During the second half of the mega triennial event, more news and information was gathered from exhibitors among the 3,400 that have an involvement in the specific field of civil tunnelling construction. From real-size examples of construction equipment, to demonstrations of materials and systems, the bauma event presents the best place to remain informed about new developments. TunnelTalk brings another round up of news gathered during its week-long attendance at the show.

Pumps stand to attention on the Xylem stand

• Xylem, the water management technology company, unveiled a new series of submersible dewatering pumps modelled on its iconic Flygt BIBO pump, and introduced a powerful and compact Godwin pump designed specifically for lower head dewatering applications. The new Flygt BIBO range incorporates several proven design features taken from the original dewatering pump, and incorporates innovative enhancements that give the new pumps improved wear resistance and uptime capability. More than one million of the original Flygt BIBO pumps have been sold since they were introduced in the 1960s. The new Godwin Vac-Prime is light and small in size but incorporates reliability and robustness at its core.

• Leading ventilation fan manufacturer Zitron of Spain reported sale of 200 units of its longitudinal ventilation fan range to the Legacy Way highway tunnel in Brisbane, Australia, to provide ventilation of the 4.6km long twin tube TBM driven highway once opened to traffic.

Segment ring for the world's largest ever TBM tunnel drive

• A large size and impressive photo on the cbe stand prompted an enquiry that enabled us to learn that the French mould designer and manufacturer has supplied the segment moulds for the world's large TBM bored tunnel. It has also supplied the casting yard equipment and the huge vacuum segment erectors fitted to the 17.48m diameter TBM. There are nine segments and a key in the huge ring for the Alaskan Way double-deck highway tunnel in Seattle. The largest of these will weigh more than 16 tonne.

• Titan, a new name in the equipment-supply side to the international tunnelling industry, manufactures its own range of shotcreting machines; concrete transmixers; personnel carriers; dump trucks and anfo chargers. On the stand, the Turkish company had an IS26 unit from its shotcreting range which has a spraying reach of up to 13m high x 10m wide and a theoretical spraying capacity of 34m³/hr and up to 60m³/hr at maximum.

Shotcreting unit offered by Turkish company Titan

• On the Putzmeister stand, Max Eckstein, manager of the shotcreting division of Putzmeister based in Spain, told TunnelTalk that takeover by Chinese company Sany in early 2012 has proved to be a positive move. "The new owner has injected significant investment and renewed enthusiasm into its new acquisition. We are benefiting from both." Marketing is also easier with all the principal concrete pumping manufacturers in Europe now owned by Chinese companies. On the stand, Putzmeister was exhibiting its low-profile Mixkret4 concrete mixer transport unit and its high capacity SPM 500 WETKRET shotcreting units.

• A full range of its standard tools and bits, as well as tungsten carbide anti-wear solutions, for mining and tunnelling industries were on display at the Beket stand. The German manufacturer of these specialist consumables was keen to explore expanded business into the world of civil tunnelling to improve the working-life of drill-bits and disc cutters.

• A new silicate resin system for anchoring systems was on display on the Minova stand along with its MAI self-dilling foundation micropiles.

Chemical grouting demonstration at the Normet stand

• On the Caterpillar stand, although the company's tunnelling division in Canada was absent from the exhibition display line-up, there was confirmation that the company will supply the TBM to the Evergreen LRT tunnelling project in Vancouver and that, to the project, it will also supply its first order for Caterpillar continuous conveyors to the civil tunnelling industry.

• The well-established Titan Injection Pile system was on display at the Ischebeck Titan stand. The system has long been applied on tunnelling projects for stabilising portals, anchoring retaining walls, and providing pre-support forepoling of tunnel profiles through unstable ground conditions.

• Live demonstrations of the reaction of chemical injection grouts were a popular attraction on the Normet stand where information about the full range of the company's TAM products was available. News included the extended scope of rehabilitation grouting being carried out using TAM products on the Glasgow Metro in Scotland, which is one of the oldest urban underground railway systems in the world.

Herrenknecht stand framed by a simulation of the largest operating TBM at the moment at 15.6m o.d.

And the long list of company stands visited by the TunnelTalk team goes with visits to:
• Continental Conveyors;
• Atlas Copco and its indoor display of new company acquisition
   Meyco shotcreting equipment;
• Liebherr, with hints at its plan to introduce a range of shotcreting
   machines to its impressive array of construction equipment which
   finds crossover into the tunnelling industry;
• Peri, with its vast display of formwork of all kinds and for all
   applications in the world of insitu concrete casting;
• ITE, the specialist supplier of slurry separation equipment and
   systems for the tunnelling, mining and foundation construction
   industries;
• Rascor, to know what is new in the world of its range of water
   control systems for underground applications;
• Tradecc, the supplier of waterproofing, injection resins, and
   structural reinforcement;
• Sandvik;
• CIFA, which carried also the branding of its Chinese owner
   Zoomlion;
• Korfmann, the ventilation fan specialists;
• Hany, manufacturers of high quality grout mixers and injection
   pumps and systems and so, so many others, both inside in the
   exhibition halls and outside on the vast outdoor arena. Visits to
   companies in the early part of the week were reported in our
   bauma report of last week when the outstanding success of the show this year was also reported.

The familiar and impressive stand of the Herrenknecht company in Hall C3 served to put into perspective the importance of the civil tunnelling industry to the overall success of the world's largest construction and mining equipment trade show. It served as an effective introduction to the world of underground construction and tunnelling, and featured at its impressive entrance a simulation of the 15.6m o.d. concrete segmental lining for the Herrenknecht TBM highway tunnel in Italy for the Sparvo project.

After a long week of enjoyable hard work, TunnelTalk looks forward to the next bauma extravaganza in April 2016. We look forward to seeing you there and to reporting all the news.

References

bauma 2013 bonanza! - TunnelTalk, April 2013
Sany buys Putzmeister's 'Made in Germany' brand - TunnelTalk, January 2012
Examining the global project league - TunnelTalk, January 2012
Tunnels lead the way in world top-100 projects - TunnelTalk, July 2011

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Impressions of the bauma experience

TunnelTalk looks forward to meeting customers, friends and colleagues in Munich

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