Norwegian tunnel excavation: Increasing digitalisation in all operations

Abstract

In the past decades, Norwegian tunnelling has undertaken a major digital development in all operations from planning to the excavation phase. The breakthrough is driven by digital contract requirements from forward‐leaning clients and innovative industrial stakeholders, aiming for ever more efficient, quality‐oriented and risk‐reducing operations. A formal milestone documenting this development was the publication of Digitalisation in Norwegian Tunnelling in 2019. From 2019, most contracts of new infrastructure tunnels must deliver a level 3 Building Information Modeling (BIM) model. Control systems for drilling jumbos are fully digitalised. All drilling must be monitored and documented with Measurement While Drilling techniques. Via cloud servers, the drilling information is interpreted and delivered live to face engineers for decision support. Sensors are used to monitor rock grouting flow and pressure in each drill hole. Digital electronic detonators with exact delay time are used for blasting. Geotechnical mapping is carried out on field tablets. High‐resolution scans with RGB imaging must be carried out on the exposed rock surface and after rock support/linings. The next step is to utilise all the collected data to a higher degree by advanced analysis with machine learning (ML) and similar techniques for automation and optimisation. This study reviews and exemplifies the digital focus and achievements in core operations in Norwegian tunnel excavation.

From Geotechnical Data to GeoBIM Models: Testing Strategies for an Ex-Industrial Site in Turin

“…In some studies, investigations for the design and management of civil infrastructures have been performed that incorporate the use of non-destructive survey data, such as Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS), Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and satellite-based information [27]. Most of this research has been performed in support of the development of innovative modelling methods for tunnelling projects, where the information related to the subsoil is even more relevant [28][29][30]. The core of Geo-BIM is a versatile and comprehensive database [1] that is capable of handling geotechnical data, which are collected digitally and seamlessly transferred throughout the whole design process of underground infrastructure projects, with no manual transformations.…”