TRANSACTIONS PAPER

The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Transactions, Vol 16, No 2, pp16-27

Tunnelling and Pipejacking Techniques for Trenchless Installation of Drainage Pipelines

Hong Kong, a city on hilly natural terrain, with a total area of 1,000 square kilometres, has a population of 7 million. Its developments mainly concentrate in 20% of the at land in the coastal area, mostly formed by reclamation from the sea. The rapid economic growth in the last 20 years demands new infrastructure and upgrading of existing facilities. The crowded spaghettilike complex of existing utilities and services underground in the limited road space, and the busy trafc, make such upgrading and construction of new features, by the conventional opentrench method, difcult. The use of tunnelling and pipejacking techniques could however resolve most of the problems associated therewith, such as disturbance to trafc, major diversions of existing utilities, earth moving, and effect of inclement weather. This would also minimise public complaints due to inconvenience and loss of business in the nearby shops as temporary trafc management schemes are only required at the jacking and receiving shaft locations. This paper discusses the various types of tunnelling and pipejacking techniques adopted in Hong Kong for drainage pipeline construction under different site constraints and ground conditions, their performance, the problems encountered and the recommendations made. Keywords: Shaft Construction, Hand-dug Tunnels, Heading Construction, Earth Pressure Balance Method, Slurry Pressure Balance Method, Tunnel Boring Machine, Ground Settlement, Control of Tunnel Alignment, Rescue Operation Wilson W S MOK
Meinhardt (C&S) Ltd

K W MAK
Drainage Services Department, Government of the HKSAR

Introduction
The roads in the urban areas of Hong Kong are generally congested with underground utilities and services of different types and sizes, at different depths. To meet the development demand, new features are constantly added and existing installations are upgraded over the years. This forms a spaghetti-like complex network, causing problem to accommodate more new installations due to lack of sufcient space. Diversion of existing utilities and services to give room for such installations is difcult as other locations in the vicinity may also be crowded with utilities and services. In the past, the installations were commonly carried out by the conventional open-trench method, requiring the implementation of temporary trafc management schemes (TTMSs). These TTMSs are usually limited to no more than 20 - 30 m in length in each stage, depending on whether existing buildings are located adjacent to the works site, due to the requirement of allowing space for access of re engines under emergency situations, and other factors, such as access to shops or premises. This limited length of TTMSs could only allow limited utility diversion, and therefore may not effectively resolve the problem. At some locations, the underground is congested with existing utilities and services in layers, rendering such new Installations by the conventional open-trench method impossible. Tunnelling and pipejacking can however minimise such effects as road openings are only restricted to the shaft locations, ie jacking shaft and receiving shaft between a pipeline, which can be selected to avoid conicting with trafc and major utilities or minimise their diversions. Sometimes, tunnelling and pipejacking techniques are adopted solely to minimise trafc disruption, in extremely busy areas, or in response to public requests or complaints on the same concern, or even to avoid the felling of valuable trees. Pipejacking is a technique of pipeline installation, by hydraulically pushing a pipe string, effected either mechanically by a tunnel boring machine (TBM) or manually for excavation, from a jacking shaft to a receiving shaft. Jacking pipes are then added one after another to the end of the pipe string as the preceding pipe/TBM advances. The excavated materials are then transported to the jacking shaft through a trolley system, for hand-dug tunnels and earth pressure balance (EPB) TBMs, and then 16

lifted up to ground surface, or by a slurry discharge pipeline for slurry operated TBMs. This procedure is repeated until the pipe string reaches the receiving shaft [1]. The history of using pipejacking techniques for constructing drainage pipelines in Hong Kong is short, with the track record in 1989 that 370 m of sewers, in diameter of 1,350 mm, located 6 - 14 m below ground, were constructed by TBMs under 5 drives, with a length ranging from 40 to 80 m, passing beneath major roads [2]. Since then, the scale of pipejacking works has increased signicantly, with the deployment of different types of TBMs operating in different modes, to account for the ground conditions likely to be encountered, and also the introduction of hand-dug tunnels for constructing pipelines crossing old seawalls and congested utility zones, or ground susceptible to articial obstructions. In some projects, some of the works by open-trench may need to be changed to tunnelling and pipejacking techniques during the construction stage, to suit constraints of trafc and existing utilities, and such is usually carried out by means of heading construction due to its simple setup and fast operation. Up to 2002, more than 14 km long pipelines, with a diameter range of about 450 - 3,000 mm, using such techniques, have been completed by the Drainage Services Department (DSD) of the Government of the HKSAR [3]. Between 1996 and 2006, some of the notable projects employing tunnelling and pipejacking techniques were the West Kowloon Reclamation Hinterland Drainage Package 2 (Northern Portion) (with a length of more than 1 km), the Central, Western and Wan Chai West Trunk Sewers (with a length of 6 km), the Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and Pok Fu Lam Sewerage Stage 1B (with a length of 2 km), and the Wan Chai East and North Point Sewerage Trunk Sewers (with a length of 4 km), under different geological conditions and depths. The Wan Chai East and North Point Sewerage Trunk Sewers was the rst DSD project using slurry operated TBMs to construct curved sewers with a minimum radius of 320 m, and a S-shape sewer (404 m long), with a combination of straight and two curved sections (of radius 500 m) and passing through an intermediate shaft and launching into the receiving shaft, both with the completion of the permanent shaft in advance [4].

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Some other projects also use pipejacking or heading techniques but in a much smaller scale.

Geological Conditions
The geological conditions in Hong Kong soils are highly variable in a short length. The narrow strip of land along the seafront, adjacent to very steep slopes, has been formed by cut and ll techniques in the terrain over the years, and generally consists of a thin layer of ll underlain by colluvium and completely to highly weathered granite near the hills to a thick layer of ll, with different contents of boulders at different depths, overlying marine deposits, alluvium and completely to highly weathered granite towards the sea. Depth to bedrock ranges from 1 to 2 m to 10 to 30 m below ground in a downslope direction. There is a wide range in particle size between materials in different areas. Very large boulders or corestones could exist at high levels of the ground. Metallic objects, anchors and cannons may also be expected in the old lling areas and in marine deposits. Groundwater levels tend to be high, generally 2.5 to 3.5 m below ground level, and tidal response affects much of the urban area. Figure 2 Temporary Shaft Formed by Pipe-piles minimised. At trafc sensitive locations, the receiving shaft could be temporarily decked over after construction and re-opened to allow trafc ow until the pipejacking drive is completed and the TBM can be lifted up to ground surface during trafc non-peak hours. In areas of congested utilities and services, it is usually difcult, if not impossible, to have a clear shaft, by virtue of the long time required for utilities diversion and the limited space. Therefore, unless they obstruct the pipejacking operation such as lowering of TBM/jacking pipes or removal of excavated material, these utilities and services are temporarily supported inside the shaft, by steel frames. This, however, would create windows in the temporary works, entailing the erection of steel lagging plates as support and to prevent ingress of groundwater (Fig 3). Sometimes, the shape and size of a shaft need to be tailor-made to suit utility constraint, resulting in the use of a combination of sheetpiles and pipe-piles to overcome the problem. In some cases, raking piles

