The annual geomechanics colloquium has developed as an important meeting point for experts in Central Europe. The event with the associated exhibition annually attracts over 800 participants, making it one of the largest events in the field of geomechanics worldwide. Due to the pandemic, the 69th Geomechanics Colloquium in 2020 was held in a virtual format. The board of the Austrian Society for Geomechanics has decided to hold the colloquium again this year at the Salzburg Congress Centre as a physical event
Cement-based or chemical grouting materials are the foremost choice to seal water-bearing areas in subsoil or rock efficiently. Anti-wash out resistant cement-based grout mixes and water-reactive grouting materials based on polyurethane are the preferred material for pre-excavation grouting. However, adequate equipment and material technology nowadays enable controlled processing of combined cement-polyurethane grout mixes, which withholds the benefits of both materials types.
Mechanized tunneling in difficult geological conditions, such as soils with significant swelling potential due to water uptake by the clay minerals, depends not only on the calibration of the tunnel boring machine to the ground characteristics, but also on the ability of the tunnel lining to tolerate localized swelling pressures. In order to avoid the risk of damage to the tunnel lining, additional radial layers such as a compressible tunnel lining segment and a compressible annular gap grout can be included. However, the deformability of a tunnel support after reaching a certain yielding load affects the distribution of the stresses and deformations around the tunnel and as a consequence determines the magnitude and buildup of the swelling pressure. Thus, the goal is to develop a lining system i.e. material design and structural design that ensures an optimal soil-structure interaction through a synergy of computational and experimental techniques.
In the past, tunnel fires have often led to major structural damage, and the tunnel had to be closed for a long time to repair the damage. Not only the repair costs, but also the unavailability led to...
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Hartwig Beiche, former Head of the Technical Department, Head of the Civil Engineering Office and first Operations Manager of the municipal drainage operations Stuttgart, passed away...
Reliable fire protection plays a particularly decisive role for underground railway stations. This is why DB Station & Service AG, together with the technical inspection agency TÜV Nord, has developed...
On the closing day of the 9th International Symposium on Tunnel Safety and Security (ISTSS) on 7 May 2021, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Haack received the ISTSS‘s prestigious Achievement Award for his...
The decision has been made: Thanks to the far advanced vaccination campaign against the coronavirus, the „family reunion of the tunnel industry“, the STUVA conference with accompanying trade exhibition STUVA-Expo, is to take place as a face-to-face event in the familiar manner from 24 to 26 November 2021 at Messe Karlsruhe.
