Starting a large diameter TBM from surface

In the Netherlands, when a bored tunnel has to be constructed, a launch and a reception shaft have to be excavated to guarantee sufficient cover. This is necessary to ensure face stability, prevent uplift and risk of blow out. Due to innovations in the drilling technique of drilled tunnels, in Japan different tunnels are nowadays constructed by starting and ending the drilling process at surface level, resulting in sufficient lower construction time. Due to this lower construction time and therefore lower construction costs, it will be interesting to apply this method in the Netherlands as well. This book contains a detailed analysis of the possibility to apply this method in the Netherlands as well. As the analysis mainly focuses on geotechnical issues, it should be especially useful to geotechnical analysts, working in the tunneling business.