Shaft Construction
In urban areas, due to constraints of trafc and existing utilities, some of the jacking and receiving shafts have to be constructed at side streets. They are generally constructed by sheet-piles in homogeneous clayey to sandy ground (Fig 1) and pipe-piles in mixed ground conditions (Fig 2). Vibration and settlement monitoring are carried out during the piling operation to avoid causing damage to adjacent utilities, services, roads and structures. More expensive pipe-piles are sometimes used in hard ground to minimise noise and vibration. For sheet-piles, to minimise vibration, boulder obstructions at intermediate depths are pre-bored before commencement of pile driving. At some locations, due to the presence of hard materials at different depths, it would be difcult to maintain the verticality of the sheet-piles during driving, and the toe of the sheet-piles would easily be damaged, causing the problem of interlocking with adjacent piles, often with insufcient embedment length, and necessitating toe grouting as a remedial measure. Rectangular shaft is usually constructed because it is more easily to be modied to accommodate existing utilities and services. However, at locations where these features are absent, circular shaft is used due to the smaller member size of temporary works required. For a 1,800 mm diameter TBM, the typical size of a shaft is generally 8 m x 8 m or 8 m in diameter. This generally would necessitate the occupation of more than two trafc lanes. As such, the construction has to be carried out in stages, with one portion completed and decked-over before the commencement of another, such that disruption to trafc could be

Figure 3 Steel Lagging Plates Provided in the Window of Temporary Works have to be constructed to avoid interference with existing utilities and services. The use of a concrete wall cast against the pipe-piles is always required to ensure the stability of the shaft if watermains or drainage pipelines are in their close proximity as their bursting/breakage could signicantly disturb the ground. For deep shaft, grouting is always required in the perimeter to ensure watertightness, before excavation is to commence. After the shaft has been formed, a thrust wall and a launching/receiving eye are then constructed to allow the pipejacking operation. For multi-direction driving, a circular thrust wall can provide better orientation and transfer of loading. THE HKIE TRANSACTIONS Volume 16 Number 2 17

Figure 1 Temporary Shaft Formed by Sheet-piles

Depending on the size and depth of the shaft, and the ground conditions encountered, each shallow shaft (less than 8 m in depth) generally requires 6 to 8 weeks for completion from piling to excavation. The construction for deep shaft (up to a depth of 22 m) would however take a longer time, from 12 to 18 weeks, due to the high variation in ground conditions, particularly the rock content. These shafts are later used for construction of permanent shafts for future maintenance. As most of the shaft locations have different degree of utility constraints, the location, size and shape of access and desilting openings of each permanent shaft may need to be tailor-made to suit the site condition.

2 bars is required to balance the water head in the excavation face and be maintained inside the tunnel round the clock to avoid ooding which may in turn affect tunnel stability. To ensure constant supply of air, a standby compressor is provided for emergency situations. Pressurisation and depressurisation is required in the air-lock installed on top of an air deck erected in the jacking shaft, for personnel entering and leaving the tunnel respectively. A medical lock needs to be provided at the shaft location when the applied compressed-air pressure exceeds 1 bar. There have been some cases that air was found leaking through the porous ground during tunnel excavation, resulting in inow of groundwater. This entailed horizontal grouting from inside the handshield to stabilise the ground before further excavation could be proceeded with. The rate of excavation is generally 1 - 2 m per day for free-air tunnel and 0.5 - 1 m per day for compressed-air tunnel, depending on the ground conditions.

Modes of Tunnelling Operations

Three modes of operations are commonly adopted for pipejacking works in Hong Kong. They are hand-dug tunnel, earth pressure balance TBM and slurry pressure balance TBM. The contractor will, based on the results of site investigation conducted in the design stage by the client, assess the risk and carry out further investigation if doubt exists and select the most appropriate mode for the ground conditions likely to be encountered.

Heading Construction
Heading construction is a simple form of hand-dug tunnel, and is widely used to construct short pipelines, usually in the range of 10 - 30 m in length, crossing road junctions or locations of congested existing utilities and services, in shallow depth, due to its easy setup and thus the relatively low cost. The tunnel size could generally vary from 1.5 to 2.5 m in diameter, depending on the size of pipeline to be installed. To tackle different site constraints and ground conditions, the method of construction in each tunnel could vary, and the following cases are typical examples. To suit the limited space in the jacking shaft which is a common phenomenon in urban areas as constrained by existing utilities, the shield head can be tailor-made by several short sections and connected together

Hand-dug Tunnel
Hand-dug tunnel, formed by precast reinforced concrete segments as temporary lining and connected each other with a bolting system and a rubber gasket at the joint to prevent ingress of water, can be constructed under either a free-air or a compressed-air environment. Free-air tunnel (Figs 4 and 5) is suitable for shallow pipelines crossing old seawalls, articial obstructions and road junctions, usually less than 50 m in length for a drive. Prior to tunnelling, the alignment of the pipeline is fully stabilised by grouting to ensure stability. The excavation is effected manually by pneumatic tools or mechanically by a mini backhoe inside the handshield (ie a protective tube in front of the pipeline to allow manual excavation by workers), if the diameter of the tunnel permits (usually 1,800 mm or above). The excavated materials are transported to the jacking shaft by a trolley system and then lifted up to ground surface. The handshield is advanced by extending the hydraulic jacks installed with it, against the concrete segments erected at the rear as reaction. New segments are then added after the retraction of hydraulic jacks. The overcut between the ground and the segments is immediately lled up with grout to prevent settlement. This procedure is repeated until the tunnel reaches the receiving shaft. Upon completion of the tunnel construction, a permanent pipeline is pushed inside from the jacking shaft and its annulus is lled up with grouting materials equivalent to the strength of the overlying ground. Compressed-air tunnel (Figs 6 to 8) is applicable to grounds where groundwater table is high. Depending on depth, an air pressure of 1 to

