{"id":2531,"date":"2011-07-01T14:41:04","date_gmt":"2011-07-01T14:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=2531"},"modified":"2017-06-01T04:09:55","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T04:09:55","slug":"centennial-parkway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robbinstbm.com\/zh-hans\/centennial-parkway\/","title":{"rendered":"The Oldest Robbins TBM still in Action? We visit a jobsite in Canada that may be using the World\u2019s Ultimate Workhorse TBM"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Launch<\/a>

Launch of the veteran Robbins TBM in Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: McNally Construction Inc.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s a long-standing question in the world of tunneling: Which TBM has been operating the longest? What makes it so durable?<\/p>\n

In May 2011, I visited the site of the Centennial Parkway\u00a0Sanitary Sewer\u00a0Tunnel in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to find some answers.\u00a0 The rock portion of the tunnel, located in the shale of the Niagara Escarpment, is being bored by a Robbins Main Beam TBM in operation since 1968.\u00a0 The 2.7 m (8.8 ft) diameter machine was first used for a Hydroelectric Tunnel in Tasmania, and is now owned by McNally Construction, who has used it on multiple sewer tunnels in Toronto and Ottawa since 1972.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The original Main Beam TBM, manufactured by Robbins in 1968.<\/p><\/div>\n

I arrived at the Centennial Parkway site on a sunny Friday afternoon along with Tunnels & Tunnelling North America <\/em>editor Nicole Robinson, where we were greeted by McNally Project Sponsor Dave Bax and\u00a0Field Technician\u00a0Kenny Baxter.<\/p>\n

After giving us some safety instructions, we were handed full rubber suits and boots.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to need these,\u201d said Kenny. \u201cIt\u2019s muddy on the shaft floor, and the material is red.\u00a0 It gets everywhere.\u201d\u00a0 A quick look around the jobsite confirmed his statement\u2014red clay-like material caked nearly everything, from trailers to trucks to boots.<\/p>\n

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The red clay material being loaded in muck cars.<\/p><\/div>\n

We climbed down a long ladder into the shaft, and were given a tour of the small diameter tunnel.\u00a0 Kenny explained that the ring beams and wooden lagging installed at the tunnel entrance were due to the softer clay material encountered at that point.\u00a0 The rest of the rock portion of tunnel was being supported with rock bolts and steel straps. \u201cThe shale material is being recycled to use as brick.\u00a0 The clay was used by a local gun club for berms on their grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Single track muck cars rolled out as we walked out of the tunnel, carrying more heaps of reddish shale, before they were lifted by a crane and dumped on the surface.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

From left to right: Mark Walker, Laborer; Kenny Baxter, Field Technician; Nicole Robinson, T&T N. America, at the tunnel entrance.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bax and Kenny mentioned that daily maintenance shifts have helped keep the veteran machine in good working order.\u00a0 Crews regularly check the 12-inch (304 mm) diameter disc cutters, and inspect the cutterhead and critical sub-systems. \u201cWe are not expecting a lot of wear.\u00a0 Our estimated completion for this tunnel is about two months,\u201d said Bax. \u00a0At the time of our Centennial visit, the TBM had advanced 200 m, at 1.8 to 2.1 m (6.0 to 7.0 ft) per hour, with no major issues.<\/p>\n

The competent shale rock is certainly also a factor in limiting wear to the machine\u2019s cutterhead and main bearing.\u00a0 Robust core components, including the main beam and gripper system, are key in keeping a TBM running for a long time (43 years, in this case).<\/p>\n

Overall, the machine looked to be well equipped for its latest tunnel drive, and though it is impossible to know if it\u2019s the world\u2019s oldest working Robbins machine, it is certainly on the list.\u00a0 If you know of a Robbins machine that\u2019s been operating longer, drop us a line in the comments section.\u00a0 We\u2019d be interested to hear about it, and maybe even visit it!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In operation since 1968, a 2.7 m (8.8 ft) Robbins Main Beam machine currently operating in Ontario, Canada may be the world’s oldest Robbins TBM still in action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-from-the-field"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Oldest Robbins TBM still in Action? 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