*This content was translated by AI.
DL E&C's "construction of the second stage of the port hinterland complex in the northern port of Busan Port New Port" has been on track in earnest. DL E&C completed a tunnel excavation vertically through Mt. Desire. It has been seven months since the excavation began in July last year. The construction industry is drawing attention for its construction using cutting-edge excavation equipment RBM (Raise Boring Machine).
The construction of the second stage of the port hinterland complex in the north of Busan Port New Port is a project to use stone generated by removing Mt. Sireum for the reclamation of Busan Port New Port and Jinhae New Port, with the goal of completion in 2034. It is the largest single construction standard since the opening of the new port of Busan in 2006. To this end, it is necessary to excavate a 43-story mountain peak to create a 120-meter vertical tunnel. This vertical tunnel serves as a passage for the stone to move through.
This project is promoted by a turn key method in which all EPCs (design, procurement, and construction) are carried out by construction companies, and DL E&C's excellent design and construction capabilities are concentrated. In particular, excavating a deep vertical tunnel more than 100 meters underground is considered a high-level construction. DL E&C proposed the RBM method to the Busan Port Authority (BPA), the client of the order, to simultaneously increase the efficiency and safety of the work site.
RBM is a large-scale equipment that rotates heads equipped with dozens of blades to drill rocks. Unlike the existing method of digging from above, it is a method of drilling a hole with a diameter of 0.3m underground 120m, then inserting an RBM into it and rotating it from below to above to excavate. The excavated stone can be discharged underground through the hole created at this time, so the process can be omitted after pumping the stone. This reduced the risk of crashes during the construction process and reduced the construction period by 30% compared to the previous one. After that, when a gantry crane (a large door-shaped crane) equipped with a rotary perforator passes through it, the diameter of the vertical tunnel increases to 10m.
The key to this method is to keep the pressure applied to the RBM constant. If the pressure is too high, it can cause equipment failure, and if it is too low, the excavation speed will decrease. As it is a work that requires dozens of excavations, it is also important to maintain a vertical state. DLEC's technology is based on accumulated experience. In the case of RBM construction, DL E&C is the only one in Korea with construction performance over the past five years. In particular, it has been verified for its high level of field judgment and expertise by applying the method to the Yecheon Aquatic Power Plant, which was completed in 2011.
Recently, the use of the RBM method is also increasing as the construction of deep infrastructure such as pumping power plants and GTX (metropolitan express railway) continues.
"Based on the technical know-how accumulated through a number of vertical tunnel construction such as Yeongdong Yangsu Power Plant and GTX-A, we are leading the mechanization of construction and the advancement of technology," said a DL E&C official who spoke to this newspaper by phone.
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*This content was translated by AI.