Figure 5 Excavation in Free Air Hand-dug Tunnel

Figure 4 Launching of Hand Shield for Free Air Hand-dug Tunnel 18

Figure 6 General View of Compressed Air Setup in Jacking Shaft

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one by one by welding inside the jacking shaft before launching. This is then followed by steel sleeve pipes or precast concrete pipes which are pushed forward into ground by a hydraulic system in the jacking shaft (Fig 9), with lubricant constantly injected under a pressure slightly higher than the overburden pressure, from the grout holes installed in the pipes to minimise soil friction, and to avoid close-up of the overcut, causing ground settlement, during the jacking operation. To determine the ground condition, probing is carried out in every 2 - 3 m ahead of excavation. The ingress of water, if any, is controlled by the injection of grout, by means of horizontal and inclined holes from the shield head, prior to excavation. If instability is found in the working face, steel shutter, in the form of plankings, needs to be erected at the front of the shield (Fig 10), and the working personnel evacuated until the ground treatment is completed, by specialised working gangs, After pushing the sleeve pipeline into the receiving shaft, the annulus, formed by overcut, is lled up with grout, with a strength equivalent to the overburden pressure, to avoid ground settlement. At narrow shaft locations where lowering the sleeve pipes is a problem, the tunnel lining could be formed by steel segments connected to each other by welding (Fig 11). The advancement of the shield head is effected by extending the hydraulic jacks installed with it against the steel segments erected at its rear (Fig 12). The overcut outside the segments is immediately lled up by grout, through the holes provided at the crown and the axis at the two sides, after the completion of each ring in the tunnel. This method is generally applicable to the construction of small size of pipelines. Figure 9 Jacking of Steel Sleeve Pipe for Heading Construction

Figure 10 Steel Planking Erected in Excavation Face to Prevent Ingress of Groundwater

Figure 7 Excavation in Compressed Air Hand-dug Tunnel

Figure 11 Appearance of a Tunnel Formed by Steel Segments For crossing major roads where underground boulder obstructions are expected, the temporary works in the tunnel, formed by drilling horizontal pipe-piles from one shaft to another, could effectively penetrate through such obstructions to act as temporary lining (Fig 13), thus ensuring the stability during excavation. Depending on ground and groundwater THE HKIE TRANSACTIONS Volume 16 Number 2 19

Figure 8 General View of a Completed Tunnel

Figure 12 Extension of Hydraulic Jacks in Lead Pipe for Advancement

Figure 14 Permanent Pipeline Installed in the Tunnel

Figure 13 Tunnel Formed by Horizontal Pipe-piles conditions, grouting may be required to stabilise the ground by injection, through the slot holes provided in the pipe-piles, before excavation takes places. The permanent pipeline is then pushed into the tunnel after excavation (Fig 14), and its annulus is lled up with lean concrete or grouting materials, as appropriate. This method is usually suitable for constructing relatively large size of pipeline in deeper ground. For tunnelling in lling ground with low rock content in shallow depth, the temporary works could be in the form of a portal frame, constructed by driving several short sections of steel plankings or channels, in the direction of excavation, ahead of excavation, and then supporting them by steel members after excavation (Fig 15). This method is however unsuitable for water bearing ground due to the presence of gaps between the plankings/channels that the ingress of water could pose stability problem in the tunnel, particularly during dewatering. The average production rate for heading construction is generally 1 - 2 m per day. If large boulders or full-face rock are encountered in the excavation face, their removal has to be carried out by pneumatic tools as the size of the tunnel does not allow the use of heavy mechanical plant. Hence, the rate of progress is generally slow, with 100 - 200 mm in length achieved per day. In addition, maintaining stability of overlying ground during boulder removal is always a problem. The heading construction method also enables the alignment of a tunnel to be adjusted, by lowering or shifting the shield head/segments to either side, to avoid conicting with unexpected utilities or services encountered during excavation, thus giving more exibility to resolving the problem, when compared with the TBM tunnelling. 20

Figure 15 Hand-dug Tunnel Constructed by Steel Plankings with Portal Frames Heading construction, by means of steel plankings and portal frames, has become popular in Hong Kong recently, particularly for installing branch sewers or drains where groundwater is usually not a problem. This is due to its easy setup, not requiring heavy machinery, and its exibility in handling obstructions. The downside of this method is that construction may be dangerous if the soil cover is too shallow. Its leftin temporary works also takes up an underground space, lled with steel sections, much larger than the pipes to be laid, typically 1.5 m x 1.5 m, to enable manual operation, thereby making the already congested underground space even more so and also imposing difculties for future maintenance of the laid pipes.

Earth Pressure Balance Method

Earth pressure balance TBM (Figs 16 to 18) is adopted for tunnelling through homogeneous ground made of clay, silt or sand, usually in the layers of ll, marine deposits and alluvium. The cutting wheel generally appears in spoke type, with tungsten carbide cutting bits mounted on the surface and a screw crusher in the centre. It is capable of excavating soft rocks of sizes up to 25% of the area of the cutting wheel. The system works on the principle of maintaining pressure in the excavation chamber equal to the hydrostatic pressure in surrounding ground. This pressure is constantly monitored and controlled by varying the speed of the screw conveyor. The excavated materials are transported to the jacking shaft, by a trolley system, and then lifted up to ground surface. When soft ground is encountered or excavation is carried out

THE HKIE TRANSACTIONS Volume 16 Number 2

and could vary from 3.5 to 5 m in width (ie the width of the shaft) and be generally in the range of 20 - 30 m in length. At locations where space is a problem, the size of the works area could be reduced by stacking some of the plant. For receiving shaft, the works area is much smaller and is only required when the TBM is lifted up from the shaft after completion of the pipejacking works. Common sizes of TBMs range from 1,050 mm to 1,800 mm, but the use of 2,600 mm diameter TBMs has been experienced. Due to their simple conguration, in particular only cutting bits are equipped in the cutting wheel and no telescopic section is provided at the rear of the TBM, these TBMs cannot cut through big boulder obstructions and are therefore generally suitable for soft ground excavation. Manual removal of articial obstructions ahead of excavation or change of damaged cutting tools cannot be done from behind the cutting wheel in most of TBMs due to no man access in the front bulkhead. To account for unexpected ground conditions, the length of each drive is usually less than 100 m. Figure 16 Typical Pipejacking Works Using Earth Pressure Balance TBM (Courtesy of Herrenknecht AG) A production rate of 6 - 8 m per day could be achieved in lling ground with occasional boulders. There is another type of TBM using this operating mode but has different conguration in the cutterhead and thus the cutting tools (Fig 19). Consisted of two main parts in the TBM and built of heavy gauge steel, the front bulkhead of the rst part acts as support for the boring unit and seals the front chamber for pressurisation. This part of the TBM, called the shield, houses the machine operators porthole, a spoil screw conveyor and an access chamber to the face of the TBM for manual excavation under a compressed-air working environment. The second part is the telescopic tailskin which can extend to provide sufcient thrust to the shield and is also used for connecting the precast concrete pipes/segments behind. An articulated joint is provided between the shield and the tailskin, to enable steering of the shield so that the line and level of the pipeline can be adjusted. In normal operation, this type of TBM is operated in closed mode, and excavation is effected by a boom cutter or a mini-backhoe connected to an articulated telescopic arm mounted on a fully rotating turret in clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, and the mucking chamber is under compressed-air to balance groundwater. In this mode, transportation of the excavated materials is similar to that of the TBM with a cutting wheel. In order to prevent loss of compressed-air, the excavated materials in the screw conveyor are always kept full. When the TBM is operated in open mode for removing obstructions manually, the triangular steel panels hinged to the leading edge of the shield, which act as shutters, are extended by hydraulic jacks operated from the drivers cabin, to support the overlying ground during the operation. There has been a case that the TBM was stuck in ground in the middle of a drive, due to the accidental opening of a valve in the front bulkhead which resulted in the ingress of soil and water in the TBM, causing inundation and damage. This TBM was nally recovered by a rescue tunnel constructed from the receiving shaft, and the stalled pipeline was then pushed to the receiving shaft through the rescue tunnel.

