The ITA-CET Committee and ITA CET Foundation training session portfolio currently includes the following topics: Conventional tunnelling, Health and safety during construction, Immersed tunnels, Innovations in tunnelling, Maintenance and operation in road tunnels, Management of (user) safety in underground facilities, Mechanized tunnelling, Monitoring and control in tunnelling, Principles for tunnel design, Principles for maintenance and repair of tunnels, Underground space use, Risk management, Site investigations, Sprayed concrete, Planning, construction and operation of common utility tunnels and Waterproofing.
Eight additional training session programmes are currently being developed: Resource-efficient Tunnelling, Life-Cycle Assessment, Contractual practices, Auxiliary Measures for Ground Improvement, Numerical Simulation, Design Methods, Use of Reinforced Fibre Concrete and Sub-surface use. Here we take a brief look at the issues that some of these future training programmes will attempt to cover.
Improving resource efficiency by using excavated material as raw material for the tunnel construction site as well as for other industrial sectors should become state-of-the-art. The ITA-CET training session “Resource-efficient tunnelling”, will aim to strengthen the know-how in automated chemical, physical and mineralogical online analysis techniques, which are followed by a separation plant using recycling units like crushers, sieves, etc. all mounted on a bypass conveyor belt. The excavated material can be directly reused either on site or be transported to the particular industry sector. The aim is to place the whole process completely underground, from the characterization of the excavated material to its classification and processing. This process will help move towards zero waste from underground construction sites and will contribute to greater resource efficiency.
“Design methods” and “Numerical Simulation” in tunneling are two new programmes which focus on the calculations performed to assess tunnel stability. Whereas the programme “Principles for Design” is aimed at a broad public, these new programmes are aimed at professionals in tunnelling with previous knowledge of soil or geo-mechanics.“Design Methods” will aim to present the design methods commonly used to assess tunnel stability. The programme intends to cover geomechanical classifications, block
stability analysis, the modulus reaction method, convergence confinement method, numerical methods, face stability and settlement analysis. Each method will be illustrated by examples, whilst highlighting the advantages and drawbacks when applied to a tunnel project. The progressive use of these methods in a tunnel project and the similarities between each of them will be presented. The fields of application and the limits of each method will also be highlighted.
The programme on “Numerical Simulation” will focus on this method by opposition to the empirical and analytical methods listed above. Numerical models and the associated parameters will be presented, highlighting their use, advantages and drawbacks. This session will be illustrated by case studies of numerical simulation implementation in tunnelling.
“Life Cycle Assessment” in tunnelling is a response to the increase in sustainable development issues in tunnelling. This programme will provide details of methodologies and tools that can be used to assess environmental impacts, especially life cycle assessment (LCA). It is important to explain the limits of LCA and how it could be implemented in the early stages of a linear infrastructure project. Finally the programme will offer the chance to reflect on the impact of these issues on the contractual process.