, despite many challenges be-
ing encountered from both machines and geological perspectives. A capable machine with a proper
maintenance regime can successfully negotiate the challenging conditions of tunneling in the Bukit
Timah Granite formation. Many improvements and precautionary measures were incorporated into the
machine to enhance the performance, leading to the final success of the tunnel drive in both progress
and safety.

A fast communication system was established between site team and management during tunneling so
that the site issues were always reviewed and resolved on time, which contributing to the smooth site
operation. Underpinning much of the project was a close co-operation and team work between the
Client, Consultant and Contractor and this made decision making easier and helped move the project
forward on a positive basis.

REFERENCES

Amund Bruland 1998. Hard Rock Tunnel Boring, Volume 7 of 10 The Boring Process.
M.Merrie et al. 2011. Experience of Hard Rock Tunneling in Spain Case Studies of Pajares, Guadarrama &
Barcelona Line 9 (Under Ground Singapore 2011).
M.M.Sahabdeen et al. 2007. Dry Soil Volume for Excavation Management of Slurry TBMs Tunneling at C853
Project, Singapore.
SPPA & Mott MacDonald Pte Ltd, Singapore 2011. Geotechnical Interpretative Baseline Report (GIBR) De-
sign and Construction of North-South Transmission Cable Tunnel Contract NS3.