Figure 17 Mechanism of Earth Pressure Balance Method (Courtesy of Herrenknecht AG)

Slurry Pressure Balance Method

Slurry pressure balance TBM (Figs 20 to 22), often called slurry shield, with cutting bits and disc cutters installed at suitable locations in the cutting wheel, of semi-dome type or dome type, is widely used to construct pipelines in mixed to hard ground conditions under groundwater, to a depth up to 30 m. Common sizes of TBMs are 1,200 mm, 1,500 mm and 1,800 mm. Figure 18 Transportation of Excavated Material in Jacked Pipeline below groundwater, high water absorbent polymer or other conditioning agents are added to the excavation chamber rmly grabbing the soil to stabilise the excavation face and to ease the mucking process. For jacking shaft, the works area required is less than that of the slurry pressure balance method, due to less plant required for the operation, The allowable jacking load in these TBMs ranges from 500 to 1000 tonnes(T), whereas the allowable torque pressure is in the range of 100 - 300 bar. The length of driving could vary from less than 50 100 m to more than 500 m passing through a number of intermediate shafts in a single drive. The works area required for jacking shaft is generally 7 - 8 m wide and 40 - 50 m long, for placing mobile crane, TBM control container, power 21

THE HKIE TRANSACTIONS Volume 16 Number 2

Figure 19 Operation of an EPB TBM Using Mini-backhoe for Excavation (Courtesy of CSM BESSAC)

Figure 20 Typical Pipejacking Works Using Slurry Pressure Balance TBM (Courtesy of Herrenknecht AG)

Figure 22 General View inside a Jacked Pipeline Installed by Slurry Pressure Balance Method pack, generator, desander, muck tank, bentonite mixer, grab lorry, and jacking pipes, etc. At certain locations, some equipment have to be put on decks to suit the limited size of the works area as constrained by site conditions, or a satellite works area has to be provided in the vicinity. TBMs of 900 mm in diameter or smaller may be incapable of tunnelling through big rocks due to the size of the cutting wheel limiting the number and size of the disc cutters. Therefore, advanced drilling to determine the ground conditions along the pipeline alignment needs to be carried out prior to commencement of the work to minimise the risk of TBM stoppage and thus the rescue operation. There has been a case that a 600 mm diameter TBM encountered full-face rock after leaving the jacking shaft for about 1 m (Fig 23) and was stuck. The TBM was nally pulled back to the shaft and the rock obstruction was removed by percussive drilling prior to resumption of tunnelling. During the course of driving, bentonite based slurry, with a viscosity of 40 - 50 Marsh sec for sandy ground, is constantly pumped into the excavation chamber, through a slurry charge pipe. This forms a cake over the excavation surface, to stabilise the face and prevent the ingress of groundwater. The mix of slurry needs to be adjusted to suit the material in the excavation face. Sometimes, polymer has to be added to

Figure 21 Mechanism of Slurry Pressure Balance Method (Courtesy of Herrenknecht AG) 22

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forming vertical and radial cracks in circular kerbs at distances of 60 - 100 mm. By repeated rotations of the cutting wheel and disc cutters, these cracks are enlarged and eventually cause the rock mass in between to be broken into small fragments. The fragments are further reduced in size by the conical crusher at the rear of the cutting wheel, to a size of not more than 40 mm in diameter. In view of travelling a longer path for excavation due to their positions, gauge disc cutters (ie near the edge of the TBM) usually require more frequent replacement than centre disc cutters (ie near the centre of the TBM). For TBMs with a diameter of 1,500 mm or larger, a horizontal air-lock is generally provided at the rear for enabling inspection of the condition of disc cutters and making necessary replacement, through the man access in the front bulkhead, under compressed-air. For tunnelling through hard ground, a telescopic section is equipped in the TBM or an intermediate jacking station is provided behind the TBM, to provide sufcient thrust for excavation. The advancement rate of TBM is 100 - 200 mm/min in soft ground to 20 - 30 mm/min in hard ground. The TBM daily production rate depends on the conguration of the TBM and could vary signicantly under different ground conditions. Based on DSD Contract No DC/2000/11 [5], 2 m per day in hard ground to 30 m per day in soft ground, with an average of 4.5 m per day, could be achieved. A set of disc cutters is capable of completing 2 shallow drives and 1.5 deep drives respectively, under typical Hong Kong soil conditions. In some cases, the pipeline has to pass through existing reinforced concrete seawalls, requiring the affected portion to be completed by hand-dug tunnel before the use of TBM to complete the remaining drive.

Figure 23 View of Full-face Rock outside the Launching Eye of Jacking Shaft slurry to increase the performance in adverse ground conditions, by, for instance, decreasing the ground porosity or improving the properties of the excavated materials in soft ground to maintain the ground stability during excavation. The excavated materials are then pumped to ground surface and then separated by a desander, with the slurry being recycled for use and the spoil disposed of off site. For clayey ground, no slurry is used and water under pressure is injected for the intended purpose. Lubricant is also injected to the overcut along the pipeline, through the lifting holes at the crown of the jacking pipes and the holes in their axis, by an automatic system with pre-set timer and volume of ow (Fig 24). Intermediate jacking stations, each with 8 - 12 nos 50 80 T hydraulic cylinders, are installed at pre-determined locations of the pipeline, usually every 80 - 100 m, to avoid excessive loading in the main jacking station. However, no intermediate jacking station can be installed in pipelines of 600 mm in diameter or smaller due to limited space. In addition, jacking pipes of such sizes do not have the holes for injection of lubricant. Therefore, the jacking is generally limited to short length, say 30 - 40 m. For rock excavation, disc cutters, each with single or double discs, with a diameter range of 200 - 300 mm, are equipped in the cutting wheel and each disc cutter exerts a thrust of 20 - 30 T onto the rock face,

Ground Settlement
Tunnelling and pipejacking would induce settlement in surrounding ground. The magnitude of settlement is greatly affected by ground conditions, type of tunnelling method, depth of tunnel and jacking speed. The presence of underground utilities and services above the jacked pipeline would lead to under-measurement of surface ground settlement due to their rigidity. It is necessary to estimate the settlement inuence zone and to assess its effect on nearby roads, structures and utility installations such that they can be safeguarded during the operation and remedial measures taken, if necessary. Maximum ground settlement occurs at the centre line of the pipeline and diminishes to zero at a distance from its two sides.

