Super Excavators Team Attends TBM Acceptance Test in China

By TBM News May 2, 2018

A team from Super Excavators visited recently the LNSS factory in Liaoyang City, China, for final acceptance and tests. The team gave approval for the Lovsuns TBM to be shipped to the United States to bore the Blacksnake Creek Stormwater Separation Improvement project in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The 3.3-m double shield rock TBM is the first China-Built TBM for the North American market. Lovsuns, the successor company to Lovat Inc. and Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Corp., had built approximately 300 TBM at its Toronto facility since 1972 before making the announcement in January that all manufacturing would shift to the LNSS facility in China. LNSS, which began manufacturing TBMs in 2010, has grown to be a leading player in the burgeoning Chinese market, supplying TBMs to many of the ongoing metro projects throughout the country.

LNSS retains experienced personnel from Lovat/Caterpillar/Lovsuns for TBM designs and sources components from trusted international brands, according to customer preference.

The Blacksnake Creek project will intercept and convey flows from the creek away from the combined sewer systems via a new tunnel system. The project comprises approximately 6,650 ft of 7.5-ft ID tunnel lined with precast, gasketed concrete segmental lining, and one 125-ft, 7.5-ft ID crossing of the BNSF Railroad via auger boring. Five total shafts are included in the project.

The tunnel will transition from soft ground to hard rock along each end of the tunnel alignment along with some mixed face conditions.