COMPANY NEWS
Meeting Baku Metro gasket design challenge
26 Mar 2014
Trelleborg News Release
- Tunnel gasket designer and manufacturer Trelleborg successfully reduces its engineering time by a third to meet the short turnaround time required to supply its tunnel segment gaskets for the new Metroline Baku tunnel in Azerbaijan.
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Meeting design challenge for Baku metro
- The company's engineered products division usually takes three months to produce a new profile type, but in order to meet customer demand Trelleborg developed a new gasket profile in just two months to meet the project's need to withstand increased water pressure. Working alongside the TBM manufacturer, and forming close internal project groups, Trelleborg maximised the efficiency of its processes to ensure that a high performance solution could be supplied on time.
- "The time pressure that we put ourselves under was tough, as was the challenge to meet the increased water pressure of the tunnel, using a small profile to fit into the current gasket groove. The gasket also had to handle this water pressure with more than a 50% offset of the profile," said Vincent van de Vrie, Sales Manager within the Engineered Products operation of Trelleborg Offshore & Construction based in Ridderkerk in the Netherlands.
- "As the size of the gap or displacement increases, the ability for the tunnel segment gasket to withstand water pressure decreases. This meant that rather than designing for a performance of 6 bar, we actually had to cater for 12 bar, to guarantee the pressure for a design life of over 100 years."
- Trelleborg locates the gaskets in precast grooves surrounding the mating faces of each segment, which ensures a secure rubber-to-rubber waterproof seal as soon as the segments are bolted together. Even when faced with natural ground movement, differing water pressures and harsh wet and dry conditions, the gasket keeps its bond and ensures a tight seal.
- The proven track record for durability and reliability of Trelleborg's gaskets, mean that costly remedial work to seal leaks after construction are eliminated.
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Pipe plugs for underground maintenance - TunnelTalk, November 2013
High-tech TBMs for Azerbaijan metro in Baku - TunnelTalk, October 2011
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