Figure 24 Conditioning and Lubrication for Jacked Pipeline THE HKIE TRANSACTIONS Volume 16 Number 2 23

The majority of ground settlement (70 - 80%) occur during and immediately after completion of tunnelling and pipejacking works. Further settlement would continue, and its stoppage depends on the ground conditions above the jacked pipeline, for a few weeks to a few months. Dated back to 15 - 20 years ago, the settlement was monitored using nails installed on pavement. However, this type of installation is unable to detect settlement accurately below rigid concrete pavement. In a project, a road collapsed due to the presence of cavities in ground without indication by the monitoring data. After this incident, sub-surface settlement markers, in the form of a steel rod, by coring through rigid pavement, are generally adopted, with their installation at suitable intervals along the alignment of the pipeline and at offset at both sides, prior to commencement of a pipejacking drive. In exible pavement, nail markers are used. This is supplemented by visual inspection that if settlement occurs, cracks would develop in pavement. For structures sitting on shallow foundation, their condition has to be assessed before commencement of tunnelling and pipejacking such that suitable monitoring devices such as tilt markers and settlement markers can be installed to monitor the ground behavior during the course of works. Under normal situations, the monitoring is carried out once a day. This frequency however may have to increase if there are abnormal readings or the magnitude of readings changes abruptly. In the event that if the measured ground settlement exceeds the predicted value, the tunnelling and pipejacking works have to stop and an investigation on the cause, and the damage, if any, carried out, with remedial measures such as ground treatment implemented, as necessary, prior to resumption of work. Through the proper operation of works, the ground settlement for most of the pipejacking drives using TBMs could generally be controlled within 15 mm for most of the Hong Kong soils, although excessive ground settlement has been noticed in some drives due to unfavorable ground conditions.

obstructions due to existing utilities and structures. In the worst case, the design of the permanent pipeline has to be modied to suit the actual site condition.

Rescue Operations
A TBM would be stuck in ground if obstructions are encountered during excavation. It is necessary to carry out a detailed investigation on its cause, and then replacement of the damaged part from inside the TBM. These obstructions could be natural or articial. If the problem cannot be overcome, the stalled TBM has to be recovered by means of a rescue shaft or a rescue tunnel, as appropriate, with the obstruction removed. The works would be delayed and new TBMs may need to be deployed for ensuring the completion of other pipejacking drives on time, which could disturb the programme of works. Based on DSDs Report No RD 1005/2 [3], about 2% of the pipejacking works encountered obstructions, resulting in rescue operation. The selection of a rescue option depends on many factors such as the damage in the TBM, the location of TBM stoppage with regard to its distance from the jacking shaft and the receiving shaft, the trafc conditions, and the ground and groundwater conditions, above the TBM, the constraints of utilities and services, and the effects on nearby structures and facilities. The options may include but are not limited to change of the damaged cutting wheel so that the TBM can continue the remaining drive to the receiving shaft, removal of the TBM through the rescue shaft and completion of the remaining drive by another TBM from the receiving shaft to the rescue shaft, and construction of a rescue tunnel from the receiving shaft, to overlap the TBM and then the pipeline is pushed into the receiving shaft from the jacking shaft. As each option involves different degree of risk, its suitability needs to be assessed carefully, with site investigation works carried out at and in the vicinity of the stalled TBM, before a decision is made. There have been two cases that a rescue shaft, formed by a combination of sheet-piles and pipe-piles, in the size of 1.8 m x 5.2 m on top and 2.5 m x 5.2 m at bottom and 16.5 m deep, and a rescue tunnel, with a length of 35 m and an internal diameter of 2,440 mm, using compressedair pressure to balance groundwater, took about 8 months and 10 months respectively for rescuing the stalled TBM, from investigation on the cause of the problem, planning of rescue, construction, execution, to recovery of the TBM [7]. There has however been a case that a 1,350 mm diameter slurry operated TBM encountered a steel box section when tunnelling in river bed and could not advance further. The cutterhead of the TBM was moved backward by retraction of the steering cylinders, to enable the driving, vertically, of a 900 mm diameter steel pipe for encasing the steel section. An attempt to completely lift up this steel section through this steel pipe was carried out but breakage occurred at the location partly cut by the disc cutters of the TBM, during the lifting operation. To enable man-entry for manual removal of the steel section, a steel plate, with a prefabricated hole to accommodate the steel section, was installed in the casing, with sandbags added on top of the plate to prevent uplift force due to water pressure, and the ingress of water in the steel casing was controlled by the use of a pump. The broken steel section was nally cut manually and removed, and the pipejacking works resumed.

Control of Tunnel Alignment

The pipejacking works in Hong Kong using TBMs generally follow the Tunnelling Specication [6] as guideline for controlling tunnel alignment, in that a tolerance of 50 mm and 35 mm is specied for line and level respectively. For the 4 km long pipejacking drives completed in DSD Contract No DC/2000/11, under different ground conditions, 21% for line and 19% for level exceeded the tolerance, generally by 2 - 50 mm, despite the fact that the excavation face had been conditioned by slurry and sometimes by the addition of polymer, as necessary. Moreover, deviations in more than 100 mm were recorded at some locations in a few drives where the ground conditions were alternating. In addition, about 2% of the pipelines exceeded the tolerated 0.5 degree angular deection at pipe joint, resulting in the need to carry out a detailed inspection to ensure that there is no dislocation thereat. For excessive opening in pipe joint, remedial measures have to be carried out. This could be achieved by locally trimming the concrete at the pipe end for better bonding before applying nor-shrinkage epoxy, with a strength equivalent to the pipe, to ll up the problematic location for prevention of ingress of water. The tunnel alignment is corrected by suitable extension or retraction of the steering cylinders installed in the TBM. A TBM with 4 nos steering cylinders has better control in alignment than that with 3 nos Out-oftolerance in alignment requires a long length to correct in order to avoid causing damage to the jacking pipes. For pipejacking works using handshield for excavation and sleeve pipes/ segments to construct the temporary tunnel, no tolerance is specied for line and level as the tunnel will be large enough for installation of the permanent pipeline. However, allowance has to be made to account for the irregular prole of the tunnel, due to encountering different ground conditions during excavation, which could affect installation of the permanent pipeline therein to the required alignment. For the tunnel formed by horizontal pipe-piles or steel plankings/ channels, its alignment may need to be adjusted to cater for unexpected 24

