Various Tunnel Excavation Methods used on the LHC Project

Civil Engineering construction work for the LHC Project began in April 1998 and is now well underway. A major part of this work is the construction of the new tunnels, caverns and cavern enlargements for the LHC experiments and machine. Currently, this underground work is being carried out for the two injection tunnels, TI2 and TI8, and at Point 1 for the Atlas Experiment. There are three contractors involved in these tunnelling works and each contactor is using a different technique. This paper will outline the different methods used for excavation and the reasons for these differences. It will also examine the other operations involved in the construction of major underground structures such as supply of materials to the tunnel face, evacuation of excavated material and ventilation.