Some Problems Encountered

The following problems are commonly encountered during pipejacking works and could affect the progress: For deep drive, high groundwater pressure requires additional jacking force to advance the TBM against the pressure. Therefore, more intermediate jacking stations have to be installed at suitable intervals of the pipeline to ensure that there is sufcient thrust to push the pipeline forward. In addition, such high groundwater pressure also makes the TBM and the rst few pipes moved back to the jacking shaft whilst new pipes are being added. This always requires the temporary xing of a steel bracket

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in the TBM/pipe to rigidly connect to the surrounding temporary works as support during pipe connection. A treated soil block, formed by grouting, is usually provided in the ground outside the launching eye of the jacking shaft and the receiving eye of the receiving shaft, to prevent ingress of water during the jacking/receiving operation and to support the TBM during launching and reception. In grounds with high content of boulders, the grout may not be able to provide effective bonding between soil and rock. This would easily cause dispersion in the grout block when the TBM is breaking through. As a result, soil particles would migrate into the shaft, through the eye location, and settlement would occur in overlying ground, damaging utilities and services. During the course of pipejacking, zig-zag line and level would occur in the pipeline due to encountering different ground conditions. This would require rendering in the depressed sections to provide a uniform prole for the pipeline, affecting hydraulic performance. Excessive outof-tolerance would also cause opening-up of pipe joints, causing ingress of groundwater and instability of the pipeline. Cracking of concrete in pipe could happen at locations where there is excessive deviation in line and level caused by uneven distribution of jacking force, as a result of unfavourable ground conditions encountered. This would require a temporary steel lining for protection to complete the remaining drive before repair is carried out. In the worst case, the damaged pipe has to be repaired immediately, with the spalled or defective concrete removed and replaced by high strength non-shrinkage epoxy, before the pipejacking works can continue. When tunnelling through clayey ground, slow transportation rates in the slurry discharge pipe always occurs, due to the plastic material accumulated in the inlet of the spoil disposal chamber. This necessitates high pressure water to disperse such material through the nozzles provided nearby. Pipe blockage is also found when obstructions such as timber, steel bars, etc are encountered, resulting in the long time to dismantle the respective sections of pipes for clearance. Wear or damage in disc cutters is a normal phenomenon in TBM during tunnelling, and replacement has to be made at the right time to ensure their proper function. There are however cases that they could not be replaced from inside the TBM due to damage/distortion of their connections, affecting the cutting capacity and losing the function of further advancement. Excessive ground settlement or subsidence would occur in unstable ground or due to improper control of the TBM, causing bursting of watermains or gas mains. Although settlement monitoring is carried out at regular intervals, this situation would still occur when there is a sudden change in ground conditions not immediately noticeable to the TBM operator for necessary adjustment in the TBM. Excavation in bouldery ground or soft ground with boulders would also have such a phenomenon. Repeated extension and retraction of hydraulic jacks would cause intermediate jacking stations to leak, due to the rubber seal being torn out by such operation. This situation would be more critical in curved alignments under eccentric loading throughout the drive. No repair could be made until completion of the drive. If the leaked location is near the TBM, the tunnelling operation might be jeopardised. In porous ground, slurry injected from the TBM to balance groundwater pressure would easily leak into ground, cause blockage to ductings of utilities, and encroach into drainage features, affecting their function. The tunnel alignment is affected by ground conditions during driving. It would be difcult to control the alignment in soft ground with boulder embedment or in alternating ground with soft and hard materials as the TBM would tend to move faster towards soft materials. The hydraulic performance of a pipeline would be affected should there be excessive deviation in alignment. A TBM would be stuck in ground if it cannot cut through obstruction during the course of driving. This would result in the rescue operation, and high frictional force would develop along the pipeline due to close-

up of the annulus, causing difculty to further proceed with pipejacking works.

Discussion
Appropriate Selection of Method to Avoid Delays According to DSD Report No RD1005/2 [3], about 75% of the pipejacking works were completed by TBMs using the slurry pressure balance method, 1% by the earth pressure balance method and 24% by hand-dug tunnels. However, there is a rapid increase in the use of hand-dug tunnels, in the form of heading construction, in recent years. Each of the pipejacking techniques is benecial when used in a proper manner. Its performance is generally reected by daily production rate, capacity in dealing with hard rock, control of line and level of pipeline, and ground settlement or heaving. It is therefore essential to choose the appropriate method to avoid timely and costly remedial measures if the work is stopped by obstructions or mechanical failure, which will cause nuisance to the public and in turn lose the spirit of using them. Cost of Installation and Choice of Techniques The cost of pipeline installation using such techniques does not vary with depth except for the increased cost of providing deeper shafts and manholes. In comparison with the conventional open-trench method, the cost of the slurry pressure balance method, the earth pressure balance method, the free air hand-dug tunnelling method with grouting and the compressed air hand-dug tunnelling method is higher in the order of 2 - 10 times, whereas the construction time is usually faster in most cases. The choice of a technique lies with the designer or the contractor and is dependent on the degree of risk that the project can accept. This is usually governed by access, ground and groundwater conditions and accurate identication and consideration of all other constraints. Increase in site investigation works would reduce the risk but could not eliminate it. The earth pressure balance method, although relatively inexpensive of tunnelling in soft ground, is unable to deal with large boulders and articial obstructions. Although access to the face through the airlock chamber in large TBMs is feasible, their removal will be inefcient due to limited space and the use of only hand tools. Breaking through the unknown thickness of boulders will pose a risk that there may be a sudden change in groundwater pressure endangering the worker. Therefore, the recent trend is that slurry operated TBMs have been used as a substitute to minimise the risk of TBM stoppage due to the above problems. The slurry pressure balance method has demonstrated its good rate of progress in variable ground, but its use needs monitoring of excavation as the machine advances to eliminate settlement (too much excavation, not enough advance) or heave (too much advance, not enough excavation). Hence, the operators experience, training and response when problem arises are crucial. Change of operator during the course of work should be avoided as much as possible as the new operator would take a long time before he becomes familiar with the TBM and the ground conditions. The density, viscosity, ltrate water and shear strength of the slurry have to be tested on a regular basis and changed when any of these exceeds the specied upper or lower bound limits to ensure its functionality. The conguration in the cutting wheel should be capable of cutting through extremely hard and abrasive rock and, on the other hand, excavating soil efciently. The disc cutters provided have to be extremely wear resistant and capable of taking the maximum thrust of the TBMs. To avoid excessive heat generation, disc cutters should be equipped with water cooling system. Locally made discs are to be used with care due to difculty of controlling their quality during the heat treated process. In the event that a boulder zone is identied ahead of the drive, it may be necessary to stabilise the soil above the affected area to minimise ground settlement caused by vibration or over-excavation during the cutting-through operation. This would also help to control the line and level of a pipeline. It may be worthwhile to note that up to now, no TBM is capable of cutting through large articial obstructions, especially metallic objects, resulting in its stoppage in ground. 25

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Problems with TBMs The type of cutting wheel and TBM to be used and the expected advance rate depends on ground conditions and their variability likely encountered. A radical and unexpected change of ground conditions can prevent a drive from being completed and require rescue operation to permit the work to be completed. Likelihood of obstructions, natural or articial, can also prevent a drive from being completed, and the rescue of a stalled TBM could be time-consuming and expensive, affecting progress. Additional Features in New TBMs Research in TBM technology has developed rapidly in recent years, based on the problems encountered in different projects under different ground conditions. New TBMs are now equipped with additional features that allow increased and reliable performance under a range of ground conditions. To account for the high variability in ground conditions in a short length, which is a main characteristic in Hong Kong soils, mixed ground slurry operated TBMs have been widely adopted by contractors to minimise the risk. Advantages of Lubricant Lubricant, applied along the jacked pipelines, has demonstrated to be effective in lowering jacking forces and reducing the risk of pipe damage in most of the pipejacking drives. In long drives, automatic bentonite systems with programmable valves should be used to ensure that lubricant, with the specied volume, is injected to the annulus of the pipeline in pre-xed intervals, to serve the intended purpose. Laser Guidance System In straight drives, the position of TBM is determined by the guidance system which relies on the laser beam transmitted from the laser device installed at the rear of the jacking shaft, to the target plate installed in the TBM. However, in curved drives, the laser technology with the use of reference prisms and total survey stations is generally used in TBMs with diameters of 1,800 mm and larger. In small TBMs, the use of Gyro compasses with hydrostatic grade correction is a common approach and has demonstrated its accuracy. Problems with Disc Cutters The performance of disc cutters for pipejacking works has a short history in Hong Kong. In 1990s, most of the works were carried out in single drives, with a length generally not exceeding 100 m, and in shallow depth. It was until 1996 onwards that the scale of pipejacking works has increased to a few kilometres in a contract, with also deep drives tunnelling through hard strata in ground. However, no complete record on the respective performance could be traced except in DSD Contract No DC/2000/11. This Contract showed that a total of 254 nos steel alloy disc cutters, with a diameter range of 250 - 300 mm, had been used for the 21 drives, averaging about 0.5 set of cutters for each shallow drive and 1.5 sets for each deep drive. For TBMs with a diameter of 600 mm to 1,800 mm, a set of disc cutters in the cutting wheel has 6 - 12 nos. Depending on the ground conditions encountered, particularly the location, thickness and hardness of materials, some of the disc cutters had to be replaced after the TBM had travelled a short length. This situation occurred in some long, curved drives with highly variable ground conditions and the replacement of disc cutters in a 4 m drive length had been experienced in the worst case. Replacement of more than 30 nos disc cutters during the course of works in three drives had been recorded. It is noted that a tunnel through moderately to slightly decomposed granitic (M/SDG) bedrock, with strengths of 320 - 350 MPa, achieved 4 m/day on average. Tunnel Alignment and Level Accuracy Almost all the tunnel alignments, using TBMs, can be controlled within 75 mm for line and 50 mm for level, as evidenced by DSDs three contracts (Nos DC/95/05, DC/98/06 and DC/2000/11) which specied the use of tunnelling and pipejacking techniques. In consideration of 26

the steering capacity of the TBMs available in the market, the angular deection of the jacking pipes, and the procedure of correcting the out-oftolerance, a tolerance of 50 mm for line and 35 mm for level, as stated in the Tunnel Specication, may not be applicable to all Hong Kong soils for pipejacking works, and hence should only be used with care. Hand-dug Tunnels and Heading Method The adoption of compressed air hand-dug tunnelling method would face a problem associated with air loss in porous ground, giving rise to the necessity of carrying out ground treatment to safeguard the tunnel and the personnel working inside. The switch on of compressors and generators around the clock to maintain the pressure in tunnel also causes noise problem. Although high cost and relative low production rate make this method only applicable to short drives, the removal of articial obstructions can be warranted. However, after a few drives had been completed under DSD Contract No DC/95/05, and following the rapid development of TBM technology which allows pipejacking drives in curved alignment and detects obstruction ahead of TBM advancement, this method has not been used in recent years due to the risk involved and the reasons stated above. Free air hand-dug tunnelling method in unstable ground would require the entire length of the drive being grouted to maintain stability of the road above, prior to commencement of work. Vertical grouting appears to be infeasible due to presence of congested utilities and services in shallow depths. Horizontal grouting will cause drawdown of groundwater during the drilling operation and will blow out the ground or encroach into ductings of utilities if the pressure is not properly controlled. If the grouting is ineffective, compressed air still has to be used to balance groundwater pressure. Heading construction is a method commonly adopted to construct short pipelines crossing road junctions, utility crossings and entrance to carpark, in shallow depth. The completed works have demonstrated its effectiveness due to fast mobilisation of plant, simple setup on site, and exibility in construction method to suit the space available. Due to limited space, the tunnel excavation is generally carried out by hand tools. There have been cases that unexpected full-face rock was encountered, taking a long time for removal and affecting progress. Although problems associated with safety, environment and ground stability could be a concern, there is a growing demand in recent years that this method is used to overcome site constraints, particularly those unexpected during construction, thus minimising delay to the works. All the above methods have merits and demerits. Their choice should be based on technical compatibility with regard to ground and groundwater conditions revealed by site investigation works, and other constraints rather than only on cost. Detailed analysis of the risk, together with the contingency plan, has to be given prior to nalising the decision. Inspection and maintenance of tunnelling shields, TBMs and their backup plant and equipment by competent personnel at regular intervals would minimise the downtime and maximise the production. Since each project is different in nature, it is advisable to consult with specialists in the eld and TBM manufacturers in the planning stage to ensure success.

Conclusion
The application of tunnelling and pipejacking techniques for drainage pipeline construction in Hong Kong has proved to be promising, generally with less construction time and disturbance to the public, when compared with the conventional open-trench method. Some of the problems could have been avoided or minimised had suitable technique been selected based on detailed site investigation results and site constraints, and proper planning provided in advance. It is essential to include comprehensive rather than general requirements in the contract to fully cover each activity of works, which should be practical and specic with regard to the situation encountered, with the contractors responsibility and actions being clearly dened, so that arguments between the clients consulting engineer and the contractor on problems, when occurring, could be minimised. The experience, training and attitude of the working

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and supervising personnel also have a signicant effect on the success of works. Through the rapid development of TBM technology, long, curved pipelines have been carried out in irregular, alternating soil and rock composition at different depths, in recent years. Tunnelling through the already completed permanent shafts has also been carried out, with proper control of alignment, at a number of locations, to suit the project programme. This also gives exibility in selecting shaft locations to get rid of utility and trafc constraints, as well as the disturbance problems to shops, in most cases. By the installation of a sonic soft-ground probing system in the TBM for detecting hard materials in front of excavation and an electronic tool monitoring system for detecting the wear limit of disc cutters, which is the recent technology advancement in TBM, the risk associated with TBM stoppage, as a result of obstruction, which is a common problem in pipejacking works, could be minimised. Disc cutters have also been developed to have longer life and higher capacity in dealing with the ground conditions likely to be encountered. Articial obstructions still have to be removed manually should there be access in the front bulkhead of the TBM. Otherwise, the TBM would stop in ground necessitating rescue operation. This can be carried out by means of either a rescue shaft or a rescue tunnel, which is a timeconsuming and costly operation, affecting the progress of works and disturbing the public. Therefore, site investigation should be carried out as much as possible at suitable locations before the tunnelling method and TBM is nalised. Tunnelling and pipejacking techniques will continue to become popular for installation of drainage pipelines in the urban areas of Hong Kong as they could eliminate most of the problems encountered by the conventional open-trench method and hence enable the works to be completed with least inconvenience to the public and minimum diversion of existing utilities and services, and trafc. These techniques are continually being rened and developed. Improvements cover both larger and smaller diameters, longer drives, better control of alignment, faster and curved driving, different ground conditions, and the ability to work deeper under water. However, there are also certain constraints, such as no room for construction of jacking and receiving shafts at suitable locations due to congestion of existing utilities and hence the lack of space for their diversion or close proximity to shops, insufcient clearance between overlying utilities and the jacked pipeline using TBM for advancement, and unexpected underground articial obstructions, which limit the application of such techniques.

4.

5.

6. 7.

Mok, W.W.S., Mak, M.K.W. & Poon, F.H.T., Sewer Installation by Pipejacking in the Urban Areas of Hong Kong. Part I Planning, Design, Construction and Challenges. The HKIE Transactions. Volume 14, No 1, pp27-28. The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Hong Kong (2007). Mok, W.W.S., Mak, M.K.W. & Poon, F.H.T., Sewer Installation by Pipejacking in the Urban Areas of Hong Kong. Part II Performance of Works, Lessons Learned and Improvements Proposed. The HKIE Transactions. Volume 14, No 1, pp34-35. The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Hong Kong (2007). The British Tunnelling Society and The Institution of Civil Engineers. Specication for Tunnelling. pp36, 86-88 & 106. Thomas Telford. UK (2000). Mok, W.W.S., Pipejacked Tunnels What to do If a Tunnel Boring Machine is Stuck in Ground?. Trenchless Conference in Macau. Macau (2007).

About the Authors

Wilson W S MOK BASc BA CEng R.P.E. (Civil & Geotechnical) CSci MICE MIMMM MHKIE Email: wilsonwsmok@netvigator.com
Ir Mok graduated from the University of Windsor in Canada and has over 30 years practical working experience in a wide variety of geotechnical and civil engineering projects in both design ofce and site. He is particularly experienced in dealing with design and construction associated with geotechnical investigations and instrumentation, deep excavations, tunnels, ground improvements, settlement analysis, reclamation, site formation, slope preventive measures, foundations and sewerage works. Ir Mok has been involved in the design, supervision and administration of more than 16 km long trunk drainage pipeline construction in the urban areas of Hong Kong, using different types of trenchless techniques from relining, TBMs to hand-dug tunnelling, and has carried out extensive research on such. He is the author/co-author of several technical papers in this aspect, and his paper titled Sewer Installation by Pipejacking in the Urban Areas of Hong Kong, in two parts, has been awarded the HKIE Transactions Prize 2007. He has been Senior Resident Engineer on a DSD contract, which involved the construction of 4 km long trunk sewers, using pipejacking techniques.

K W MAK BSc Dip HE Delft PCLL MA Arb CEng MIEAust MICE MHKIE MIHT Email: kwmak@dsd.gov.hk
Ir Mak is currently Chief Engineer with Drainage Services Department. In the past few years, he has participated in numerous large-scale and prestigious drainage and sewerage projects, including the Wan Chai East and North Point sewerage project, the rst tertiary sewage treatment plant at Ngong Ping, the largest ultra-violet disinfection facility installation at Sin Ho Wan sewage treatment plant, as well as the 5 km long rainwater-intercepting tunnel in Tsuen Wan. Previously, he spent six years in the then Works Bureau dealing with slope and water policies. During his earlier years with the Drainage Services Department, Ir Mak received post-graduate training in river engineering in the Netherlands, and had then worked in the Shenzhen River Regulation Project. He obtained a Master of Arts in the area of dispute resolution and arbitration. On top of his engineering engagements, Ir Mak acquires legal qualication and is a non-practising Barristerat-law of the High Court of the HKSAR. Ir Mak is the co-author of the paper titled Sewer Installation by Pipejacking in the Urban Areas of Hong Kong, which has been awarded the HKIE Transactions Prize 2007.

Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Drainage Services Department of the Government of the HKSAR, for permission of extracting the materials from the respective projects, to publish this paper. Special acknowledgement is given to Herrenknecht AG, and CSM BESSAC, for their permission of extracting the photographs from technical brochures in making Figs 16, 17, 20 and 21, and Fig 19 respectively.

References
1. 2. 3. Thomson, J., Pipejacking and Microtunnelling. pp3-6. Black A&P. UK (1993). McFeat-Smith, I., Tunnelling in Hong Kong in the 1990s. Tunnelling in Hong Kong Seminar. Hong Kong (1993). Research and Development Section. Trenchless Pipe Installation and Renovation Techniques. Review of Pipe Jacking/Microtunnelling Techniques for Construction of Drainage Pipelines. Research & Development Report No RD 1005/2. Drainage Services Department, Government of the HKSAR. Hong Kong (2002).

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